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 101: Legacy
Alt-Gohan struggled to move as the dust settled from the battle. Verto was still unconscious for the moment amongst the crater that had formed after he had used the Spirit Bomb technique on Gohan. When did he learn the Spirit Bomb technique? I knew he could use Kaio-ken but I didn't think he could learn the Spirit Bomb since he wasn't completely pure of heart. Then again, maybe emotional control was part of the training that he got and our Verto didn't. I hope he still has some of those Senzu beans or whatever they were. A pair of boots landed barely a meter away and startled Gohan, but he quickly relaxed when he saw it was the blue-haired Saiyan Laysh.
"Is he alright?" she asked with slight concern.
"Yeah, he's just exhausted, you're his friend right?" Gohan asked.
"Um…I suppose. I guess you haven't met me before whereas your counterpart has," Laysh said with a slight pause in thought.
"It's okay, I understand that this can be a little confusing. This isn't the first time we've dealt with an alternate timeline issue," Gohan explained briefly.
"I'm still a little new to this, what happened here? He didn't explain it very well," Laysh claimed.
"It's a long story, let's deal with that later. Right now I'd like to have my leg back," Gohan said as he nodded towards the bleeding and disfigured mass that used to be his calf. Laysh stared at it for a moment but didn't let the gory scene bother her much before she searched Verto's armor plating for the bag hidden inside. Her fingers had barely grazed it before a smoldering golden light appeared to throw her out of the way and she tumbled aside facedown. The bag of Leira's candies landed at Vegeta's feet and lay there while the Saiyan Prince scowled.
Gohan gasped in surprise, "Vegeta! Stop this!" Alt-Vegeta scoffed at him before kicking hard into Verto's side, sending him out of the crater and dropping into the dirt painfully.
"As usual I have to clean up from your soft-heartedness! Even with a decided advantage you couldn't get the job done! Pitiful!" he growled as he set his sights on Gohan.
"We were wrong! We've been under that damned Overmind's influence for so long we can't even see clearly!" Gohan declared.
Vegeta spit at the ground, "So what? At least we survived. Once again you can't focus on the larger picture can you? There will always be stronger enemies that can and will wipe us out, this little brat has seen to that. We were fools to trust him or believe in his power. And because of that, we all took the most logical course of action and embraced this. Since we can't destroy the Zerg completely, we will use them to grow stronger. Look at what this pitiful excuse for a Saiyan has done to us. To you? Isn't that thought alone boiling your blood?"
Gohan stared at the ground, "It did, but we were still wrong. Look at what we allowed them to do to our home! It doesn't matter if we've managed to save everyone from suffering the Overmind's full wrath, we're still at fault! You used to be the one that preached about completely annihilating the Zerg no matter what! Now look at us, we're just getting in line and following!"
Vegeta cracked a smirk, "Sometimes you have to swallow pride for the sake of compromise, you know that. Even your clown of a father knew that, and look how far he went. He didn't even try to resist when that demon decided to take over. He just quit. Just like he did with Cell."
Gohan's teeth cinched, "Don't you dare talk about quitting Vegeta. You convinced us that this, infection, was a gift. That as long as we grew stronger, the Overmind's own trap couldn't defeat us. That as long as we survived, we would overthrow it someday. Look where that got us! No, you're the one that quit first. You're the one that quit fighting back! You're the one that quit being a Saiyan!" The smirk on Vegeta's face vanished a microsecond before Gohan was floored by one hard punch.
"Mind whom you're speaking to boy! Don't forget that I have spared you and your friends from my wrath countless times. You only live because I allow it!"
Gohan turned his head painfully aside as blood trickled out, "You only did that because you can't beat anything on your own! You proved my point by accepting help from the Overmind. You've done it before with Babidi. The only thing you were ever good at is destroying the weak while being a puppet for Frieza."
Vegeta's head filled with swelled veins, "What did you call me?"
Gohan grinned, "A puppet." Vegeta jumped high and landed hard on Gohan's chest, knocking the wind out of him. With a howl of rage he grabbed Gohan by the arm and flung him into the air. In a heartbeat he phased out and smashed Gohan back to the ground with his fists.
Vegeta landed there quickly and prepared a potent blast in his hand, "You clearly didn't feel like surviving any longer. This has been a long time coming, son of Kakarot!" Gohan winced as the blast filled his entire field of view, but was unable to do much to stop it. Vegeta was about to release it when he sensed something to his right and looked away. Gohan's eyes opened, slightly wondering why he hadn't been blasted yet. He managed to turn his own head to the left and saw the reason. Verto was standing several dozen feet away, completely focused on Vegeta. His face was still quite bloody from his fight with Gohan, mostly due to his nose being broken and now quite swollen. The left side of his head also featured a red trail that ran halfway down the side of his cheek from his temple. Other than that he didn't appear to be affected much by the fight except for a possible energy loss. Any idea of energy loss however was thrown out the window as his eyes had shifted to red and the air around him was rapidly shooting upwards in a colorless aura that looked more like heat waves. Verto had an extremely deadly expression as he stared down Vegeta.
"Well look who's up. Don't give me that look you brat, you know you're far too tired to even consider facing me now!" Vegeta claimed.
Gohan sensed the immense energy that Verto was holding back and quickly knew what was coming. This is that power that our Verto couldn't control without that darker side of him surfacing. I remember that he said that he expelled it in his timeline. If that's the case, then that explains why he can even attempt using the Kaio-ken technique with the Super Mystic power. That means he might be able to control his hidden power fully. That's the only way he'll beat Vegeta now. But if he loses himself in the process, he may create a bigger monster.
