Chapter 61: Demon Reborn
Did I mention Dr. Kochin was really fun to write? Ah well, he's gone now.
And another thing. I have some new fanart! RippleEffectDBZ on deviantart has done some lineart of Myuu-possessed Broly (search deviantart for 'Myuu Broly'), and is planning to colour it at some point, too! So that's pretty awesome. That makes, how many now?
I-Am-So-Original's Tenkaichi edits of Raditz and Future Trunks
Fael955's colouring of SSJ Vegeta
thrubardockeyes' drawing of Break
Pokewarrior2000's drawing of SSJ2 Raditz
And now Myuu-Broly by RippleEffectDBZ!
Wow, that's quite a lot. You guys are awesome. Remember...done fanart? Want to have a cameo and be 'killed' in-story by Majin Buu? Send me a PM. We'll talk about it. (Note: Don't take the piss. Drawing a stick figure and writing 'Raditz' next to it just to get a cameo doesn't qualify. Not that I think you would. But I might as well say it here so some smartass doesn't say "but you said I get a cameo if...")
Finally: Don't feel obliged to do fanart because of this. This is not me desperately scrounging for more art. This is me trying to give something back to the people who've gone out of their way to show they like the story, something I respect very much.
"...Piccolo...?" Krillin scratched his head. "Uh...isn't Piccolo dead...?"
"If that's so," Wheelo boomed, "then please explain...this. Piccolo—kill him."
"Raaagh!" A voice yelled. Krillin wheeled, feeling the rush of air that heralded an impact and raising both hands to block. "FIVE-TIMES KAIOKEN!" He caught two swinging fists, twisted and ducked under his attacker's reach, then planted a swift kick to their stomach that drove them skidding back across the floor. Panting slightly, he powered down, finally taking the time to study the attacker. "Nail?" A slow smile crept across his face. "Heh. You scared me for a minute there. That there isn't Piccolo—his name's Nail."
Dr. Wheelo paused, processor-augmented brain whirring away. "Pardon me if I find it difficult to trust you. How many people are there walking around with green skin, pointed ears and antennae?"
"You'd be surprised..." Krillin said. Then a worrying thought struck him. "Hold on...you had to amplify Yamcha's will to beat Tien, right? You can't make someone do something totally against their nature. But as far as I know, Nail doesn't have a shred of evil in him. What..." A sudden chill came over the small fighter. Something about Nail...his eyes. It wasn't the red colour that was undoubtedly caused by the vein-patterned mind-control device adorning his head; it was something deeper, more subtle. Krillin wouldn't have noticed it at all, had he not once seen the exact same look from another. "...Piccolo," he breathed. "He really is in there, isn't he? You bastards just brought him to the surface." He clenched his fists, turning to face Wheelo's life-support tank, embedded high up in the wall. "You don't know what you're dealing with here! Trust me, you don't want to let this guy loose—nobody's safe!" And if he has all of Nail's power...
Wheelo laughed cruelly. "Fool. Do the words 'mind control' mean nothing to you? Once I have seized upon a desire—total war on humanity in this case—the subject is mine to command. I assure you I am quite safe from him. You, on the other hand...Piccolo. Attack." It seems not even he knows who this strange creature is...I suppose it matters not. Whoever he once was, he will shortly be merely a shell...the perfect fighting body to house the perfect mind.
Tien crashed to the ground, sliding on his back and colliding with the wall. Damn it all! I had an opening, but...the only way to effectively exploit it was with a lethal strike, and I hesitated! He pretended to be stunned by the impact as Yamcha followed up, sprinting towards him. I won't fail this time! Yamcha's sweeping hand sliced into the floor, carving into the metal, but Tien sprang up, kicking Yamcha's other hand out of the way before he could block. "I'll end this right now—YAAAH!" With a full-bodied shout, he thrust both hands forwards, propelling an invisible wave of ki at Yamcha's head. The shockwave hit dead on-target, causing the long-haired bandit to keel over backwards, tumbling head over heels for some distance before coming to a rest.
"Ow..." Slowly, he sat up, rubbing his head. "What...Tien?" The mind-control device on his head, cracked by Tien's kiai, began to fall apart, pieces of plastic and twisted wires scattering down to the floor beneath him. "Did all that just happen?"
"Yeah." Tien nodded.
"Wow, sorry, man."
"Hey, it's okay." Tien waved it away. "Not your fault. He took you by surprise, right?"
"Yeah. Hey, I did pretty good though, huh? Never thought I'd last that long against you?"
"Well, normally you probably wouldn't be trying to actually kill me, so that may have been something of an advantage." Tien indicated Krillin, facing off against Piccolo. "Come on, we don't have time to talk."
"Right, Krillin'll need all the help he can get for this one!" Yamcha agreed, leaping to his feet.
The three human warriors stood side-by-side, facing the demonic Namekian.
"So...this is Piccolo now, huh?" Yamcha asked.
"Yeah," Krillin said, watching their opponent warily. "Just like old times, huh?" The half-hearted attempt at humour didn't recieve a laugh—all were wondering if they stood a chance.
"We just have to destroy the headband," Tien reminded them. "That should change him back to normal."
"Piece of cake, huh?" Krillin grumbled.
It began slowly. Wary, shuffling movements, then cautious steps. The humans circled to try and surround Piccolo, who paced like a caged animal, twitching as his eyes snapped to one fighter, then the next. The footwork continued, the warriors' circles of movement expanding until they were crossing the room back and forth, watching each other the whole time. In each combatant's head, the oncoming fight played itself out—potential lines of attack, techniques used and countered, tactics considered—until finally, someone attacked.
