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 108: The Reckoning
The members of Team Three and Team Four all gave each other different glances as they stood a few feet apart in the middle of the ring. Goku and Vegeta had locked eyes and had yet to even notice anything else nearby. Piccolo was watching them carefully, but also glancing towards Lenz and Roshi occasionally. Krillin was biting his lip with uncertainty upon who he would face. Roshi's nose was bleeding as he got a close up look of Lenz, who had her arms folded and was giving him a threatening look.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, the second match is about to start. We will now determine how the battle will commence!" MC announced.
Vegeta snorted, "It will be one on one of course, elimination style. The winner of each match will fight in the next with no rest. Last team standing wins."
Goku turned his head in confusion, "Why elimination Vegeta?"
"Because I don't trust these two fools not to botch it and ruin any chance I have at fighting you. A best of three series essentially says that will happen. I don't think any of you want to chance that!" Vegeta claimed as he gave everyone else an evil glare.
"Um, I'm good with that Vegeta, no problem!" Krillin squeaked.
"Okay, I guess we'll do that," Goku agreed. Piccolo was indifferent to the outcome, but looked a bit bothered by it regardless. Lenz didn't seem to care, nor did Roshi who had yet to even see anything other than Lenz's backside. He had already made the mistake of touching her once and that had only gotten him smacked into the ground.
"That settles it then everyone! The second match will be a one on one elimination battle. Each team member must fight for as long as they are able until they lose! This should be worth everyone's time!" MC claimed.
Verto snorted from the lobby, "Only one match will be worth anything."
"Which one of my dads will win?" Gotenks asked, since he had yet to defuse and had calmed down from his pouting session.
"Tough call, it really could go either way," Verto replied.
"What about Piccolo and Lenz?"
Verto frowned slightly and didn't answer. Truthfully, it was the one potential match he had the most concern over, and it didn't involve Goku and Vegeta. Since returning from the alternate timeline, Lenz had yet to fight anyone, even in practice. He knew she hadn't quite gotten over what had happened when she had lost control during the battle with Vang, and that had been the only thing that Verto had planned to work on afterwards. Lenz had managed to bring out her power in a similar form of Super Mystic where all her energy had converted to Chi, but the fact that she was literally dripping with demon-like energy in that form made Verto hesitate even teaching her to move with it. Added to that was a noticeable overall strength increase that had brought her power very close to Verto's own maximum level. Verto was less concerned with that as he was with the abruptness of it. Her power in a normal state hadn't budged an inch however, which made him wonder why. He knew her level of Ki was not on par with her unstable Psionic energy when used at their fullest, therefore the power increase made very little sense to him given her inexperience. Lenz expressed her own concerns over what her new form made her feel internally, citing that it felt like Kaon was in control and not her, even if that wasn't the case. They had only worked on that together one time before Lenz herself backed off and wanted to practice Psionic control instead. Verto had no issues with that and had complied, even though they didn't get all that far with it aside from the Psi Sword technique. She had enough experience with using the Final Shine move that she could duplicate it in any form, but that didn't stop her from practicing it as well. The only other thing they had time for was the freezing technique, which she had serious problems performing. Every time she attempted to freeze something, it would burn or blow up instead. It wasn't hard to figure out why, and it wasn't because she was possessed by a fire demon. It was as if the concentration it required to actually perform it was beyond her, or something else was blocking it. Most of the time when she had gotten close, some of her Ki had slipped out and completely ruined the exercise, forcing her to start over. When she grew frustrated though, her blast would shift to red and light a generous fire instead, which is what she was trying to avoid. Verto eventually reassured her that it wasn't all that important to know and that they would revisit it another day. What he didn't mention was that he had noticed that she had distinct difficulty keeping her Psionic energy separated. He didn't even bother trying to teach her the Feedback technique, nor the Spirit Bomb version. Her lack of progress didn't make him falter that much, after all her learning curve had been slow before. He was more disturbed by their initial training session when she had powered up with her new form, but he had yet to tell anyone else about it. There were enough horror stories about her time with Vang to keep her mind occupied as she began to recover mentally.
It's possible she's limited in what she can do with Psionic energy, similar to how Dabura was. If I recall, Kaon didn't do a thing aside from a few small bursts before she transformed on me. Maybe getting that demon out of her is the only way she can progress, but if it's the source of her power like I think it is, then I'm not sure what I can actually teach her. She may have to just go on without it. It's a bit cruel, but it'll have to be done. The time spent with Vang has clearly done more than just increase her knowledge of her own power. I'm less concerned with how strong she is than what could happen as a result of it. It's as if her power is a water faucet that's been left partially on. If angered or agitated enough, she could lose control just like before, and then that faucet would become a geyser. Nothing good can come out of her still having that demon buried within either. If she shows she can maintain control, I'll work with her, but she may have to figure things out herself. But if worse comes to worse, we'll probably have to ask the dragon to remove the demon, I doubt the Kais or Leira will do anything to help. If they could, they would've done it already.
"Well, are you going to answer me or not?" Trunks asked. Verto glanced over, being so lost in his thoughts that he had forgotten the question and hadn't noticed that Gotenks had separated.
"We'll see," Verto replied.
"I'm cheering for Auntie Lenz!" Goten declared.
"Yeah, Piccolo's too old to be here!" Trunks agreed. Eighteen rolled her eyes slightly and didn't answer. Verto's glance darted back to Satan and Buu momentarily, who were sitting across from each other, playing a game of checkers. Satan was holding a large bag of ice on his head from where he had struck the wall, and Buu was happily eating out of a huge bag of candy.
Verto shook his head slightly, Thank god Satan had that handy, who knows where Buu would have wondered off to. His attention was drawn back to the ring, where Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta and Lenz had gone to opposite sides of the ring, leaving Krillin and his old master.
"For the first match, we will have Master Roshi against his former student Krillin. Good luck to both of you!" MC announced.
"Speaking of old," Trunks muttered aloud. Verto didn't respond as he watched Krillin and Master Roshi square off in the ring. Truthfully he didn't need to watch at all, there was no legitimate way for Roshi to win at this point in their lives. Roshi tossed his cane aside and stretched his neck a bit as he lowered into a fighting stance.
"Alright, just don't beat me up too much. It's hard to go out looking for a date at my age," Roshi claimed.
Krillin rubbed his black hair for a moment, "Honestly Master, you shouldn't even be here. I don't suppose you'll just give up now will you?"