Vegeta didn't appear to be worried, but allowed his blast to fade as he turned toward Verto, "So, resorting to that unstable power of yours now? I hope you have more to offer than just that level of power."
Gohan's eyes shifted to Vegeta briefly, He must not be sensing what I am, or he's bluffing. If this Verto turns all his power on Vegeta…I don't know what will happen. Verto appeared to be remaining eerily calm and focused as Vegeta dared to step closer.
"You know, I really don't want to do this to you," Verto said softly.
Vegeta chuckled, "Do what? You'll barely scratch me at your current level. Maybe you should eat another one of those beans to restore your strength and make this a fair contest." Verto's answer was to close his eyes for the moment and take a deep breath, as if he were trying to calm himself down.
Gohan's eyes narrowed as he felt Verto's power fluctuate rapidly even though it stayed fairly low. What's going on? It was as if he was about to snap but now he's trying to calm down. Oh I get it, he doesn't want to allow himself to get carried away. Looks like he has gotten better at controlling his emotions, but this is a really bad time for it.
"You mustn't let your kindness take a hold of you this time Verto. Fight him with everything you've got!" Gohan shouted.
Verto's eyes opened, revealing that they had faded to black, "I wouldn't worry about that this time. This is the one and only moment I'm going to have any sort of compassion for whatever is standing in front of me. After this, there won't be any." Gohan sighed slightly as he felt slightly reassured. That feeling wouldn't last for long.
"I'm going to warn you now, do not provoke me anymore. I'm at my limit of control and if we fight, I am not going to stop. You got that?" Verto said.
Vegeta's trademark smirk deepened, "Is that supposed to scare me? Apparently Gohan wasn't the only one who needs reminding of who he's dealing with. Is your world now so peaceful that you try to win battles with words?"
Verto's head turned slightly, "It is the preferred method, but I felt that it was fair that I warn you first. The technique I used just now to cure Gohan won't work if I'm angry."
"Yes yes, I know how the Spirit Bomb works boy. Don't forget that it was I that suggested using it to wipe out Majin Buu. Don't take me for a buffoon!" Vegeta grumbled impatiently.
"No, my Spirit Bomb is different from the one that you're used too. Instead of making my mind as clear as possible, I focus on positive feelings. It changes the effect it has on my opponent. Instead of doing direct damage, it merely disables them and prevents them from attacking. It's called the Feedback Wave, and it doesn't require nearly as much energy as usual. If they try to attack or even charge their energy in any sort of negative way, it backfires. In some cases it can in fact remove the source of that negativity, as with Gohan. There's another technique that uses the same idea that allows me to heal others, or at least save them from whatever outside forces are affecting them. I can use both techniques as long as my own energy isn't being affected by…let's just say emotional turbulence," Verto explained. Gohan listened intently and was quite impressed, but Vegeta clearly was not.
"So you formed a few pathetic techniques, way to go. Where's the part that supposed to impress me?" he asked.
Verto took a moment to answer, "I've barely been able to use those techniques for awhile now because of the negative power within me. Otherwise I could have dropped all three of you before this battle ever started and we wouldn't be in this situation."
Vegeta folded his arms, "So because you can't get a hold of yourself, I'm supposed to be scared of this big technique that is essentially a coward's way out of a battle. I take back what may have been said before, at least our Verto put up a decent fight before he met his end. You're just boring us to death with words!"
"Actually I was explaining it for Gohan to learn since it would be hard to demonstrate right now. I learned long ago that balancing my emotions is the key to mastering this power, but it's been a very slow process to catch on with. Kind of like catching up to Goku was for you. Oh wait, you still haven't done it," Verto replied, adding the insult purposefully.
Vegeta's feet shifted slightly, "Your singular wit is as annoying as ever. So when are you going to get to the point? All of this babble is nothing but your final words. I don't care about Kakarot nor his current strength, he's nothing to me."
"I am going to say this whether you like it or not, because once this fight starts, you'll get the picture. Not only did I learn what happens when I focus positive energy, I also learned what happens when there is negative energy," Verto stated.
"This sounds hard to figure out…wait, maybe somebody dies? Do I get a reward for that?" Vegeta asked, mocking Verto in the same manner that he would normally use.
Verto continued on unabated by the insult, "That's part of it, but when taken to the extreme, it goes further. The easy version is that there won't be a Hell for you to go to, or should I say there won't be one for Vegeta to go to."
"Apparently your eyes don't work, I am still Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans. Now why would there be no Hell for me to go to?"
Verto's eyes flashed with seriousness, "You may look, act and sound like Vegeta, but I can sense the difference. As for your lack of afterlife, it'll be because you won't exist anymore. All it takes is one energy attack with this power to hit you in a vital location and it's over."
Vegeta looked amused, "Is that all? For a moment I almost felt threatened, almost. Are you finally done?"
Verto shook his head, "There's one more message to convey, I am going to burn every last Zerg on this planet. And then I'm going to show these people how to get rid of you for good. And then you can float in nothingness for eternity."
"Ha, we'll see about that won't we?" Vegeta laughed. Verto didn't reply as his eyes slowly became crimson colored again and the heat waves reformed.
"So are you finally done talking? I thought old age was going to strike before you finished," Vegeta said. A quick set of tears welled up from Verto's eyes and dripped out a bit before evaporating off his face.
"That's what I thought boy, you still haven't the spine to play with the adults. A pity that you showed such promise, but in the end you're still a pathetic human with a big chip on your shoulder. You couldn't ever kill me," Vegeta continued.
"The Vegeta I knew would rather be wiped out than to be controlled by anything other than his own strength. If that's what it takes to free him, then it will happen," Verto retorted.
Vegeta's face went serious for a moment, "Then prove you can do it."