Yamcha, of course, but the others soon followed. The distance closed until they stood at arm's length. The battle had still not begun in earnest. A feint. A tap. A brush. A narrow, deliberate miss. Testing the enemy's defences. Piccolo's wild movements and still-increasing speed were an effective counter for the humans' advantage in numbers. He seemed to face every direction at once, never leaving an opening. Eventually, Krillin decided he would just make an opening, going for an all-out attack. "All right, enough of this! Haaa—ooowff!" Sweeping his arm out, Piccolo struck first, knocking Krillin to the ground. At once, Tien and Yamcha counter-attacked from behind, and Piccolo spun in time to catch both punches, but while Yamcha had put all his concentration into that one attack, Tien was thinking further ahead—at the same time, his knee swung up, catching Piccolo on the chin. He flinched, but didn't retreat, kicking at Tien in retaliation. The three-eyed man grunted in pain, grasping his shoulder where he'd been struck and jumping away. Yamcha took the opportunity to try another attack, but recieved an elbow to the face.
Piccolo straightened up as his three enemies stood, rubbing his aching jaw. "Well, it seems I underestimated you. I might have to use a little more power." His ki shot up abruptly, smacking into their spiritual senses like a brick wall.
This was unexpected... Dr. Wheelo noted. He's capable of coherent thought. Usually, the subject goes into a berserker rage when presented with an enemy...it doesn't matter. As long as he eliminates these pests before the mind transfer is ready...
"Okay." Tien gritted his teeth, throwing off his cloak. There was an audible thump as the weighted training garment hit the floor, leaving cracks where it fell. "His power's gone up a significant amount...and I can tell it still isn't his maximum. At our current power levels, we don't stand a chance."
"Right." Yamcha cracked his knuckles. "Time to kick it up a notch! I've been training hard—I can handle the Kaioken properly now, up to a five-times power-up. So don't worry about me."
"Sounds good to me!" Krillin grinned, and the three warriors initiated the Kaio-Ken—"World King's Fist"—simultaneously, rapidly powering up to five times their base level.
"Hmm." Piccolo nodded. "Impressive..." He beckoned with one finger. "Let's go."
The fighters attacked, and instantly the air was filled with the blur of high-speed movement. Piccolo danced between the humans' strikes with ease, still only using less than half of his full power. "You call this an attack? Let me show you real strength!" He swung both arms out, smashing Krillin and Yamcha out of the air, then somersaulting backwards over Tien as he threw a punch, kicking him in the back and flooring him with brutal force. "Is that really all you've got?" The demon king growled. "This won't do. I need a real enemy!"
"You've got one right here!" Tien shouted, standing his ground. Krillin jumped over to stand next to him. As one, they powered up to even higher levels—"KAIOKEN TIMES TWENTY!" They leapt forwards, and before Piccolo could even raise a hand to defend himself smashed two fists into his abdomen. Having knocked him off-balance, they aimed for the device on his head, but at the last second he regained enough initiative to jump back out of range, stumbling a bit as he landed.
From that low x5 level straight to their maximum... Piccolo realised. "It seems you aren't playing around. Very well...if you want to play it serious, then I'll just have to grace you with my full power." Previously, his ki had been like a mist surrounding him, a frosty bite in their minds. Now, though, it blazed like a fire, a mad drummer pounding in their heads. "This..." Krillin gasped. "This is..."
Piccolo laughed, a grating, guttural sound. "Impressed? You should be. Nail's power already surpassed that of an unmastered Super Saiyan, perhaps even rivalling the bulky Ascended form...how long has it been since you last saw him fight? A year? He's had plenty of time to improve." His grin spread from ear to ear. "Not to mention...he never really knew the full potential of the Super Namek! I kept a not-insignificant portion of our full power locked away inside him along with me...it sustained me, allowed me to survive within him, and grew along with my malice for my soft-hearted host! Now, our combined might is mine to command!"
"All right, enough talk!" Tien declared. "We can't keep up this kind of power for long, so—Krillin!"
"Now?"
"Now." Tien and Krillin blurred forwards, two blazing red figures crashing into Piccolo, who slowly backed away as he blocked the incoming barrage of attacks with some effort.
"Not bad...you have more potential than I'd given you credit for! Even a basic Super Saiyan wouldn't last long against an onslaught like this. However...my power is somewhat—" He dropped back onto his hands, thrusting both legs up and kicking his attackers each square in the face. "—greater!"
They turned the fall into a controlled landing, immediately charging back into the fight, trying to catch Piccolo off-balance. He hopped up to his feet, swaying around Tien's flying kick and swinging the flat of his hand around at Krillin's neck. However, it merely met an afterimage, and Krillin appeared behind him, fist aimed at Piccolo's head. Grunting with the effort, the Namekian spun, bringing one hand up to catch the punch before it hit him—but this sudden, strenuous move to defend his back left his front open, and Tien exploited the opportunity, hammering the demon with a vicious chain of attacks.
Piccolo fell back, snarling. Damn it! One on one, this'd be easier, but both together are too much...and it's damn hard to separate them! He resumed his defensive stance, watching the pair of fighters approach, waited as they raised their arms, focusing ki into their fists, then without warning sprang into motion, zipping across the room in a sudden burst of speed. The human warriors swung at empty air, each wasting a large amount of energy on their powerful attacks. Stumbling, they fell to their knees, breathing heavily as their Kaioken auras faded.
"Interesting." Piccolo nodded. "A good plan, potentially. You assumed I'd stand my ground, try and counterattack, underestimate your speed and take those hits—too bad for you I noticed your extremely focused energy at the last second. I knew the augmented strength and speed of those attacks would be too much for me to handle, so I figured I'd let you waste your energy without having to take the hit myself. I guess it paid off..." he grinned toothily. "The Kaioken is an extraordinary technique, but it's no good in a war of attrition...you'll lose all your strength too quickly. And on that note...DIE!" Piccolo roared, leaping at the tired fighters and building energy in both hands.
The counterattack, when it came, was the result of careful planning and silent movement.