Roshi grinned, "Ha, and let you have the spotlight to yourself? Since when do I run away from a fight? A true martial artist never backs down!"
Krillin sighed, "You haven't been in a real fight for what, almost twenty years now? Just hang it up."
Roshi stubbornly remained in place, "No way! I'll show you that this old dog can still bite!"
Krillin shook his head and reached behind his back, "Well, I didn't want to have to do this to you…" The sun sparkled off Roshi's glasses for a brief moment as he prepared for whatever Krillin was about to do. Out from his back, Krillin pulled out a bonded set of paper.
"Krillin has revealed some sort of magazine. This isn't classified as any sort of weapon so it will be allowed!" MC announced. Upon closer inspection though, he realized that it wasn't an ordinary magazine in Krillin's hand, but declined to say anything past a minor groan.
"What is that in his hand? Is it a comic book?" Goten asked.
Verto had long since smacked his own face, "Yeah, something like that."
"Gross," Trunks added. Eighteen had a classic scowl on her face and said nothing. Roshi's demeanor had definitely changed from serious to almost scared. Krillin pulled a matchbox from his pocket and struck a single match as he held it under the magazine.
"Now Master, if you ever want to read this one again, you had better give up now!" Krillin ordered with a sly smirk on his face.
"No! That's a limited edition! Do you know how hard it is to find one of those?!" Roshi pleaded as he stumbled closer in a panic.
"You mail order all your magazines. Don't think we haven't caught you watching for the late night TV ads," Krillin replied.
"Gimme!" Roshi demanded.
"This is what you get for reading these with my little girl around, it's for your own good," Krillin claimed as he backed up. Roshi reached out for the dirty magazine but missed when Krillin glided back to the edge of the ring, leading him on. Roshi seemed to be hypnotized by the hope of saving the magazine, but not his own dignity. Krillin stopped right on the edge and held the flame a bit closer to the pages as he dangled the book over the grass.
"Gimme gimme gimme gimme!" Roshi shouted rapidly as he ran as fast as he could towards the bait. Krillin grinned and silently declared victory. At the last moment though, Roshi tripped on a small piece of battered ring tile that was sticking up a bit from the previous battle, causing him to fly forward. Krillin barely had time to open his eyes and realize that Roshi wasn't diving onto the magazine. The result was Roshi colliding with Krillin, causing them both to fall out of the ring and creating a massive gasp from the crowd. Krillin winced slightly as Roshi snatched the magazine out of his hands and stood on him, reading it frantically.
MC was quick to render a decision, "Both Krillin and Master Roshi have fallen out of the ring! Because Krillin hit the ground first and Master Roshi never actually touched the ground, Master Roshi is the winner!" The crowd let off a minor cheer, but most of it was pure puzzlement as to what had just taken place.
Roshi hopped back in the ring, magazine in hand, and took a bow, "That's right, I've still got it!" Goku looked somewhat sympathetic to what had transpired, though Piccolo was clearly irritated despite remaining quiet. Lenz scowled heavily while Vegeta kept his arms folded and eyes closed. Eighteen groaned notably while the kids were trying to figure out what had happened.
"Man, Krillin must be getting soft if he's letting that fossil beat him," Trunks claimed.
"So what was that comic book Master Roshi was trying to get? Was it Mister Satan's silver edition?" Goten asked.
"Um, no. Just something about golf," Trunks lied quickly.
"Why would he want that, sounds boring," Goten said as he scratched his head in wonder.
Verto rolled his eyes slightly, At least the side show is almost out of the way.
Verto was more right than he thought. One look at Piccolo and Roshi was already leaving the ring, despite receiving a standing ovation for effort. Once Roshi had left the area and gone to the stands, Lenz stepped into the ring while a strong breeze caused her long ponytail to flap in the air to her left. Across the ring, Piccolo's cape matched the breeze's flow to his right, and the stare down ensued.
"Don't get too out of hand girl, but know that I won't take it easy on you. This will be a test for me as well. Now show me what you can do," Piccolo ordered. Lenz gave a curt nod before her blue aura sprung to life around her, creating a few sparks in the process. Verto felt her energy rise to a plateau before it promptly cut off and settled down along with a generous amount of dust.
He sensed no change in her Psionic energy output though, Looks like she wants to go at Piccolo with normal power only and not risk taking things any further. She'll be beaten fairly easily, but the crowd will be spared any sudden outbursts. But if she gets impatient or if Piccolo lets the match go for too long, that will change.
Piccolo seemed to be catching on already, "Is that all you're going to give me? Not even worth my time."
Lenz frowned slightly, "You don't want me to get serious, not today."
Piccolo was undeterred, "I'm your opponent today, not your mentor. Getting serious is the only way you'll win this match girl." Lenz said nothing and dropped into her fighting stance, seemingly deaf to Piccolo's words.
Verto still sensed no change in her energy levels past a few mild fluctuations, Something's up. I saw the look in her eye when we came here, she clearly wants to prove something today, perhaps that she can stand on her own two feet. Getting beat by Piccolo in the first round like this will defeat any aspirations she had for that. The only explanation is…no, she's crazy if she thinks that will work. Piccolo had yet to even take a stance as he stood across from Lenz, who didn't' look eager to begin.
"Um, you two can begin at any time! We don't want another repeat of what happened at the last tournament. If you're going to suddenly give up again, please do so now!" MC advised, clearly referring to Piccolo's previous appearance.