Any sign of Verto's sadness quickly faded as smoky traces of red energy began to come out of his limbs. His hair moved slightly as the red aura began to surround him, but did not change his hair color nor style. From near Vegeta's position, Gohan felt the rage and anger coming from deep within, but it was on a different level than what he was familiar with. He is going to fight Vegeta completely unrestrained this time, I need to get out of here. Gohan struggled to sit up before a wave of hot energy washed over him from Verto. It was enough of a demonstration for Vegeta's expression to change.
"Well, well, it appears you weren't completely bluffing after all. Let's finally have a real battle to the end boy," Vegeta proclaimed. He then grabbed Gohan by the neck and threw him into the air, taking Gohan effectively out of the line of fire.
"There, that nuisance won't distract us now," Vegeta said as he lowered into his stance. Verto's energy continued to build as his eyes now glowed with red, but he still didn't make a move. Vegeta's aura became electrically charged as he powered up in Super Saiyan two form, though his eyes didn't change from their odd black and teal mixture. Further behind Vegeta, Laysh began to stir. It didn't take her long to realize that she was in a very bad place to be. She quickly got to her feet and flew out of the way. Once she was clear, Verto's power erupted almost immediately as he charged Vegeta head on.
Alt-Vegeta blocked the first punch aimed for his head and smirked as if he could hold Verto back easily. The kick that found his lower regions said otherwise as he collapsed by instinct. Verto was on him in a flash, pounding Vegeta's face and upper body with numerous blows. He let up long enough to launch into the air, only to come back down and drive his knees into Vegeta's chest. The air was sent out of Vegeta's lungs quickly before Verto bashed his face side to side repeatedly. The beating only stopped once Verto allowed it to and he jumped backwards and lowered back into his stance. Vegeta recovered quickly, but not easily as he scowled and got to his feet.
"Impressive, let's see how long you can keep that up," Vegeta growled as he wiped the blood from his lip. Verto didn't answer as he kept his left hand up and his knees bent, preparing to strike at any moment.
Vegeta grinned evilly, "Nothing to say now? What changed? Don't tell me that was your best?" Verto didn't budge from his current position, and kept his focus on Vegeta completely.
Vegeta frowned at the defiance as his words seemed to bounce off, "Fine, you clearly have said enough anyway. Now prepare for oblivion!" Vegeta charged a large amount of ki into his palm and held it out, showing what he intended to do with his next attack very clear.
Further away, Laysh helped Gohan to his feet by acting as a brace, "Are you alright?"
Gohan cringed in pain as he unsuccessfully tried to stand on his own, "About as alright as one can expect. I didn't think things would turn out like this but then again I wasn't really thinking like myself either just a few minutes ago."
"From what I've seen out of you and the kid, I'm surprised you would have trouble with this guy, even if he is the prince. I probably couldn't beat him for sure, but both of you are way stronger," Laysh claimed.
"Don't ever count Vegeta out no matter whose side he's on. And right now he has an edge that neither of us have. He has a separate power to draw from, which is what you called the black infection. As long as he's like that, he can continually draw out more and more strength if needs be. Verto might have a deep power that we don't completely understand, but it has its limits," Gohan pointed out.
"He hesitated speaking of what this infection was. And he was about to tell me before you guys showed up," Laysh said.
Gohan looked down, "It's from a being called the Overmind, which is why this time split occurred in the first place. It's why this world was so devastated by the Zerg."
"I don't know who they are but I keep hearing that name come up, fill me in please. I can't help if I don't know what's going on," Laysh claimed.
Gohan denied this request, "After this battle, I promise." Laysh frowned at this and refocused her attention on Vegeta's blast and what Verto was going to do to counter it. He hadn't even taken a defensive posture, as if he intended on doing nothing.
Vegeta scoffed at this, "Has all that power gone to your head boy? You can't take this head on and you know it!" Verto still made no move to counter Vegeta's forming attack and declined to answer, which only annoyed his opponent even more.
"Fine, off to Hell with you! Big Bang Attack!" Vegeta shouted.
The large blast he released had more power inside it than it first appeared, and Gohan drug Laysh to the ground once he sensed it, "Hit the deck!" Verto didn't appear to move at all when the blast struck his position and detonated. The nuclear-like explosion that followed didn't do much in the way of damage to the already ruined landscape, but it did flatten the landscape very effectively once past the initial blast crater. Vegeta stood at its edge with his arms crossed and chuckling as he saw nothing inside the crater.
"C'mon brat, I know you're fast enough to avoid an attack like that. Don't bother trying to fool me!" Vegeta said to the air.
His wish was granted when Verto phased in behind him and brought his glowing red fist forward, "Super Galic Fist!" Another explosion went off, but it was much more centralized to its target and cleared up much faster. Vegeta was face down on the far side of the crater with a gaping hole punched out of his armor and the impact point bloody and bruised. He took a moment to pull himself up as his back seemed to be extremely injured by the attack, but still together.
He favored it slightly as he turned around angry, "Alright kid, no more playing around!" Verto phased out and instantly smashed Vegeta across the face with a single punch, sending him flailing into the distance. He motioned to follow him, but something else drew his attention to the other direction.
Laysh was quite confused by this as she didn't sense anything, "What is he doing?"
Gohan wasn't sure yet either, "I don't know, he must sense something that we can't. Vegeta isn't finished yet and he has to know that." Gohan followed Verto's gaze to the distance where a sizable cloud of gray dust had formed and was coming closer.
Laysh caught on quickly, "What is that?"