He knew he'd only get one shot. He knew the element of surprise was his one advantage. And he knew a five-times increase wasn't enough.
"WOLF FANG KAIOKEN! HAIIII!" Yamcha burst out from beneath the ground, slamming into Piccolo from underneath, elbow-first, and following up with a close-range volley of attacks. A two-handed kiai sent Piccolo flying—though the demon managed to shield his head, and the mind-control device—and Yamcha didn't stop to appreciate his handiwork, immediately firing his strongest ki blast. "KAMEHAMEHA!" The beam smashed Piccolo straight through the wall, shockwaves rippling out behind it, cracking the ice outside for over a mile back.
Somewhat spent as well, the scarred warrior helped his companions up. "You guys okay?"
"Never better," Krillin joked. "That was a great move there—he never saw it coming!"
"Thanks..." Yamcha said darkly. "But I don't think it finished him. I can sense him coming back this way..."
"All right. Let's just break the thing on his head, and be done with it," Tien said firmly.
"Right." Krillin raised his fists. "Let's do this!" Together, the three ran towards the opening in the wall, just as Piccolo charged back through it, boiling with anger.
"I'll never be defeated by a bunch of humans!" He spat, throwing a brutal, uncontrolled punch that cracked into Yamcha's face, hurling him limply away. "I won't allow it!" He caught Tien's fist, twisting the man's arm painfully, at the same time letting fly an energy blast with his other hand, blowing Krillin across the room. "Pathetic. You can't even maintain a decent power level for more than a few seconds."
"Enough with this cliché villain crap!" Tien swung his free hand up, Kaioken aura flaring brightly, but Piccolo's head flicked sideways. A thin cut opened up on the Namekian's cheek as Tien's fist brushed past him, then he reached up and caught Tien by the wrist. Pulling the martial artist towards him to add momentum, he unhurriedly kneed him in the stomach, then let go, watching Tien fall to the floor next to his comrades.
What an interesting effect the control device has had on this one... Dr. Wheelo observed. Hopefully, he should still be subservient to my commands, once his desire to kill these three has been fulfilled. As soon as he's done, I'll initiate the transfer...
"Well..." Piccolo raised one hand, building energy between his fingers. "...enough fun for now."
This might be it! Krillin winced, preparing to try and dodge. If we could've just been a little faster...
Piccolo leered at the dismayed faces of his enemies. "If you plan on making your peace with your gods, now's the time!" The ki blast he was preparing grew as his power intensified. "Now, I...what's...?" His eyes widened as a previously-hidden energy source burst to life, shooting across the room behind him. "Another one, eh?" Before he could make an attempt to face this new presence, they fired an energy beam in his direction. He smirked—such an insignificant power!—and casually blocked it with his forearm. "Is that all you can do? Whoever you are, you're even weaker than—"
"You're wide open!" Piccolo swung around again to see Tien bearing down on him. The demon lashed out, catching his attacker in the chest, but Tien fought through the pain, grabbing Piccolo's attacking arm between both hands, swinging the demon over his head and slamming him into the floor. "AAAAH!"
"Graah...!" Piccolo felt blood rising in his mouth, the ground buckling beneath him. Krillin appeared in a blur of speed, directly above him, a triumphant grin on his face. Time seemed to slow down. Realising he was all but beaten, Piccolo's stomach lurched. It was too late to stop it. "Oh, shi—"
"HYAAA!" Thrusting both hands downwards, Krillin launched a powerful kiai that drove Piccolo further into the ground, the 'recoil' blasting Krillin up into the air, where—almost completely out of energy—he failed to stop himself arcing ungracefully across the room and painfully bouncing to a halt. "Oww...huh...huh...hey, nice work, guys!"
"Right." Tien stood up. "But...who was it that distracted Piccolo...? Not Yamcha..." This being due to Yamcha currently lying in a heap on the floor, not having yet recovered from the direct hit to the face he'd taken. "So who..."
"Ah, just little old me." Launch stepped out from the shadows, giving a thumbs-up.
Tien's face lit up. "Hey, you got here after all! So Break..."
"The little terror finally went to sleep. So what's the story?"
"Eh..." Tien shrugged, a little vague on the details. "Well, uh...evil scientist...mind control...sort of thing."
"Oh, okay." Launch pointed over at the downed Namekian, who was slowly stirring. "So, I heard some of what you were saying before...zat Nail, Piccolo, what?"
"I'm not quite sure..." Krillin admitted. "Let's hope he's back to normal, but be on guard just in case..."
"Urgh..." Nail stood up, last remnants of the mind-control device falling from his head, friendly light back in his eyes. "Wha happ'n?"
Dende stood on the edge of the Lookout, talking with his assistant. "You still feel homesick sometimes?" Mr. Popo asked.
Dende shrugged. "It comes and goes. Sometimes I think I'd like to see Namek again. Sometimes I think I'd just get bored, after having seen all I have." The genie remained silent, sensing his young master had something more to say. "But...it's more than that. I wonder, do they need me? Am I really that important?"
"What do you mean? You're the Guardian of Earth."
"Yes, but...Earth has so many incredible defenders now. I've been observing the battle in the North. Even without the Super Saiyans, they're handling themselves fine. I haven't really contributed at all..."
"But you created the current set of Dragon Balls," Mr. Popo reminded him. "Those have seen quite a lot of use recently."
"Oh, yes, wonderful." Dende sighed. "What a wonderful job I do of existing. My point is I'm not actually doing anything! It could be any Dragon Clan Namek, maybe one with more experience than me!"
"Much as I hate to interrupt you..." the odd-looking man inclined his head slightly to one side. "You said you were observing the battle in the North?"
"Yes, what of it?"
"I can't explain it, but I have...a terrible feeling. I fear all is not well."