The Namek's cape continued to flap in the breeze as he remained motionless. Lenz waited for a few more seconds before she suddenly launched towards him, aiming a kick towards Piccolo's legs. Piccolo caught her leg easily with one arm, stopping the advance much to her surprise. Lenz then swung with her other leg, but it was caught as well by Piccolo's other arm, leaving her stuck sideways in mid air. Piccolo made a quarter turn and threw her aside, aiming towards the ring's edge. Lenz managed to flip upright and stop a foot from the edge before she flew back at him at a much faster pace, kicking up dust in her wake. She pulled back to punch as hard as she could with her trailing arm, but right before she would have hit, Piccolo phased out. She heard him land behind her and kicked back, making contact with his cape. That's all that she hit however as it fell to the ground harmlessly. Piccolo phased in above her and drove his elbow into the top of her head, flooring her. Lenz got up quickly and retreated enough to regain her position. Piccolo held out his arms and they lengthened towards Lenz, who grimaced and raised her arms to guard against the attack. Piccolo grabbed onto her front forearm with his left hand and pulled back hard, forcing Lenz back towards him out of her control. Piccolo's other right arm retracted much faster and he pulled back to punch her upon arrival. Lenz saw through this maneuver and charged a blast with her free hand and threw it forward. It was enough to make Piccolo let go of her and glide out of the way. Once her arm was free, she chased after him, staying aggressive. Piccolo fended off several punch attempts fairly easily before catching her with a single kick that stunned her and forced her a few feet off the ground. Piccolo drove his fist into her stomach with the opening, forcing Lenz back towards the edge of the ring again. Lenz fell to one knee and skidded to a stop, favoring where she had been hit slightly. Piccolo finally assumed a stance and kept his keen eyes on her, not pressing the attack. Lenz was visibly frustrated already, but not as much as Vegeta was from just a few feet away along the ring edge.
"Quit holding back girl, you're stronger than this! If you think you'll be able to beat the Namek with your current level, you might as well give up!" Vegeta said in a raised tone.
Lenz glared back at him momentarily before her expression softened, "I know, I just..."
Her pause only made Vegeta angrier but he kept as calm a tone as he could, "Holding back just to see if you can beat the boy on your own will get you nowhere. If you want to prove yourself, do it now. Or make room for someone who can."
Verto scowled as he managed to overhear the conversation, Yep, she's crazy.
Piccolo didn't wait for Vegeta to shout at her again and his arms lengthened once more. Lenz had barely turned in time to see them before Piccolo made contact with each of her shoulders and pushed her off the ring edge, towards the nearby wall. Lenz body glowed with a thin layer of bright blue before she stopped. Her purple hair wavered some as her eyes glowed a brighter blue. She reached up and attempted to push Piccolo's wrists off of her. Lenz shook with obvious strain as she managed to get both of Piccolo's hands off completely despite the amount of pressure he was using to push back. One of Piccolo's arms retracted a few feet before glowing gold with Ki. Lenz's eyes widened just before he fired from close range. The resulting smoke and dust covered what actually occurred, but there was no sign that Lenz had been knocked out of the air or forced backwards. When it cleared, a bright blue blade was seen in Lenz's free hand, having successfully shielded her from Piccolo's blast attempt. Piccolo continued to press with his right hand, and Lenz hesitated for a moment before swinging her Psi sword right through his wrist. Piccolo shouted in sudden pain as his arms retracted back to normal, with the exception that his right hand had been cut clean off. The crowd was unified in their gasp as Piccolo's bloody hand dropped to the ground under Lenz's floating feet.
"Oh my, after nearly forcing a ring out, Piccolo's hand has been severed by this Lenz's energy attack. It's like she's made a sword of pure light that can cut anything! This match has just gotten much more serious. Ladies and gentleman, please consider covering your children's eyes before this gets ugly," MC cried out in his microphone.
"Whoa, that was awesome! When did she learn that?!" Trunks exclaimed.
"Is Mister Piccolo okay?" Goten asked. Eighteen kept her eyes on the action and said nothing.
Verto was more than a bit surprised himself, That was reckless, looks like Vegeta woke her up. At least Piccolo can recover from that without a problem. Now it gets interesting though. Lenz flew back to the ring and landed on the tiles, keeping her sword at her side in case Piccolo moved to attack her again. Piccolo scowled a bit and examined his injury briefly before holding his painful forearm and concentrating. He showed visible strain for a moment before another hand burst out from his injured wrist, regenerating it completely. Afterwards he bent his head from side to side and shook his newly formed hand a bit before settling into a stance.
Lenz looked like she was ready to stop though, "Sorry, I just reacted."
"It's fine, now come at me like you mean it," Piccolo ordered. Lenz's sword faded before she flew at him again, punching with much more force than before. Piccolo deflected the blows with more difficulty this time, but was still able to keep up without too much of a problem. Lenz gritted her teeth a bit as she tried over and over to land a solid blow, to no avail. Her aura flashed with random bursts of blue, red and purple as she continued to attack. The sudden energy surge caught Piccolo off guard and opened his guard enough for one of Lenz's punches to get through, landing her fist at his upper left chest. Piccolo fell backwards momentarily before suddenly throwing a potent ki blast back at her. Lenz was struck in the side of her cheek before the blast sailed off into the air, seemingly stunning her. She recovered quickly and turned her head back down with a furious expression as a trickle of blood came from her mouth. She reached up to wipe off what had come out and stared at the stain it left on her hand. Almost immediately the ground began to shake as her power spiked sharply. Small red and purple bursts of lightning ignited around her, as if the sight of her own blood had made her suddenly snap. Her hair stood up on end, burning off the pony tail wrap and allowing it to flow somewhat freely. Lenz's eyes shifted to a distinct red as she grunted angrily like an animal would. Verto held onto the side of the building, mainly to keep himself from launching out to the ring.
What the hell is going on? Just a few seconds ago she was completely fine and now it's as if she's had a mental relapse. Like someone hit a switch in her mind, just like Vang did. Is this some sort of side effect of what Vang released in her? As her power built up, Verto could see that Lenz's special crystal as still dangling from her neck on its string, although at this point it was hovering up and slightly away from her body. It was almost as if the crystal had a mind of its own and was trying to get away from her. It's not even slowing her down.
The ring began to crack slightly around her position, and a hint of steam managed to erupt from the area just under her feet. The air around the stadium grew distinctly warmer as the random display of energy lightning and pulses continued. After nearly a full minute, the air calmed down and Lenz seemed to settle into her sudden transformation. It was difficult to call it a transformation since the only visible change was her hair was standing up and her eyes had shifted colors. Anyone that was capable of sensing her power knew better. She glanced at her hands briefly as if she were puzzled as to why she had changed. She sighed slightly and shifted her gaze back to Piccolo, who wasn't sure what to think as his jaw had slipped open.
He was quick to regain his own composure, "So this is your new power? Impressive."
Lenz didn't take his compliment well, "Please surrender, I don't want to hurt you. But if you push me anymore I won't be able to control what happens!"
Piccolo didn't heed her warning, "You still haven't beaten me girl."