Gohan gasped in realization quickly, "Help me off the ground, hurry!" Laysh nodded with concern and helped levitate them both into the air as the dust cloud's origin became known. Legions of variously shaped, sized and purple colored creatures came into view, all making a beeline for Verto. Creatures that both he and Gohan knew all to well.
"What are those things?" Laysh gasped in surprise.
"Those would be the Zerg you've heard about. Looks like they didn't send any flyers, but you can't let yourself be touched by them. They may not look it, but they're all strong enough to do damage to even a Super Saiyan," Gohan advised.
"Don't have to tell me twice. Can't you just blast them?" Laysh asked.
"It's one of the more effective ways to deal with them, but you have to understand that they reproduce incredibly fast. If you don't wipe out the hives that spawned one group, another will rise within a few hours. So even if you destroy one group another follows and a war of attrition starts. It's very easy to run out of energy beforehand and then you're in trouble," Gohan said as the swarm below surrounded Verto.
"I understand that, but if that's all it takes then you should've wiped them out a long time ago, right?" Laysh asked.
"If only it were that easy, we wouldn't be in the shape we're in. They can make use of any species they come across, Saiyans included. The remains of the being that they came from is that black fluid you saw before. And it's inside almost everyone else on this world at the moment," Gohan explained.
"So that story the kid told me about having to kill his own comrades and giving it all to destroy some overly powerful entity that controlled him, that was what he was talking about?" Laysh asked.
Gohan's head bent down, "Most likely yes."
Both of them looked on with distress as the Zerg funneled in from afar and encircled Verto, who didn't look pleased to see them at all. It only took one Zergling to charge at him before his energy erupted and spiraled outwards. The red waves of raw Psi energy washed over the Zerg and many of them turned tail and retreated away from Verto. He didn't waste any time though as his aura filled with lightning and spread to the swarm quickly. Each and every Zerg was hit by the red Psi Storm and stained the ground with blood and bones upon their spontaneous combustion. Fire spread from one dead Zerg to another and engulfed the area in flames. Size only mattered in how much was destroyed in the area before he was done. It was over in seconds, and the attacking Zerg were completely annihilated. All that was left were traces of blood, thousands of broken bones and just as many flaming carcasses.
Laysh was amazed and grinned in pride, "That kid is amazing."
Gohan wasn't quite as positive to the display, "He hates the Zerg more than most things, but to be able to shed that much blood is wrong, even if it is necessary. They must have come to try and disrupt the fight somehow, but for what reason?" A loud battle cry and bright golden column of light drew their attention back to near where Vegeta had been. Boulders of various size were being tossed like paper as the prince's power level skyrocketed. The force of his sudden outburst was enough to knock Laysh and the weakened Gohan from the sky. Verto returned his attention to his opponent, who was coming back quickly.
"That's why. Here we go," Gohan said as he and Laysh recovered among the torched Zerg bodies. When Vegeta arrived, his form had changed to the more powerful golden locks of the third Super Saiyan form.
"Whoa, what happened to his hair?" Laysh exclaimed.
"It's what happens when any Saiyan transforms into a Super Saiyan and its various levels. That is the third and strongest level so far, not counting what me and Verto do with Super Mystic. Vegeta means to end this now, we had better give them plenty of room," Gohan suggested.
Laysh couldn't help but go weak in the knees upon sensing Vegeta's power, "I can't believe I actually thought I could go up against that."
"I know what you mean, but we have to go, now!" Gohan urged. Laysh nodded and prepared to take off before she spotted a brown bag sticking out from one of the Zerg bodies. She reached down and grabbed it before taking off with Gohan in tow.
Vegeta seethed as Verto remained deadly calm despite his Berserker state, "This ends now boy! Feel my wrath!" Vegeta launched forward and punched through Verto's guard into his face, stunning him. Vegeta grabbed Verto's arm and hurled him into the air, phasing out and hammering Verto back to the ground within a moment. He drove his knee to hit Verto in the same manner the younger Saiyan had a few minutes prior, but missed when Verto phased out. Vegeta got up and grinned slightly as Verto took a defensive position a few dozen feet away.
"So, you can still move after those first few hits. That's good, but I don't intend on letting this drag on. You don't deserve the honor of a long lasting fight with the Prince of all Saiyans. We will finish this now!" Vegeta shouted as he launched forward. He flew in as if launched from a cannon and hammered Verto's stomach with both fists. Verto was sent flying and struck the ground hard with his head bouncing back from whiplash. Vegeta was on him quickly, driving his boot into the same area he had just punched. Verto gasped as the air was driven out from his lungs and his body bent inwards towards the point of impact. Vegeta smirked evilly until he saw Verto's glowing right hand opening and aiming towards him.
"Final Shine!" A quick and very strong red beam overtook Vegeta from point blank range. Even as he tried to dodge, the beam still clipped his body enough to force him away, particularly his midsection where his armor vanished. Vegeta landed on his back but was up just as fast, favoring his stomach area that was left bruised and exposed once the armor was gone. Verto stayed on the ground for the moment to recover, taking deep heaving breaths in the process.
"Little brat, to think you have this much energy left. It's absurd," Vegeta growled. He stomped towards Verto slowly, giving the younger Saiyan plenty of time to see him coming. Once Verto turned his head enough to see him, he scrambled to his feet and conjured his now red Psi sword.
Vegeta stopped once he laid eyes on it, "You think you can hit me with that? I'd like to see you try!"
Verto's expression didn't change as he flew towards Vegeta with his sword drawn back. He slashed towards Vegeta's head, grazing only the top of his widow's peak when he phased out. Vegeta appeared briefly behind him before Verto swung around, but only slicing an after-image. Verto's eyes darted from side to side as he lost track of Vegeta's position and tried to reclaim it. He found it again a brief moment later, but it was at a much safer distance where the prince had stopped to grin and cross his arms.