"No, it seems they've just about got it won, actually," Dende said, smiling. "Dr. Wheelo's run out of servants to throw at them." Something flashed into his mind, a realisation almost tangibly sharp. "Wait...I sense something...under the surface...Mr. Popo! We have to go there, now!"
"What..."
"I need to warn them—they're not out of danger yet!" Dende's grip on his staff tightened with white-knuckled intensity. "But my telepathy hasn't developed to the point where I can talk to them from this far away yet...is there any way we can get there, fast?"
The genie nodded. "There is one way..."
"Yeah! Nail's back to normal!" Krillin yelled happily.
The restored Namekian rubbed his forehead. "I don't remember much...I came in here, then some kind of weird red light and...nothing after that. What happened, guys?"
"It's...kinda hard to explain..." Krillin began to tell him. "You were kind of Piccolo for a bit..."
"Uh?" This left Nail even more confused.
"Let me summarise," Launch said, patting Nail on the shoulder as she echoed Tien's words. "Evil scientist. Mind control. 'Kay?"
"Ah, I see." Nail looked up towards the far wall. "I remember...he's over there, huh? Hey, Wheelo! The game's up! You're done."
"If you think so, you are gravely mistaken..." the half-dead scientist's voice replied. "Hmm. It appears my reserves are not entirely exhausted. Units 12, 21, 34! Provide a momentary distraction." On cue, three of the black Saibaman-looking creatures sprung out from a quickly-opening hatch in the floor, aiming themselves directly at Nail, who stood at the front of the group.
Expression unchanging, he simply powered up, the force and heat of his expanding aura ripping the creatures apart. "What kind of distraction do you call that?"
"One that works..." Dr. Wheelo's voice took on an even greater air of smugness, if that was possible. "The activation process has begun now...you cannot stop it." Even as he spoke, the wall around his life-support tank began to crack and split, arcs of electricity running up and down the room. "As I said...I only needed a momentary diversion, and those three provided it."
"What's he doing?" Krillin wondered.
"Whatever it is..." Nail muttered. "I'm starting to feel an enormous power...ah!" He grimaced as the full weight of the new ki source hit him. "Everybody, get out of here! Now! He's charging up for something!"
"Wha..." Yamcha, still lying on the floor, finally summoned the strength to sit up. "Hey, what's going..." He saw the room collapsing around him, heard Nail's warning, and looked up just in time to see the massive energy wave rolling towards them. "Oh, come on!" he complained, before it engulfed him and everyone else, spreading out in all directions and swallowing up the whole fortress, completely destroying it. Ice flash-melted for miles around, creating a miniature ocean right in the middle of the glacier.
Nail was the first to pull himself out of the water, heaving Yamcha's beaten body up onto the ice before clambering out himself. Tien followed, giving Launch a boost as she climbed with him. The four fighters lay panting on the ice for a few seconds, before the sensation of the new energy signature getting closer forced them to stand and face it.
It was, naturally, a giant robot, rising slowly—leisurely, even—out of the ocean. There was little else it could have been. It was black, with blue ribbed elements and fish-like spines in places, and roughly bipedal. Despite its curved design, it was far from 'sleek' or 'graceful'. What was strange about it, though, was the fact that it had a detectable ki, unlike any other mechanical being they'd encountered before. The 'head' portion contained a transparent section, through which Dr. Wheelo's brain was visible.
"This is bad..." Krillin groaned. "Maybe we'd have been better able to withstand that attack if we hadn't just used up all our energy beating the crap out of each other, but right now I don't know if we can put up much of a fight..."
Just as he finished speaking, Dende and Mr. Popo materialised out of thin air, stood atop a hovering carpet. Dende's face fell, seeing Wheelo's robot body. "Damn it! I'm too late!"
"Time to die!" Wheelo boomed, raising a gigantic, claw-like limb.
So yeah, there will be another chapter of this part, I guess. Yay?
The anniversary special, part one, is at 3,600 words right now. Think I might be just about done with this first part. Slight change of plan; this first part is going to cover the aftermath of the android 13 special, tying up various loose ends and so on, and start the bit with Broly, which will then continue on to the second part...and depending how long it ends up being, it might take up the whole of part two, or it might take up some of part two, and I'll use the rest to set up the promised mystery villain and build them up, then get to the actual battle with them in the third part. Or, I don't know, Broly might take up all of part two, and the mystery villain will just be part three then. I doubt there'll be a fourth. I'm planning on releasing part one on the one-year mark—the 6th of August, a Tuesday—and then releasing each subsequent part of the special weekly on Tuesdays, alongside regular Sunday updates. So I won't be slowing down or stopping my schedule for this, if all goes according to plan.
Q: Well this should be interesting, BTtL version of World's strongest, not at all like the movie but I don't mind, Tien is badass as usual and Krillin actually gets to fight someone he can win against, so The docs controlled Yamcha, interesting, but beatable, but Piccolo, after the Saiyans he was always the strongest and this version I think he actually uses Kaio ken, in other words, this is going to be ineresting.
A: Correct on most counts; but Nail does not know the Kaioken. He's never died and been to King Kai's planet.
Q: Krilin and Tien get their time to shine! Good job on that. So it's the Countdown saga, Fusion Reborn and then Even Futher Beyond? Or will Hildegarn also make a appearance?
A: Fusion Reborn is part of the Countdown saga. So, it'll go: Countdown Saga (i.e. this and Fusion Reborn), the anniversary special somewhere in there, the Buu saga, then Even Further Beyond.
And yes, Hildegarn/Hirudegarn (don't you just love how there are two or three ways to spell everything in a series with so many different translations?) will make an appearance...at some point. I won't say when just yet.
Q: I thought that Tien and Krillin struggled a bit too much in their fight against the Bio-Warriors. I know they weren't trying but it still felt challenging (Which it shouldn't have been). I understand that you needed to make the Bio-Warriors stronger but you need to be able to justify it too.