Lenz's face twisted back to angry quickly and she charged him. Piccolo wasn't prepared for her new speed and was floored by her sudden charge that left a steaming, red fist imprint on the side of his face. He blinked sharply as he was staring up at the partly cloudy skies, more than a little surprised. Lenz turned on her heel and waited for him to get back up with a stern glare. Piccolo turned onto his stomach before slowly getting up, spitting out the small amount of purple blood that had been forced into his mouth. Lenz began breathing heavily like she was tired, but her power level didn't show any signs of diminishing. Piccolo flew high into the air and held his palms together momentarily before concentrating a strong golden blast between them.
"Stop before I kill you!" Lenz shouted at him as she took a single step forward and halted.
Piccolo continued charging his attack despite the look of desperation that she suddenly had, So this is why she's been holding back. It seems this new form is much like Verto's Berserker state in which he has no remorse or mercy on whoever he's fighting. Her necklace crystal doesn't appear to be working to hold her power down, or perhaps it's only able to do so much. One more attack will determine just how much control she has.
Piccolo held his arms out and fired, "Masenko-HA!" A large version of the blast burst forth from his hands and shot down at Lenz, whose expression shifted back to a determined fury.
Her palm charged with intense purple Chi for a very brief moment before she fired back, "Final Shine!"
Lenz's purple beam tore through Piccolo's Masenko like a torch through paper before it shot towards him. Piccolo narrowly avoided being hit by dropping to the ground, missing his head by about a foot. When he looked down, Lenz was gone. She phased in just above him and dropped her leg into his collarbone with a descending axe kick. Piccolo slammed into the ring surface, kicking up a large amount of dust and debris in his wake. Lenz lowered to the ground with a look of pure contempt as she held her palm up and aimed towards the area Piccolo had landed in. Red and purple flames swirled in her hand, showing just what she might've had in mind. Vegeta's eyebrow went up as he watched this but said nothing. Piccolo's team felt slightly panicked though, more notably Goku as he clinched his fists and prepared himself to act while Krillin just looked plain scared. From the lobby, both Goten and Trunks had been speechless as they watched what was going on.
"Auntie Lenz is gonna kill Uncle Piccolo!" Goten cried out.
"Shouldn't you go stop her or something, she's gonna do it if this keeps up. She listens to you," Trunks suggested as he gazed at Verto. Verto's arms were at his sides as he watched carefully for what was about to happen, but showed no real signs of interfering aside from fists that were emitting a few sparks.
Verto was considering jumping in, It's just like when Vang influenced her to fight like this against Laysh. She has no control over this form at all.
"Lenz, stop this!" Verto urged telepathically. He received no obvious response other than a slight reduction in the amount of flames dancing around her palm. Just as the debris cloud began to scatter, a blast shot out from Piccolo's position, smacking into Lenz's face again and deflecting off of it. Piccolo emerged from the cloud just in time to see that it hadn't done anything more than make her seethe in rage.
Verto's face fell, Damn it.
Lenz roared in anger and released her attack, which took the form of a large beam of fire directed at Piccolo, who didn't move nearly fast enough to avoid it. The Flame Jet smashed into Piccolo's left half and burned right through his upper body before moving past and crashing into the wall, leaving a path of smoldering ground behind it as it torched the land beyond the stadium. Everyone gasped as only burnt remains of Piccolo's entire left side fell away as blackened ashes. Piccolo cringed in obvious pain and fell backwards, landing in the grass outside the ring. The flames had narrowly missed his head, but had seared through his left shoulder and torso, leaving a large burnt circle from his neck to his waist that nearly extended to his center.
MC fumbled with his microphone for a brief moment, "Doctors, we need doctors now!" Verto was first to move to Piccolo's aid and phased in directly beside him as he cried out in agony. He saw first hand that while her attack had instantly vaporized his inner organs, it had also cauterized them so that no blood was able to spill out.
Goku stepped in next and had a brown bag in his hands, reaching for the contents inside, "Here, I have some Senzu beans."
Verto pushed Goku's offering hand away, "He has to regenerate first. Piccolo, do you think that you can do that?" Piccolo gave them a painful nod but continued his agonized grunting. Verto stood up and cast a stare at Lenz. Her demeanor had shifted again as she fell to her hands and knees, openly crying. Her tears barely got out of her reddened eyes before they evaporated, leaving only a salty imprint.
Verto stepped into the ring and knelt at her side, taking her warm hands into his, "It's alright, calm down."
"I-I couldn't hold myself back. I almost k-killed him!" she rasped.
"I know, power down before it happens again," Verto said sternly. Her crying paused long enough for her hair to fall back down and her eyes to shift back to blue. The air temperature also returned to normal, aside from the slightly flaming swath of land nearby. Verto stood up and offered his hand to Lenz. She only made it as far as Verto's shoulder before she collapsed down again and leaned against him, soaking his shirt with her tears.
"I tried to stop, but I just couldn't! I'm so sorry!" she bawled.
Verto slipped his other arm around her shoulder and held her tightly, "I know, it's okay, accidents happen. We were lucky this time."
Lenz crying didn't cease, "B-But what if next time it's you I'm fighting?"
Verto held her head up for a moment, "Well whose to say? But I'm tougher than Piccolo." Lenz's lip quivered as she slumped into Verto's embrace again. Verto glanced over to see that Gohan had joined Goku and Piccolo at the ringside, and that they were helping the Namek to his feet. He had already regenerated his body, but was showing signs of extreme fatigue. He quickly swallowed the Senzu that Goku had given him and recovered quickly, but still looked a bit shaken from the close call. The medical team finally reached the arena with a stretcher but stopped when they saw Piccolo was fine and left without a word.
"Can I stop now? I really don't want to continue. I don't care what prince asshole says," Lenz whispered in Verto's ear.
Verto went as far as to pat the back of Lenz's head, "Sure, you don't need to prove yourself to me. Go wait with the kids, I'll be there in a few minutes."
Lenz smiled meekly, "Thanks." Verto let her go and she walked back to the waiting area on her own, weeping slightly as she did. Vegeta bared his teeth a bit as he saw this, but didn't both objecting to it.
"Wait Lenz, you have at least one more match!" MC called out as he ran towards Lenz to stop her from leaving, but Krillin stopped him halfway there.
"Just let her go, I think that was a little too much for everyone," Krillin said.
"Um, okay. Is Piccolo going to be alright?" MC asked.