"Too fast for you boy? You should know better than to think that you can defeat me after the fight you just had. Even if your energy hasn't completely depleted, you can't think that your body can move at the same speed," Vegeta claimed. Verto scowled deeply as his sword brightened with energy. He held it back before slashing towards the ground at a downwards angle, producing a thick but arc-shaped blast that raced towards a surprised Vegeta. Vegeta quickly sidestepped to allow the blast to go past unhindered, but took his eyes off Verto. In a flash he was through Vegeta's guard with his sword held at the same overhead angle just before he slashed downwards, aiming for Vegeta's shoulder. Vegeta felt a rush of panic and quickly glided backwards, causing Verto to hit only the ground when he followed through.
He confidently regained his footing and smirked back, "You missed your chance boy!"
Verto's deep scowl remained as he reset his stance, "Did I?"
Vegeta's eyes widened when he suddenly felt a rush of pain go through his left side. He painfully gasped and held his shoulder as his armor and jumpsuit fell away from a smoldering wound that extended from the neckline to his side. Blood splattered out as he stumbled back and quickly lost feeling in his arm, before it was replaced by pain soon after.
"Argh! Damn you!" Vegeta groaned.
Verto dropped his sword to his side and gave Vegeta a deathly glare, "I warned you before this started, now you can't dodge me. Give up now, because the next one goes through your heart and it'll be all over for you and your existence!"
Vegeta's fist shook in renewed anger, "Not without going to Hell yourself first!" Vegeta spread his arms wide for a moment before bringing them together, though far from easily. It became very apparent that he intended to fire his Final Flash technique at Verto or whoever happened to be in its path.
Verto saw this and smirked a bit, "I bet you can't hit me old man! Even if I stay still and don't move!"
Vegeta became even more enraged as his golden blast took form and swelled in size, "Just try it you brat! I'll erase you!" Verto's sword reabsorbed into his hand as he flipped backwards to double the distance between them before he raised his hand again to conjure up a counter.
"That's it boy, make this at least entertaining!" Vegeta cackled as he continued to summon a great amount of ki to fuel his attack. Verto took a slightly different pose and only charged energy into his right index finger, which glowed bright red quickly.
"What is that attack?" Gohan asked.
Laysh squinted slightly to see, "That's the attack he kept using when we first saw him, it's small but effective and strong. I think he learned it from this other kid he was protecting. Only…"
"Only it doesn't look strong enough to counter Vegeta's attack, right?" Gohan asked. Laysh shook her head no, and Gohan stared down in dismay. Verto looked intent to continue regardless of the growing ball that was Vegeta's attack.
Vegeta laughed, "You'd better come up with a something better than that boy! Can't you sense that you won't stand up to my power?"
Verto ignored Vegeta's warning and took aim with the Spirit Gun pose before he fired, "Shock Cannon!" The potent blast that was barely larger than a beach ball shot towards Vegeta quickly, and he was only too happy to oblige.
"If that's all you've got, then so be it. Final Fla…" Vegeta was cut off when the red ball smashed into his own golden blast and produced the most unexpected reaction of blowing up.
A large, bright ball of purple exploded into view, along with the loud sonic boom that usually came with the Shock Cannon. The blast didn't extend out far enough to affect Gohan, Laysh or Verto, but each of them got a feel for the power it put out. A deeper crater was left behind and Vegeta's body was lay at the center of it. His Super Saiyan transformation was history as he was left in shambles due to the point blank proximity to the attack. Verto quickly flew in and landed at his side, but did not press the attack. Gohan and Laysh quickly followed as the Saiyan Prince struggled to move. His body was left reddened and slightly burnt from the Shock Cannon explosion, which only added to the agony his left side was in after Verto's sword swipe.
"Finish it boy, kill me now!" Vegeta ordered. Verto looked tempted as his Psi Sword flashed on again, but this time had returned to its normal bright blue color.
"No, don't! You don't need to Verto. You can cure him just like you did with me!" Gohan pleaded. Verto's eyes had shifted back to blue at this point as he looked up at Gohan before returning his gaze to Vegeta and allowing his sword to fade again.
"You had better kill me now. This is what I want, to die in a battle with one of the greatest Saiyans. It may not have been the way I would've planned it, but it will do. Overmind or not, I will not stop hunting you if you don't! I-I wish to atone for my actions. It was my fault that we all fell under that beast's spell and I will accept the punishment. No son of a third class clown will deny me that!" Vegeta growled.
"So you planned this from day one. I was to be your end when you were too old and weak so you didn't die of old age. Once your family had passed on, you wanted to die in battle…like a Saiyan," Verto said softly.
"Exactly. I'm sure the other Vegeta would have wanted the same thing some day. I have disgraced my family and they no longer deserve me to lead them. Kakarot didn't have the stomach for this and nor does anyone else here that's strong enough. The demon Vang wouldn't do it either, but I knew you would," Vegeta said.
Verto's fists tightened, "Why me? Why put me through all this? From day one you've always kept me in the dark about something and it stinks. Even if things went differently here, it's still the same. There's something about me that you know and I don't. Now what the hell is it? Tell me and I'll grant your stupid wish!"
Vegeta cocked a painful smile, "That's simple. You are the descendant of a legendary Saiyan that taught us how to evolve and grow stronger. It was because of him that my family rose to rule and that Super Saiyans were able to exist."
Verto's eyes widened along with everyone else's, "What? How can that even be possible?"