A: Well...I do take liberties with non-canon characters like them, but...I will sort of explain how they're so powerful, how one of them has Instant Transmission, how there are Saibaman-like things...and so on...next chapter. Probably next chapter.
Q: As for the mind-control device. Excellent. Utilising Yamcha's desire to defeat Tien which allowed him to be controlled was a great idea. Normally, it wouldn't have worked, but all Kochin did was amplify his desire. I think the same will happen with Nail. Using the Mind-control device to amplify and bring out his Inner Piccolo seems like an interesting concept. Although, I don't know how that would work as Piccolo became Katas (Unless he defused once inside Nail).
A: Let me put it this way...the fusion currently known as Nail, especially now after Wheelo's kind of messed with his head...is a little unstable. Kind of messed up. Even Wheelo didn't know who he was dealing with, Piccolo or Nail, despite being able, supposedly, to access his memories...
Q: Well, congrats on another good chapter. Although I have to say that the comedy bit with Kochin kind of took away from the serious tone you were setting up and the disaster in that city seemed kind of... well shoved in there.
A: Yeah, sorry if the tone became a bit inconsistent...it was so fun, though! As for the disaster, yeah...I guess that could've been expanded on. To be fair, in the movie they just kind of mentioned it and then forgot about it. Didn't even think to gather the Dragon Balls and restore the whole burned-out area. Do I get points for at least thinking of that?
Q: And let me guess, Piccolo is actually Nail?
Although, it would be a real twist if it was actually Piccolo somehow.
A: WHAT A TWIIIIIIIIST
Q: This is really off topic, but do you think a Full-Power Super Saiyan 3 would be stronger than Gohan's Mystic Form?
A: Yeah, but the time limit would be a problem...the advantage wouldn't be that great, and Gohan would be able to last long enough to easily beat them once they couldn't maintain SSJ3 any more. Canon-wise, if Goku got to 'Full-Power SSJ3' he might be able to beat Gohan inside the time limit due to his far superior skill and tactical mind, not to mention his vast array of useful techniques like Instant Transmission. But with all else equal (i.e. if you got two otherwise identical Gohan's, gave one SSJ3 and the other Mystic), Mystic would eventually win, I think.
Q: Piccolo? I assume he just thinks Nail is Piccolo... or some mad mojo is going on here!
A: The maddest!
Even Further Beyond Preview #8: Omega Shenron
What?! What happened to Deus Shenron?! ANSWER ME, ME! Wait...
"So...one of you actually made it through my brothers..." the final dragon mused. "What a pleasant surprise."
"I wouldn't get too confident, if I were you." Goku scowled. "I've fought my way through six of you already! You're going to pay for what you did to my brother—and what you're doing to the whole universe!"
Omega Shenron threw back its head and laughed. "Oh, you're just too much! Let me make this clear, little saiyan. I am nothing like the pathetic creatures you've faced so far. I am the very essence of evil—the darkness that mirrors your light! Every force has a reaction...how many wishes have you made on your Dragon Balls? How many messes, cleaned up with a few words? Were you really so childish to think such amazing power came without a price?"
"Cut the crap! For everything you've done..." Goku powered up, eyes narrowing. "I'm going to destroy you!"
"I doubt it. Perhaps your brother, with the heights of power he rose to before his unfortunate trip through time, would have been able to challenge me...but I've watched you fighting the other dragons. Your power is far below his...you're barely even worth my notice!"
"That so?" Goku grinned. "I may not have been able to repeat what he did...but there's more than one path to power, you know. I'm every bit as strong as Raditz was right now!"
Omega raised one eyebrow. "Oh? Forgive me if I don't believe you. But even if you really have managed it...remember I said he might have been able to challenge me?" His expression hardened. "I lied."
Bonus Special Add-On Thing for People who can be Bothered to Read this far Down the Page
Hi! Here's a little thing I've thought of. Break Through the Limit, when I started writing it, was based off a vague collection ideas that had been sitting in my head for quite a while. The files are still on my computer, and I've just had an idea. Why don't I take a look at those (haven't in years), and see how closely my original ideas (some of which were kind of, well, stupid) match up with the story as it was finally written?
Note that I was 13-15 when I came up with the following, so...yeah. Anyway, here goes (non-italic text copy-pasted from my files, italics are my present, more experienced self making notes and sarcastic comments):
An alternate timeline. In the 5 years time gap, Piccolo has been training a lot, but Goku hasn't.
...Why? So, I guess I just thought that in canon, he wasn't trying hard enough, or what? Wow, way to not explain the whole premise of your story, past me.
So when Raditz arrives, Piccolo (at power 1,800) easily beats him, causing brain damage, and his evil nature is wiped out, making him sentimental to the humans' cause.
Oh, seriously? Can you say 'Honor Trip'?
Goku, sensing the huge powers involved, arrives, as do Tien and Chiaotzu (all the flyers). Raditz warns Chiaotzu to stay out of the fight, or Piccolo would kill him with ease (Chiaotzu doesn't appear fighting for the rest of the story). An uphill struggle ensues, as the three of them attempt to defeat Piccolo. Tien is killed, but eventually Goku and Raditz succeed. Goku stops Raditz killing Piccolo, saying that he did help him (in the events of the Dead Zone movie) to save Gohan not too long ago, and he can't be entirely evil.
Clearly I didn't realise that with Piccolo being so strong, the Dead Zone movie couldn't have gone how it did in canon. Ah-durrr.
They promise Tien they'll wish him back, and Raditz learns that Vegeta overheard the whole thing—and is coming for the Dragonballs, along with Nappa.
It's two words. Not one word. Dragon Balls. Say it with me. Dragon. Balls.
Tien contacts them from the afterlife, telling them not to wish him back for a year (when the saiyans will arrive), as he's getting training from King Kai. So he does that, meanwhile the fighters on Earth train at Kami's lookout. They go into the illusion chamber place thing, and fight the two illusion saiyans as training—Goku struggles with, but eventually defeats, the weaker of the two, and Raditz beats the stronger without breaking a sweat.