Krillin closed his eyes and smirked a bit, "Yes, but I don't think he'll be starting any forest fires anytime soon if you get my drift." Piccolo's ears perked at the comment but he said nothing as he moved to the side of the stadium and stood alone for the moment. Verto followed him there soon after as Gohan returned to his seat with Videl.
"So that is her power now, she needs immediate training to control it. We'll have to take her back through the basics again. We cannot wait," Piccolo advised.
"Yeah, I noticed. Let's just get through today without anymore incidents," Verto replied quickly.
Piccolo didn't catch the hint though, "And we have to be prepared to eliminate her if the demon emerges again."
Verto bit his lip as he cast an angry glare up at him, "Don't go there. I'm aware of the threat that she poses if she loses control. But just remember, you're the one that egged her on."
Piccolo folded his arms, "And you've obviously done nothing in the past few weeks to correct it."
"I wanted to be careful not to push her in case something like this did happen. Her power has jumped in a short amount of time and it's almost at my level. She's progressing faster than I did and it's dangerous to mess around with that when we don't completely understand it. I knew that her time with Vang had changed her and I didn't want to rush into it. I was being patient and by her own accord she didn't even want to try that power even in practice," Verto argued.
Piccolo paused for a moment, "I see, that was very prudent, and ineffective."
Verto grimaced at the remark, "Fine, you're right. But we're waiting until after today before we do anything. We won't ruin Gohan's wedding day anymore than we already have, got it?"
Piccolo cracked a very small smirk at Verto's sudden tone, "Acceptable." Verto shook his head in dismay and stepped towards the waiting area while the grounds crew busily patched up the ring.
The crowd started to grow a bit restless within a few minutes, but it clearly wasn't because of the lack of action. Many were wondering if they should leave based on what they had just seen transpire between Piccolo and Lenz. Before any of them made that choice though, the MC was back on the microphone to continue running the show.
"After a close call, contestant Piccolo has been eliminated and contestant Lenz has withdrawn from the contest. This last match will determine the outcome of this team battle. It's Goku versus Vegeta!" MC announced. Vegeta was already in the ring before the MC had even finished speaking. A large cloud passed over the arena and darkened it with no signs of leaving while Goku warmed up with various stretches. In the lobby, Goten and Trunks were extra giddy as they hopped in place at the door.
"Yeah, go Dad!" Trunks shouted.
"My Dad is gonna win!" Goten claimed.
"No my Dad is!"
"My Dad!"
"My Dad!"
"MY DAD!"
"Enough, you'll miss the damn match," Verto said in a raised tone as he stood next to Lenz.
"Yeah no joke. They're like a broken record," Krillin added.
"So annoying," Lenz muttered. She seemed to have recovered enough emotionally to watch the final match but everyone could tell she was still quite upset at herself. Piccolo never took his eyes off her even as she had her back to him, as if he were trying to dissect her with his eyes only. Verto appeared to be only interested in the match ahead of him, but in reality he was scanning Lenz's energy for any dangerous fluctuations. Other than the obvious turmoil she was in, nothing else seemed off at the moment. Neither Verto nor Piccolo was sure if they should feel relieved about that or not.
"Hey kid, do you sense the demon's presence?" Piccolo asked telepathically.
Verto scowled as his eyes darted away from Lenz and to his left, "Only the energy, not the actual mental presence driving it. It's harder to tell when she's calm but it's there. She mentioned to me that Vang had sealed Kaon with some sort of spell and then released the energy for her to use. But she isn't herself in that form, as if part of Kaon comes along for the ride. I can't quite call it the Berserker power because she doesn't act like an animal in that form, and her energy is Chi based, but it's dark just like the demon's. Vang was even able to force her into that form somehow, as if he had a remote for it."
"And she's able to fight quite well in it despite that. But it seemed like it was more based on instinct, much like you are when your hidden power comes alive. It also reminded me of how Super Saiyans are initially before they master the transformation," Piccolo added.
Verto stared forward as Goku climbed in the ring, "No, it's not like a Super Saiyan, not at all. It's far and away different from anything we've seen before."
"I said initially. But perhaps you're right. We should ask the Eternal Dragon to remove the demon and see if that helps. However we should consider the possibility that without that controlling force, her power could rage out of control if she were to lose her temper," Piccolo claimed.
Verto lip twitched slightly, "I'm aware of that." Piccolo didn't answer further when he saw the momentary aura around Verto, clearly warning him to end the quiet conversation. In the ring, Goku and Vegeta had stepped within a dozen feet of each other and waited for the bell to sound.
"So, how far do you think we can safely take this? I don't think either one of us should be going up to Super Saiyan Three in this small arena," Goku suggested.
Vegeta smirked, "This wretched ring wouldn't even hold us at normal power Kakarot. Let's just see where the battle goes before we worry about such petty things."
Goku smiled slightly as his golden aura spiked up around him, "How about we at least turn the lights on? It sure is cloudy out today." He then transformed to Super Saiyan, lighting up the arena with his golden Ki.
Vegeta was quick to follow suit, "Today we make it official. I'm going to beat you, Kakarot!" The crowd gasped in awe when both fighters charged each other and turned the ring into a dazzling display of white-gold shockwaves.
The MC was quick to add commentary, "It's amazing! Both Goku and Vegeta have powered up to their golden fighter forms and are having it out in a massive super-charged melee that most of us can't even make out! One things for sure though, this fight will be fast and furious!"
"Do you think anyone would notice if I were to throw a rock and hit him in the head just to shut him up?" Krillin asked with an evil chuckle. Their view was brightened by several energy bursts that shook the building's frame, causing some of the ceiling dust to come down.
Eighteen snorted, "Do you think you could actually get a rock through that? It'll disintegrate from their energy output before it even gets close!"
Krillin stretched his right arm, "Okay, maybe not a rock, but I'll bet I could thread the needle with my Destructo Disk!"
"No way, I've got plenty of money that says you couldn't!" Trunks said, trying to bait the hook.
It worked and Krillin started powering up his attack, "Oh you're on, one million zeni for this shot! Bulma is going to be so angry with you!"
"Before you two get too far into this, consider what will happen if you were to accidentally distract or even worse, hit Vegeta, with the disk or a rock. Even the best laid plans won't account for THAT response," Verto warned as he crossed his arms.
Krillin's energy dissipated as he stepped away from the door and he stepped towards his wife, "On second thought, I don't think it's a good idea to mess around with energy disk attacks. They are pretty dangerous and we all want to set a good example for the younger generation, right honey?"