"The shortest version is that eons ago, the Saiyans were the lowest class on whatever planet we started out on, much like humans are today. At some point a powerful immortal being came to live with us. He had a half-Saiyan son named Verto that brought about great changes in our society. The Saiyans quickly conquered the planet and became the dominant species because he taught us how to use our hidden powers. He trained hundreds, maybe thousands of warriors that grew to Super Saiyan status and beyond. He was very wise and just in what he did, but he did make one mistake, he underestimated our capacity for battle. Many of the Saiyans he trained gave in to their new power and betrayed him. This and other causes brought about a Super Saiyan civil war. At the end of it, he used his special powers to bring everyone's power back down to previous levels, though we were still much stronger than before. He then decreed that a Super Saiyan would not be born but once every thousand years or so and he seemed to disappear. Our society broke back into separate levels, with the upper classes despising what he did and the lower classes suffering for it. The Saiyans that succumbed to darkness were saved by this action, but their kin were cursed for all time by both their bloodlines and propaganda." Vegeta explained. Verto's eyes had gone almost blank from this and he remained in stunned silence. Laysh had a similar expression plastered on her face.
"What happened next?" Gohan asked.
"Only my ancestors know what happened and that Verto had lost his powers in order to correct the mistake he had made in accelerating the evolution of our species. He still visited the Royal Family on occasion despite this and had revealed to them what his plan was. He encouraged them to continue growing in strength in whatever way they deemed fit and that one day, when the Saiyan race was in a critical state, his descendent would appear and help them rise again. This descendent would be granted some of the strength he once had and wouldn't be a full blooded Saiyan in order to prevent abuse of his power. He never said how this descendant would appear nor when, but that a member of the royal family would be the one to train him initially. He was soon killed by an unknown entity one day and they had never heard from him again. The story was passed on as legend to only the royal family, and that is what your Saiyan name represents, brat."
Verto stepped back and dropped to a seat in utter shock, So that's why I keep having that dream! It's so spot on that it can't be a coincidence!
"That's…unexpected," Gohan said.
Laysh didn't look quite as surprised, "It makes sense, I've heard a similar story from our elders. I never had a name put to it, but some sort of legendary Saiyan saved my tribe from darkness."
"Define saved. That clearly isn't the case with all of you," Verto remarked.
Vegeta's eyes darted towards her, "What? You're one of the cursed ones? That tribe was sent out to die by my father. They were traitors! Anything left of them would have been eliminated by Frieza!"
Verto sighed, "Not quite what happened in the other timeline. It was one of Leira's changes. Frieza's son Frost is another example."
"I left that scum to die ages ago!" Vegeta argued.
Verto rolled his eyes, "Yeah well now that's been changed. Anyways, I'm glad you finally told me about this other Verto, but I'm not him. So I'm this big descendant of some legendary warrior, big deal. I guess I'm happy that I have his powers and all, but they've been a huge pain in my ass too. I never asked for any of this when I found out I was part Saiyan, I just wanted whatever could be considered a normal life. It's what I get for being a kid and dreaming big I guess. I don't know if I'm destined to be this great savior or not, and quite frankly I don't care. I only want to help my friends and those who need it. This great mystery is just retarded, why couldn't you just tell me from day one, because it wasn't my time to know? I can handle whatever half-ass truth you want to throw at me, but I can't stand being lied to. It doesn't matter if it's by you, Leira, the Kais, whoever. It's like everyone has been whispering behind my back and letting me decode this crap one word at a time. I've had enough of that. And if killing you is supposed to be the way I figure all this out, then forget it. I want no part of this stupid destiny."
Vegeta's expression of shock matched both Gohan and Laysh, "What? I granted your request now grant mine! You said you would kill me!"
Verto turned to Laysh, "In his condition, how long do you think you can keep him on ice?"
Laysh's eyes widened, "I'm not sure, but I imagine awhile. If he has little to no energy left, it would take him a long time to break out if I seal him off enough. Why?"
"Then do it. We'll deal with him later after I get the cure from Vang," Verto said.
"What? You little bastard, I want you to kill me now! That's an order!" Vegeta roared.
"Fuck you. Since when did I ever listen to what you said?" Verto snapped back.
"I trained you to be ruthless, now carry out your mission!" Vegeta argued.
"I didn't need your training to be an asshole, I already had that. And I haven't killed you because I never intended to. I knew I could get you to attack me with full power at a distance and that I could counter it with my Shock Cannon technique, especially if I warned you first. Then whether you or the Overmind were pulling the strings, you would stay out of close combat if you could help it," Verto pointed out.
"So that's why you were talking about executing his soul, you were bluffing the whole time!" Gohan added.
"No, I still could have done it but I didn't see the point if I could win without doing it. I have more control in that form than you might think," Verto said.
"You tricked me you conceited little brat! When I recover I'm going to rip out your insides and feed them to the dogs!" Vegeta growled as he struggled to move.
Verto kicked his head sharply and Vegeta fell silent, "Shut the hell up. I don't know who is actually in there, Vegeta or the Overmind. But I know Vegeta would never just give up, even if he did want to be killed for his actions. He would die fighting, not on his back. And helping this world isn't going to start with murder. Your family will forgive you for your actions, even if you won't."
Gohan smiled lightly, "I'm glad to see that you haven't changed that much."
Verto grinned back as he held his bruised torso a bit, "How can I be a wise and just descendant if I just kill everything I see? I'm not going to let this power of mine control me, no matter what anyone says."
Gohan chuckled a bit before turning serious, "You mentioned getting the cure from Vang, which means you intend to use the sacred water to take care of the Overmind's blood. Can't you just use the technique you used on me?"