I guess this must have been 'filler' that I decided to skip, or forgot about entirely, when it came to actually writing the story.
Realising they need something more intense, they go off to another part of the lookout and Raditz takes Goku on as his student, while Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha and Chiaotzu (who is there to help them with their training) are easily defeated by the illusion saiyans (the point is they'll eventually get stronger and win, of course). Just as the saiyans are about to deliver the finishing blow, Gohan's hidden power flares up (he hadn't really done much for the rest of the fight) and he blows them away. However, the real training for him is using that power consciously, not just reacting to things.
Why would Gohan want to train on top of a big tower miles away from his family when he has the choice?!
During the training period, Gohan hears that Goku has a saiyan name (Kakarot) and wants one too, so due to his reluctance to fight, Raditz gives him the name Tarble, which he adopts as a middle name.
...Dear Kaioshin, that's so stupid.
So the saiyans arrive after a year, and Earth's fighters are there to face them. (Goku at 6,000, Raditz at 12,000). The Saibamen are planted to test them, but Piccolo appears and defeats three at once, saying he can't conquer Earth if the saiyans destroy it, so he'll help them—just this once, d'you hear (he hadn't taken the saiyan threat that seriously, having been stronger than Raditz at first, so he didn't train as hard as in the original, plus lack of Gohan's motivation, so he's still at 3,500 in this timeline).
Interesting. Maybe this should've happened? Nah. Would take Krillin and Yamcha's spotlight (Gohan's, too). Still, at least in the actual story I had Piccolo a little stronger, to avoid a total lack of logic.
The other three Saibamen attack, and Yamcha and Krillin destroy them, Raditz warning them to avoid the self-destruct attack. Goku and Raditz fight Vegeta while Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha and Gohan fight Nappa. Both battles go the invading saiyans' way at first.
Can you imagine how it would've been, with Piccolo and Nappa equal as they were in the final BTtL, if they'd all ganged up on him like that? That would be one dead saiyan.
After Piccolo is killed, it seems Gohan is in danger, but Raditz pulls him out of the way. He goes to attack Nappa, but Vegeta intercepts him and the battle resumes. Krillin is also killed, and then finally Tien arrives (at 5,000). He defeats Nappa, and then he, Yamcha and Gohan go help Goku and Raditz fight Vegeta, who is overwhelmed by all his opponents.
I seem to remember than in an even earlier version, Chiaotzu was here too, and was also killed by Nappa. Huh.
He almost kills Raditz, which drives Gohan into a frenzy (the two of them have a dynamic similar to the original's Gohan/Piccolo),
Hopefully you liked my slightly more original take on their uncle/nephew relationship than a canon Piccolo rehash.
and Tien uses the Kaio-Ken up to x4, which actually makes him temporarily stronger than Vegeta. Vegeta is furious, turning into a Great Ape, so Raditz does the same, with the others running interference while they fight (Gohan's tail was removed permanently).
I think Gohan only ended up keeping his tail right up through the android saga and beyond because I forgot to mention this back in the saiyan saga.
Of course, Vegeta is stronger than Raditz and the others, but while they fight, Tien builds up the spirit bomb, and throws it, blasting Vegeta right through his artificial moon, destroying it and reverting the Great Apes to normal.
Can you imagine how hard it'd be to aim it that precisely? And would it really damage Great Ape Vegeta? It didn't even finish off an already-half-dead non-Great Ape Vegeta in canon. Also, DON'T CALL THEM GREAT APES, ME, THEY HAVE TAILS! Apes do not. They are monkeys.
Vegeta tries his last tactic—blasting the earth into pieces—but Goku, Raditz, Tien, Gohan, and Yamcha all fire a combined beam back at him, deflecting his attack and severely injuring him.
Wrong order, past me. Vegeta would be way too injured to do that effectively at this point. Also, Gohan and Yamcha contributing would be overkill, no?
Goku makes the others let him go, reminding them of how Piccolo helped them. Since there are now no longer any Dragonballs on earth, due to Piccolo's death and therefore Kami's, they decide to go to Namek to wish Piccolo and Krillin back to life, but even before they get there, much occurs. (At this point, with his original armour pretty much destroyed, Raditz starts wearing an outfit similar to the saiyans just as they met the Arcosians. Chi-Chi makes Gohan his own gi, a black/dark blue one similar to the one he'd later wear in the original, whereas before he'd worn orange, but wanted a new one as he was never a student of Master Roshi. His new one has the kanji (is it written in kanji?) for Tarble on it—if it isn't written in kanji, all the symbols entwined.)
Eh? Stop obsessing over details, past me. Also, have I mentioned yet how the Tarble thing is stupid? I have? GOOD.
Nappa, now crippled (his legs are permanatly damaged) grudgingly takes Goku's offer of staying on Earth, and lives with Goku's family (Raditz also lives there), using at first a wheelchair, but eventually, Bulma makes a hoverchair like Frieza's for him (he also has his tail removed, just in case he slips up and transforms).
...Because we don't have enough characters already, what we need is more! Also that's a terrible idea. How long before Nappa blows up another city, eh?!
Captain Ginyu of the Ginyu Force is about to embark on a mission to Yardrat, but decides to hold auditions for the squad first. He has Burter try out Dodoria, and Jeice try out Zarbon, but neither make the cut. He then surprisingly makes his own existing members audition, defeating them all in turn quite easily and declaring he needs some stronger fighters. While this is happening, Vegeta has arrived and has been healed, and confronts Ginyu, believing his new power to be greater than Ginyu's. Vegeta wins the battle and, after killing Ginyu, replaces him as Captain Vegeta...of the Vegeta Force!