"Smooth," Verto muttered.
Eighteen shook her head vigorously, "Idiot." Krillin exhaled with relief from his momentary brain fart just as the action in the ring came to a sudden stop. Goku and Vegeta had simultaneously struck each other in the face with their fists, but neither was forced away from the other. Instead, they both glided backwards and landed to stare each other down again.
"Not bad Kakarot, it seems your time spent in captivity didn't handicap you as much as I thought," Vegeta said.
Goku rubbed his head with a slight grin, "I guess not, but it's not like you got weaker either."
Vegeta smirked, "In your dreams maybe, but the prince of Saiyans doesn't fall to a parlor trick like poison." Both Saiyans continued their face off as the arena darkened around them some more, which began to draw the attention of others.
"Hmm, wonder why it's so dark? It doesn't seem like it's about to rain," Roshi said as he looked up from the stands.
Yamcha stood up next to him, "Yeah, it's strange. It was bright and sunny a few minutes ago, but now it's as if it's supposed to be midnight. I mean I know that Goku and Vegeta are giving off plenty of light but it shouldn't make this much of a difference. Tien, what do you think?"
Only Tienshinhan's third eye was open as he stood behind them, and it was staring off into the distance as he opened the other two, "I think it can only mean trouble."
A loud crackle of thunder sounded from the ring, which was the result of Goku and Vegeta clashing again. Both of them had attempted forearm strikes at the same time, and instead it turned into a brief struggle as both pushed against the other. Vegeta was first to pull back and punch with his other hand, but Goku blocked it in time. Goku fired back with a strong kick from his left, to which Vegeta ducked under and attempted to sweep with his own leg. Goku jumped high into the air to avoid the attack, passing the top of the stadium easily. When he got up there, he glanced around in wonder, taking note of how dark it was. Vegeta fired a small blast, nailing the distracted Goku in the chest easily. The smoke cleared as Goku coughed some of it away, leaving only a small tear in his uniform.
"Take me seriously clown!" Vegeta shouted up at him.
"Hold on Vegeta, why is it so dark out?" Goku asked.
Vegeta shot up towards him, stopped only a few feet away at an equal altitude, "What is the issue Kakarot? So it's a little cloudy out, big deal! We probably kicked up a storm with our energy, it's not like that's a rare feat for us!"
Goku gave him a concerned glare, "That's not it Vegeta, it would have cleared out just as fast as it appeared if that was the case. And there hasn't been any change of wind nor has it tried to rain yet. This is something else!"
Vegeta scowled as he looked around, "Well whatever it might be is of no concern to us. And if it's some sort of new enemy, it has chosen the wrong day and had better clear out if it knows what is good for it. We are the superior beings on this planet and everyone knows it! Now let's determine who is number one!" Below, most of the crowd wondered what was going on at the top of the arena, though many of them were most concerned with the sudden darkness that had taken over.
At the podium reserved for the newlyweds, Videl stood up as she pulled off her bridal headpiece, "Gohan, I have a bad feeling about this."
Gohan slipped his tuxedo jacket off and loosened his bowtie, "Me too."
"But today of all days?" Videl said with an exasperated expression.
Gohan smiled meekly, "Honestly we should expect it at this point. Our parties usually get crashed."
At the lobby entrance, the rest of the fighters had also come out to stare up at the darkness, including Buu as he shoved candy into his mouth.
"What is going on? The forecast for today was sunny and warm," Mr. Satan claimed.
"Well whatever this is clearly wasn't in the wedding day program," Krillin muttered. Verto folded his arms as he stared up at the roaming dark clouds above, noting that the gaps between them weren't revealing anything. There was no sign of sunlit blue sky or stars, there was only black. Piccolo's attention had also been drawn, but he was as unsure as everyone else.
"Could it be the Dragon Balls?" Trunks dared to ask.
"No, we would have seen lightning and felt wind if it was the dragon. This is beyond weird," Krillin said. Lenz, who had said nothing up to this point, suddenly dropped to her hands and knees like she was sick. She hunched over slightly as dark purple energy began to ooze out of her.
"No! I won't!" she screamed.
Verto's eyes went wide as he jumped to her side, "Get back everyone!" The group scattered as Verto dared to put an arm around her shoulder. A strong hissing sound along with his quick recoil revealed that her temperature had gone up drastically even before it hit the air. Verto stared at his reddened, steaming hand in surprise while flames began to spread from Lenz's aura, quickly lighting the grass on fire. Verto acted quickly and chopped the back of her head hard, putting her into the ground. The flames died out as she seemed to fall unconscious, and everyone near her sighed with relief.
"That was close," Krillin claimed. Piccolo had a stern gaze set on Lenz but he said nothing initially.
Verto's eyes narrowed, "But why did it happen again? There was no reason for it this time."
Piccolo continued to look thoughtful, "Hold on. You said that Vang sealed the demon's presence, thus releasing all of that being's power to Lenz, correct?"
Verto glanced back at him with annoyance, "Yes, and?"
"You also said that Vang was able to activate that power fully when she refused to. As if he had a remote control device?"
Verto's eyes went wide, "That means…" Then he felt it just before the ground started to shake. Everyone that was capable of sensing energy stared to the north-northwest in unison. In the far distance, a bright streak of violet light shot towards the arena and exploded overhead, well above Goku and Vegeta. The detonation cleared up the clouds in the sky, revealing something more troubling. High in the sky, where the sun should have been, there was only a black mass that was casting a shadow over everything. It was large enough that the sun could not be seen behind it, nor the stars.
"What the, where's the sun? And if it's night already, where's the stars?!" MC asked first with his microphone still on.
"It's an eclipse, but that's impossible! The moon has been gone for years!" Satan shouted.
"Yeah, that was Piccolo's doing before Vegeta and Nappa came here over ten years ago. It's been gone ever since then, so how is this possible?" Krillin asked.
"I think the answer to all of this is waiting for us over there," Verto said with a dark glare as he pointed to the north. Above, Vegeta had grasped the situation with a reaction that suited him.
"So this is the day that freak chose to return. The audacity of that demon is nothing short of insulting. Kakarot, our match is postponed until I return!" Vegeta ordered as he suddenly blasted off.
Goku was quick to follow, "Vegeta, wait!"
"Oh boy, looks like we're in a fix again," Krillin said as he hovered into the air.