Verto lips pursed slightly, "I'm afraid not, that was desperation. There was a time I could use that technique at any time with little to no cost of energy. I was told that balance is the key to my power and I suppose it's ironic that the scales would be tipped the other way eventually. Due to the Berserker power that I and a few others have, I can't focus the positive energy it takes to conjure that technique easily. You saw what just happened, I burned up everything I had curing you and then it went the other way on Vegeta."
Gohan looked confused, "But you reeled yourself back in. Surely you can attempt it again now."
"Does a bloodstain easily wash out of a shirt? It doesn't work that easily. Sure I can control that power now, but it's like my energy is tainted by it. It takes longer to perform now than it ever has before and far more energy, no matter what form I'm in. I think it's some sort of backlash from going too far towards the darker side. I can still feel it trying to crawl out and burn something," Verto explained.
"So how are you going to get the sacred water from Vang then? He's too strong with my father's body and now he has that powerful girl Lenz at his side," Gohan pointed out.
"I don't know, but we'll figure out a way. The good news is that I can teach you how to use that technique even if I can't perform it easily myself. It really isn't hard to learn as long as you can keep your thoughts focused. First thing though is that I need two of those candies, Laysh," Verto said as he pointed to the bag in Laysh's hand.
Laysh looked down for a moment before digging them out, "Oh, right."
Verto handed one to Gohan before eating the other himself, "It'll heal you like a Senzu Bean." Almost instantly Verto's energy returned to full power and healed his body. Gohan followed suit, quickly standing up on his own two feet once he was able to.
Laysh looked concerned as she fumbled with the last candy, "What about him?"
Verto followed her gaze towards Vegeta, who looked like he needed the candy much more, "After we get the cure. I'm not going to fight him twice if I can help it. He'll only attack us again won't be fooled by the same trick. I wouldn't worry, he'll live long enough. I'm seen him get through tougher beatings."
"Wow, just like you said. But it restored my Psionic energy too? That's a bonus," Gohan said in delight.
"Yeah a bit too convenient if you ask me, but I'm not complaining," Verto added.
"What was that Shock Cannon technique you used to counter his Final Flash? I've never seen anything like that before," Gohan said.
"It's something I picked up along the way. If a dense and concentrated burst of Psi energy smashes into an equal amount of Ki, that's the result. It's sort of an instant bomb of Chi that goes off where it connects. A beam battle won't end up the same way, so it's not like I can constantly do it. It doesn't do near as much damage to the area except close proximity of course, but the power output is substantial if the mix of energy is close enough to even. Otherwise one of the attacks would be blown away by the other. It's not something you can do while in Super Mystic form," Verto explained.
"Makes sense I guess, so what's next?" Gohan asked.
"We move out. I think you can handle keeping Vegeta down in his state as well as your grandfather while I go deal with Vang. It'll be good training," Verto said as he gazed down at the unconscious prince.
"Wait, you'll need my help against Vang. You know that!" Gohan claimed.
"I had everyone's help last time, and I did need it, but I still had to fight him alone. I don't know what his powers are going to be like this time with Goku's body instead of the one before, but I know what I have to do. I don't know if I can get him out of your father's body or not, but I know how to kill him if I can't. I hope I don't have to resort to that," Verto said as he looked away.
"No way, you can't kill my father. If you can't kill Vegeta in this state, you certainly can't kill my father! Surely you can get rid of that demon without killing him! Use your Feedback technique like you did to cure me!" Gohan urged.
Verto glared back at him, "Look, it may not be that simple. It didn't work last time and that was before he knew what I could do. I was forced to kill his previous host when she begged me to do it and I refused, that's what happened the first time I used this power of mine. I dragged it out too long for it to work and look what happened, I don't intend to make that mistake again. I don't know what he did to Lenz or why she went along with it, but I'll stop them both if I have to."
Gohan sighed, "Fine, then show me the technique first and I'll stop him myself. It can't take that long to perfect it, after all you said you'd teach it to me right away."
Verto paused in thought, "Alright I won't try to kill him. I'll show it to you. But to really know it, I have to use it on you and then you have to master it yourself. That's how I learned. Power up to your maximum without transforming and then attack me when I give the signal."
Gohan looked slightly dazed, "Alright." Verto spread his legs and arms slightly and concentrated deeply as a small blue blast formed in his hand. He grimaced slightly as it fluctuated colors and changed size for several moments before it settled into a small white mass about the size of an orange.
"Okay, come at me!" Verto commanded. Gohan nodded and flew towards Verto with a punch outstretched.
Verto thrust his palm forward, "Feedback!" The white blast struck Gohan in the chest and sunk in as he stopped and glanced himself over.
"What that's it? I don't feel any different," Gohan noted.
"That seemed kinda pathetic for you kid, I was expecting something big to happen," Laysh added.
"It will. Now please stay here and keep Vegeta and Bardock out of the battle if you can. I have to go kill your father now," Verto said in a vile tone.
Gohan's mood shifted immediately, "But you just promised you wouldn't!"
"I lied."
Gohan's energy went into a rage before the Feedback technique kicked in and covered him in layers of white lightning, grounding any sort of movement for the moment.
"Go ice up Vegeta, leave only his head exposed so he can at least breathe," Verto said, directing Laysh. She nodded and did as he said, creating a giant block of Psionic Ice that covered Vegeta from neck to toe and extended outwards by several feet.
Once she was done, she glanced at him as if wanting another order, "What's next?"
"C'mon, let's go get this over with," Verto said as he motioned Laysh towards the sky. Gohan cursed randomly as he watched Verto and Laysh fly off, but did stop long enough to smile slightly.
Guess this is what he meant by learning it the way he did, that was clever. Good luck my friend.
A large crystal ball shimmered with the sight of Verto defeating Vegeta and a dark voice cackled slightly, "So he's finally here."