Ah, so rather than taking inspiration from the video game's what-if storyline (Vegeta leading the Ginyus is a pretty cool idea), I literally just COPY-PASTED THE EXACT SAME COMPLETELY NONSENSICAL PLOT. Also, why would this happen? It's not like it's a movie character I'm changing stuff with. Why would there be a Ginyu Force audition when there wasn't one in canon? MAKE SENSE DAMN YOU. Er...that is...me...
Anyway, Gohan, Tien and Yamcha go to planet Namek, and rescue Dende from Dodoria, however unlike Gohan and Krillin in the original they then go on to defeat Dodoria. Zarbon comes to the rescue and beats them, together with Dodoria. Yamcha tells them they could use the Dragonballs to be stronger than Frieza, so they conspire to steal them. Zarbon tells Frieza Cooler is planning to usurp him by becoming immortal himself, and calls in Salza, telling him Frieza is going to attack Cooler. Frieza calls in the Vegeta Force for reinforcements. Zarbon and Dodoria infiltrate Frieza's ship, beating Guldo who's guarding it, and stealing the five Dragonballs there. While this is happening, the humans gather the other two, and have their potential unlocked by Guru (Gohan at 14,000, Yamcha at 12,000, Tien at 40,000).
I like how I thought Zarbon and Dodoria would work together here. Seriously, as far as they know you only get one wish. Where they planning to split it and be half-immortal each?
Frieza gets between the two groups, and attacks Zarbon and Dodoria. He kills Dodoria, and is about to kill the others when his scouter picks up Cooler. He heads off to fight him, saying he's learnt there's a password, so Zarbon can't have his wish yet anyway (not knowing Dende's there). Zarbon wishes to be eternally young/beautiful and powerful (i.e. more powerful in his normal form than in his monster form).
Isn't the whole 'eternal youth' thing, plus the power thing...uh...isn't that two wishes?
The second wish is used to revive Piccolo, and before the third can be made, Guru is killed in the battle between Frieza and Cooler. Nail flees, encountering the humans, Dende and Zarbon. Just then, the rest of the Vegeta Force arrives (with Cui in place of Guldo).
Why? Why the hell would Cui get a place?
Nail fights Recoome, Gohan and Yamcha take on Cui and Burter and Tien fights Jeice. Captain Vegeta watches from the sides. Nail beats Recoome, just barely, and with use of the Kaio-Ken, Tien beats Jeice. Burter watches, laughing, as Cui beats on Gohan and Yamcha, but a combination of Yamcha's advanced techniques and Gohan's being-supremely-pissed-off defeats Cui. Surrounded, Burter tries to flee, but Vegeta intervenes, and the two of them put up a good fight against the whole team, initially winning, but are finally beaten when Zarbon helps the heroes out (and gets a laugh out of now being stronger and especially faster than Burter). Unfortunately, Cooler finally kills Frieza (or so it seems),
Well, that's anticlimatic. No proper fight with the heroes against Frieza?
and sends Salza, Neiz and Doore to finish the good guys. Just then, Goku (at 750,000) and Raditz (at 125,000) arrive in their spaceship, having trained at up to 100x Earth gravity, Goku having far surpassed Raditz now.
Yeah, I guessed that from the way you literally half a sentence ago told me their power levels.
Goku easily defeats the three henchmen, and then on Earth, the Dragonballs are used to wish all the Namekians back to life. Guru also appears, and after he comes back, he unlocks Goku and Raditz's potential. Cooler shortly arrives, having exterminated all Frieza's remaining henchmen. Goku and Raditz fight him, the others being outclassed by them. The fight goes about evenly, until Cooler transforms into his final form, then beating them easily.
Wait...Cooler has to use his final form...to beat base Namek saga saiyans, what? Screw the movie in which he had to do exactly that, by the way, his fourth form PL should be in the same region as Frieza's. And besides, that was Goku after getting SSJ, after which he was no doubt able to substantially raise his base power.
Gohan charges in, and the humans follow to try and get him to run away. The humans are all knocked away with single blows—Yamcha is killed—and Cooler pins Gohan to the ground, about to kill him, making Goku so angry he transforms into the false/semi-Super Saiyan state, surprising and injuring Cooler, but it doesn't last long.
Okay...False Super Saiyan...yeah, I guess so, if he didn't quite have the requisite power...OH WAIT HE DID. Why didn't he properly transform, then?
Cooler starts beating on Goku, which makes Gohan angry, and some of his hidden power activates, again surprising Cooler, but Gohan is still no match. Cooler taunts Raditz, who watches all of this, telling him even Gohan challenged him, and someone supposedly inferior like Goku could achieve some of the Super Saiyan power, yet Raditz is doing nothing. Cooler calls him weak and a coward, and Raditz, remembering all the times he's been called these, or really been like that, (combined with seeing his brother and nephew almost being killed) he lets out his anger and makes the series' first true Super Saiyan transformation. An epic battle with Cooler ensues, and finally Raditz wins (through trickery and strategy, as he's still outpowered).
Yeah, I'm pretty sure this was when I still went by the whole "SSJ is 150 million, Cooler form 5 is 470 million" thing. And yet I had Raditz winning due to "strategy". Pffff. For reference, that's like saiyan saga Yamcha beating Nappa, and then some. Wow, my logic must have been out that day or something.
Planet Namek remains intact.
No it doesn't.
Vegeta escaped while the battle was in progress, and the final wish from the Namekian dragon, still waiting, is used to transport the good guys home (including Yamcha's remains, at King Kai's suggestion), as their ships were all trashed. There's a brief interlude in which the Vegeta Force and Yamcha arrive on King Kai's planet. Krillin, who's already there, having trained, along with Yamcha and King Kai, fight the Vegeta Force once everyone realises who everyone is. Yamcha beats Cui (with clever tricks and stuff), Krillin beats Jeice and Burter, and King Kai is attacked by Recoome, but uses the Kaio-Ken x20 and knocks him out with one punch.