"Yay, we get another fight!" Trunks celebrated as he followed his father's flight path, with Goten right behind him.
"Get back here!" Piccolo roared as he chased them into the distance with Tien joining him from the stands. Verto didn't follow right away as he shook Lenz a bit in order to wake her from the short slumber.
"It's Vang, he's back," Lenz mumbled.
"I know, we'll take care of it," Verto reassured her.
Gohan landed next to him, "C'mon, we have to go."
Verto sighed heavily, "I don't know how he lived, but I wish this guy would take the hint. Lenz, stay here."
Lenz was up on her feet quickly, "No way, that bastard has to pay for messing around with my power! Let me come with you so I can do it myself! I'm just as strong as you are now!"
Verto shook his head, "Maybe in terms of raw power you are, but you aren't mentally. And he may be able to affect you again just like he did a moment ago in order to use you against us!"
"He's right Lenz, it's better that you stay behind for this one. Let's go, if we use my instant transmission we can catch up to Vegeta and my dad faster," Gohan claimed as he put two fingers to his head and his other hand on Verto's shoulder. They were gone in a flash and Lenz's head slumped slightly.
"Everyone relax! I'm sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for this!" MC shouted as he dodged random items being thrown at him.
Mr. Satan stared at the dark horizon as he stood next to Buu, "I think we should stay out of this one buddy." Buu nodded in agreement and shoved another handful of candy into his mouth. Lenz lifted off into the sky anyway and followed the energy trails they had left behind, but far more slowly. She was barely a mile out of the city when she saw a figure floating in the sky ahead of her. At first she increased speed to intercept, but slowed down when she saw the long red mesh of slightly wavy hair flapping in the crosswind.
"You, what do you want?" Lenz said spitefully.
Leira was unfazed by the sudden outburst, "You're in a delightful mood as always."
"Cut the crap and get out of my way. In case you didn't notice, Vang is back!" Lenz claimed as she pointed to the distance.
Leira's reaction was subtle, "I'm aware of that, in fact I expected it. As your friends are about to find out for themselves, Vang is going to be much harder to defeat this time. This won't be an easy battle for them to win."
That only served to anger Lenz further, "Then why are you here?! Shouldn't you be going there instead to help the others?"
Leira shook her head slightly, "There are only a few possible outcomes to this battle and I cannot interfere with it directly unless the situation calls for it. For now, I'm only to clean up the mess those fools are likely to cause. Knowing them, that's probably about five to ten minutes away, depending on how long it takes for someone to lose their temper."
Lenz's aura sparked with brief fire, "Fine, I didn't expect anything from you anyway."
"One moment, I think you can spare it. There's another matter that we must settle before you decide to involve yourself. And it just so happens that it is your purpose for being here," Leira said.
It drew Lenz's glare, "And what's that supposed to be?"
Leira offered up her hand, "Take it and find out."
Lenz stared at the hand with uncertainty, "Why should I? Last time I did that, my power started to come out and look where that got us."
Leira smiled slightly, "Yes, I apologize for that. You weren't the person I thought you were, or should I say, I didn't expect the other side of you so soon. It was an error in my calculations for the events I anticipated, but everything fell in line more or less the way I expected it to. This is part of the final step of your destiny."
Lenz was taken aback slightly, "My destiny? I thought you wanted me dead? Hell, I thought I wasn't supposed to exist?"
"Some things can't be avoided my dear, especially when someone tampers with timelines, of which I'm just as guilty. There are many possible outcomes that erupt as a result, including species and planets that were or weren't supposed to be. There's also particular events that may or may not take place, which would then affect everything again, it really is an endless cycle. Another prime example is what happens when someone sends an agent to disrupt said timelines and others are forced to act before the damage is too severe, but sometimes it can't be helped. Before you ask who, just know that it was someone that was opposed to my mission and that Vang was not supposed to be part of it. When I discovered Vang's presence in the past, I was forced to alter history somewhat in order to contain him until he could be dealt with. I didn't expect that he would play such a crucial role in my mission. But because of that, Vang is not only here and alive, he's able to make the monster in you come out at his command. And of course, there's the issue of why that monster exists to begin with. Take my hand and I can solve that before it becomes a major problem, and it'll give you all the answers a lot faster than I can explain them," Leira said. Lenz slowly reached forward and a bright, multi-colored burst of light engulfed them both for a moment. When it cleared, Lenz pulled away in utter shock while Leira gave her a much warmer smile than she usually gave.
Lenz's surprise didn't ease, "No way…"
Leira nodded as she closed her eyes briefly, "Yes, you now know why I have done this and why you exist. And it's all true. Now you know what must be done."
Several white and golden auras streaked through the dark skies to the north, where a violet beacon of light was quite literally calling them there. While Gohan and Verto had caught up instantly, Vegeta had still maintained the lead with his fury alone. Thus he was the first to arrive and stop in midair, less than a tenth of a mile from the light source. The others quickly joined him in the sky as they stared at the pulsing display of purple energy before them. It faded quickly, revealing a male humanoid figure underneath it, but one that none of them recognized. He had long gray hair that reached a few inches past his neckline on all sides and a matching goatee. His body was rather slim under a baggy, black robe that hung past his wrists and feet. His skin was even a paler, more human color. His eyes though were a deep, pulsing red, showing that he was definitely not human.
"So this is your new form, eh Vang? I'm not impressed," Vegeta said with a deep smirk.
"That's Vang? The demon-spirit you guys have been fighting? Somehow I expected more," Krillin claimed.
Verto's constant glare had yet to budge as he stared down the newcomer, "Don't be fooled, it's him. I'd recognize that stench anywhere."
"Yes, you would know even if I were to disguise myself. A true testament to your ability, boy. Too bad it all ends here," Vang said, his voice as deep and evil as ever. It had taken an older sounding tone like a normal man that was approaching retirement, but it was still the same dark presence. Verto attempted to penetrate every fiber of his new body with his senses, but he barely sensed anything. Something's up, I can barely sense his presence. I should be able to sense his power fully, even when he's hiding it.
"Strange," Piccolo said as he floated between Verto and Gohan.
"What's that Namek? What has your simple mind stumped?" Vang asked.
"I can't measure his energy, be cautious," Piccolo said telepathically to the entire group. Verto nodded slightly but said nothing.
"Um, I can't either," Goten said aloud.
Trunks was quick to slap the back of his head, "Shhh, stupid!"