"It's what you wanted, so don't be so surprised," Lenz said as she stepped closer to the glowing ball and revealed her face.
"Oh you shouldn't be angry for this dear girl, after all it's what you wanted as well. Well I should say it will be what you wanted. Once I have his body, you and I will rule these peons easily," Vang claimed as the image of Goku reflected off the glass ball. Instead of the traditional red gi, he had on a darker maroon outfit with a yellow shirt beneath. Lenz was donned in an all black V-neck that lightly exposed the top of her chest with matching pants.
"I don't care. If he beats you, I'll just kill him," Lenz grumbled as she stared a hole through the viewer.
"Heh, if he beats me. You do have such a wicked sense of humor my dear. Your training has been exceptional, but you still have much to learn. A little birdie tells me that you still harbor strong feelings for him, even if you think you're hiding it," Vang stated. Lenz scowled at him momentarily before she cast out her hand, causing an eruption of flames around the crystal ball.
"Don't be stupid," she growled as she walked away. Vang watched her go for the moment before sighing slightly as he continued to watch Verto movements.
"Looks like he still tries to play the hero, saving someone as useless as Vegeta. Perhaps our last fight wasn't enough to completely turn him to his darker nature as I thought. It seems as though he's gained better control. What do you think, Goku?" Vang asked before looking backwards. On the wall was a beaten and sickly looking Saiyan, stuck to the wall with purple glowing chains. He struggled to move his head upwards to even look at Vang, which to him was like looking at a mirror.
"Still a little woozy I see, I apologize about my spectral poison, it tends to have that effect. Don't worry, I made sure your family remained unharmed after my little experiment with Wentha. I can't say the same for that version of Vegeta, but I really didn't need him coming here and making a mess out of everything. I could have finished them all without much effort, but what would be the fun in that?" Vang laughed.
"Y-You won't get away with this!" Goku stuttered painfully.
"I already have you fool. This is just the final act of a well thought out plan. You really should be grateful as I'll be eliminating all of the Zerg once this is over," Vang declared.
"Verto defeated you once, he can do it again," Goku argued.
"On the contrary, the boy only beat me because I wasn't aware of his inner power. You see it was much like that of a demon's and I wasn't strong enough to harness it. Due to that little problem, I was expelled before I could take over. But he completely blew his chance to kill me within my previous host and I will not give him that chance again. All this time using your counterpart's body, I haven't been able to use my powers quite as effectively out in the open. You are, or should I say this version is, quite resistant to hostile takeovers, and because of that I haven't been able to use my powers to their fullest. But if I stop trying to, that allows me to build up my strength so to speak. I was too weak before, but now I'm fully prepared to deal with that kid's latent power as needed. This Goku's power will be used to beat the boy enough so that I can transfer over," Vang explained.
"You're wrong!" Goku shouted weakly.
"Am I? Alright Goku, tell me how my plan is going to fail, I'm all ears," Vang offered.
Goku smirked for a moment, "It's simple, the other me is going to stop you before you get your way. He's fighting your control, I can sense it."
Vang punched him hard in the stomach and his head slumped immediately, "Be silent. Neither of you have any hope once I assert my control." Goku didn't respond afterwards as Vang returned to the crystal ball, though it hadn't changed much from the previous image. A tall shadow approached from behind Vang, revealing an elderly and bald humanoid that carried a large staff.
Vang snickered slightly as he sensed the presence, "Oh, well this is certainly a surprise. You're a little far from the Guardian realm, aren't you, Razil?"
"What is your progress, demon?" Razil asked.
"Straight to business as always. As you can see, the boy is on his way. I will have his power before the next dawn," Vang boasted.
"Your mission is to kill him, not make him your new vessel. I can't afford anymore mistakes if this is to be the spark that ignites the next cosmic war," Razil said in distain.
"Ha, you're in no position to order me. Unlike your other pawns, I owe you nothing. You on the other hand owe me your life, one that I could have ended years ago before Leira discovered our secret meeting. I am cashing in on this favor now by taking this boy's power. It will restore my long lost powers to me before I annihilate both of these worlds myself," Vang proclaimed.
"Need I remind you, vermin, that if you use that boy's power to rejuvenate your own, the Guardians will act immediately. They will appear and stop you the moment you access your lost Cosmic energy. Even if you're stronger than you used to be, they are not so depleted that they can't seal you away," Razil warned.
"And that's why I have you to bog them down in proceedings before they can act. Once I attain my true power, I will use the rift between the worlds to destroy them both while transporting myself safely away. They'll never know I was reborn until it's far too late, and I'll be welcomed back to my kin with open arms," Vang said as he stretched slightly.
"Perhaps, if you succeed," Razil replied.
"If I succeed, what kind of statement is that? It's when I succeed, get it right," Vang scolded.
"Not if the boy kills you first. I've been watching him and he doesn't have the hesitation he once had. He may not have the same compassion that he had before now that his latent demon power has come to the surface. And even if you manage to get your way, I cannot hold the council back for long," Razil claimed.
"There won't be any need, old fool. After tonight, the cold war will be over," Vang laughed as the viewing ball showed Verto and Laysh flying closer.
Power levels:
Alt-Vegeta Super Saiyan 2: 500,000,000; SS3: 640,000,000
Verto (Berserk): 550,000,000; Shock Cannon: 800,000,000
A/N: There were several different things I thought I was going to do with this chapter that I nixed at the eleventh hour, as they had no real purpose except for shock and awe. If anything it would have hindered me more later and really wouldn't have made very much sense to do when taking the setting into consideration. I threw in the other treat that readers have been bugging me to know and that I've been hinting at for awhile. The main events are coming, but not till next time.