Vang's grin grew wider, "No need to hide your words Namek, an upper class being of my caliber will always hear them when projected en masse."
The whole group gasped while Piccolo remained steady, "You were able to hear that?"
"Of course, and there's a reason you can't fully sense my power anymore," Vang replied.
"And that is?" Gohan said for his mentor as he floated forward a few feet.
Vang grinned, "Because it's now beyond your comprehension. A few of you may still be able to pinpoint it in your higher forms, but to match it is another story." Verto's eyes went slightly wide as he stared off at the distance in thought.
Krillin felt the need to laugh, "You're bluffing! Don't worry guys, he's in a human body, not a Saiyan's! There's no way he could beat all of us now!"
Vang's eyebrow went up, "Is that a fact? Perhaps the weakest would like to die first, come forward and try me if you like."
"Maybe I will!" Krillin declared with a sly grin.
Goku stopped him with a warning arm, "No Krillin, something isn't right."
"I seem to recall my son telling me specifically that your spirit form had been obliterated along with the remnant black ooze of the Zerg. The boy said the same thing, but now I will confirm it. Trunks, I know you wouldn't lie to me, was that story accurate?" Vegeta asked without turning around.
Trunks glanced at his father in question, "I guess not. But I swear I saw him die. That black spirit-shadow thingy was ripped apart and burned up by Verto's lightning technique."
Vang chuckled, "There is no reason to doubt your son Vegeta, that did happen. Yet I can sense that you expected me to return again. No doubt Leira has mentioned how difficult it is to kill someone like me."
"More than once," Vegeta grumbled.
"It's difficult for me to understand why I was able to come back this time as well, but I can tell you that the boy made a catastrophic mistake in plunging me into the Overmind's essence. One that I wasn't even aware would work in my favor," Vang said vaguely.
Verto snapped out of his dazed thoughts and took the lead position away from Gohan by just a few inches, "Do tell."
Vang smiled smugly, "It will be hard to put this into simpler words for your small minds, but I shall do my best. When you trapped me in that energy ball, I planned to use the rest of my energy to quickly escape to the shadows once I was free. However, when I touched the remnants of the beast, I discovered that its presence had strengthened briefly. Your plan to eliminate it with the sacred holy water had forced every last bit of its energy together in one large, condensed sum. It was that power that had burst forth earlier in the battle when Goku's body had made contact. It was buried again when you used your energy-reversal technique to force us away. I must commend you for being able to pull off such a stunt by the way, you had never demonstrated that technique to me before so I was unprepared for it. But after you dropped me into that pool of death, the contact allowed me to steal most of its energy before I quickly fled to the shadows with you distracted. The only thing that was left behind when you were finished was useless matter and whatever was left of its mental presence. After you were gone, I was able to use the Overmind's power combined with my control over shadows to not only restore my old demon form, but increase my powers to their peak form. This form you see here is nothing more than a smokescreen to my true appearance. The time discrepancy between worlds also worked in my favor, giving me the time I needed to concentrate and pull off such a feat. I must say, everything worked out much better than I had hoped."
"Dare I even ask how that's supposed to work? You can't make a body from just energy," Verto claimed.
"Your naivety continues to astound me boy, surely you know by now that energy and matter can be manipulated if enough concentration is applied. The Overmind was a rather large example of that. Perhaps your lack of skill in that department makes you this ignorant," Vang countered.
"He's partially right kid, you are unable to do much with material conversion spells. Being able to de-materialize and teleport across long distances follows a similar pattern. But to regenerate one's body from nothing is far past anything I've ever heard of. Cell and Majin Buu wouldn't have been able to do this," Piccolo claimed.
"I find it insulting to be compared to those two failed creations, but no matter. I suppose you're right, none of you can fully realize the full powers of a shadow type of demon until you experience the horror for yourselves!" Vang declared as his body glowed with bright purple energy.
"I've heard enough of this trash. I'll end this meaningless discussion once and for all!" Vegeta shouted as his power erupted, causing the others to be pushed away. He hunched over slightly as his body glowed bright and his hair lengthened backwards as lightning clashed around him. Before his transformation was even finished he had already spread his hands out and was charging deadly golden energy that would no doubt make a big impact. Verto stared at him but his focus had drifted off of the moment. He remembered a conversation he had with Lenz regarding what she had said to the Alt-Z fighters about Vang when he was trying to possess him before.
Verto hadn't been worried at the time, "What about that moment? The others helped me out of it and I beat him, so it doesn't matter now."
"But he spoke of a power that was beyond us in every way. Some sort of level of energy none of us could do ourselves. He mentioned that with your energy he could restore his full demon powers and that everything he did before would be simple by comparison. Then he mentioned that he could then achieve something that's rare for anyone except the strongest of demon lords. It was kind of scary to imagine," Lenz had said. Verto scowled at the idealistic picture that Lenz had painted for him, as he could imagine quite a bit.
"There were a lot of things he did that were hard to deal with. Especially when he redirected all of our…"
"No! Vegeta, stop!" Verto cried out, but it was far too late.
Vegeta thrust his arms forward, "FINAL FLASH!"
Vang grinned even as the gigantic burst of gold rushed towards him, "All too easy." Vegeta's powerful beam suddenly vanished into a swirl of dark purple, which also disappeared as a mountain nearby exploded violently.
"Damn you," Vegeta growled.
Vang's glowing palm lowered as he gave Vegeta the type of evil smirk the Saiyan prince was more known for, "Looks like you've done it now." As the explosion cleared, an extra large crevice with a deep bottom appeared in place of the mountain. Where it should have been dark though, there was only a pulsing blue light coming from the abyss.
"What is that?" Goku asked first.
Vang's smirk had yet to fade, "The end of your world." The ground around the new canyon suddenly broke apart as a huge ball of blue with sparkling white shimmered into view, literally shredding the ground around it. Cracks formed in the earth's surface that stretched out into the distance in all directions, each glowing with the same blue and white energy.
"What's happening?!" Krillin shouted.
Gohan was the first to figure it out, "The rift between worlds. It's destabilizing!"
PL
Piccolo: 300,000,000
Lenz (normal form): 250,000,000; Semi-Demon form: 575,000,000
Vang (full demon form): TBA
A/n: Uh, oh.
WDG: Shit just got real. Also, is it just me, or are these getting longer?
VB: I'm sure it's just you (troll face)