NO.
Seriously, King Kai explicitly stated that he couldn't propely use the Kaioken.
After a year, Krillin is resurrected with the next wish (he died first), and surprisingly, they find Yamcha alive too—the Namekians wished him back as gratitude. Goku has gone off on his own to train. After a while, Frieza and King Cold arrive to take their revenge. Fortunately, Devilman appears and stops them with his Devilmite beam.
Actually, now that I think about it, this original story concept may have been an attempt to tie all the video game what-if storylines together into a cohesive story. This one's from Budokai Tenkaichi 3. Some of this stuff made it through to the final story...most of it, thankfully, did not.
It isn't an area-attack technique, so the henchmen, who outclass him physically, are about to kill Devilman when Goten arrives from the future.
What.
He uses the Kamekameha, and the beam bounces off each henchman in turn, killing them all.
What.
He also tells the heroes that Raditz is going to catch a heart virus, and gives him the antidote. At this point, the team has grown to include Raditz, Piccolo, Nail, Zarbon, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, Gohan, and Future Goten (Devilman left).
Convenient...
Seeing this, Dr. Gero releases not only android 19, but also androids 14 and 15.
What...now? Before the three years are up? Was 19 even finished yet? Let alone 14 and 15...
Just as Goten is telling them about the androids in his time, a huge explosion goes off in the city nearby, and they fly over to investigate, finding the three androids waiting for them—they almost kill Nail in a surprise attack. A confrontation occurs, but they all agree to take the fight out into the wilderness. Upon landing, android 20 (Dr. Gero) tells them this is revenge, and so on, and an epic battle ensues. Gero, however, accidentally woke up android 18 as he left, and she proceeds to activate androids 13, 16 and 17.
Oh, because that'd happen. "Oops, I accidentally disabled all the failsafes, let the murderous uncontrollable android out, and completely failed to notice. Damn you, plot convenience!"
The battle finishes with androids 19, 14 and 15 destroyed, but instead of Raditz, Goten caught the heart virus and was incapacitated, and Gero flees, only to by killed by the arriving 17 and 18.
I would say 'what.' again, but to be fair, I had the heart virus switch targets in the main story anyway, so...yeah. Also, is this Goten Goku's second child, born earlier, or Raditz's kid, named in Goku's honour? I can't remember.
The two of them then easily defeat the remaining fighters, telling them to stay away as they search for Goku. They leave 13 behind to guard them (also, the 18/Krillin relationship goes on with Yamcha instead of Krillin).
That idea very nearly happened, you might remember.
The fighters recover, and working together beat android 13, but he absorbs the parts of 14 and 15, transforming. Goku arrives as a Super Saiyan and helps them defeat it, and then Piccolo and Nail fly off to fuse with Kami, to have the power to beat the remaining 3 androids.
What, all at once?
Kami, before fusing, tells them something even more horrible has appeared—Cell. After fusing, Nail (who becomes the dominant personality) goes to confront Cell, but Cell escapes without really fighting. Cell then runs into Zarbon and Tien, who do manage to almost evenly fight him, but it's difficult and he slips away again.
Almost evenly? Tien and Zarbon vs Cell? How?!
Goten is revealed to be the son of Raditz and Launch (by the fact that the newborn Goten is introduced), to much confusion (he's inherited some of Launch's personality/personalities, the increased aggressiveness in Super Saiyan form is amplified for him, he goes from Trunks/Gohan-like to Broly-like).
Oh, okay. That's who he is. So, what, has the three-year wait happened or not? I can't tell. Because present version's been born...but I don't think I ever mentioned the three-year gap...I'm confused. Why is Cell even here, if not?!
Wait, doesn't he have the heart virus at this point? Did I just forget about that and not bother to write anything about the medicine?
Raditz and Goten go into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, followed by Goku and Gohan. As soon as Raditz and Goten emerge, they locate Cell and fly off to fight him. Meanwhile, Nail has been fighting 18 while Krillin watches (as do 16 and 17), but Cell reappears, grown stronger from hundreds of absorbed humans. He attacks the androids and Nail, defeating them, and finally 16, who is equal in power to him, but Cell still comes out on top, and absorbs 17. Brushing the others aside, he absorbs 18 immediately afterwards (despite Yamcha repeatedly, but futilely trying to stop him, and having to be saved by Krillin), but then Raditz and Goten arrive. They turn into Ascended Saiyans, but in his perfect form, Cell easily wins, challenging anyone to come and fight him. He tells them they have 24 hours to assemble their strongest warriors, and leaves. When the time comes, the entire team, including Goku and Gohan, are assembled to fight Cell, when Devilman appears again.
Oh, good. Because we really missed him. /sarcasm
He uses his Devilmite Beam, but Cell doesn't believe himself to be evil, he's utterly insane, so it fails and he kills Devilman.
Isn't...it...based on actual, objective evil? Surely most people don't believe themselves to be evil, but from what I've heard the attack kills most people...
Goku then fights Cell, and after an epic battle, Goku is battered and defeated. Just then, Super 17 appears from the future to challenge Cell for the title of ultimate android.
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT.
Cell says S17 must be from a different timeline, as he would never allow 17 to escape him (he isn't). In the battle, Cell is almost destroyed, but regenerates and comes back stronger. Both wanting to show their full power, they pause for 60 seconds, 17 gathering energy from the air around him, bulking up and declaring himself invincible. Cell throws a Spirit Bomb at him, proving him wrong.
What kind of Spirit Bomb? I doubt he got the energy willingly, so...the kind that failed to kill saiyan saga Vegeta? The kind that failed to kill 50% Frieza? I highly doubt it was a universal spirit bomb, so...yeah...huh.
I made a minor edit to the following paragraph because it originally contained the worst joke in the history of human civilisation, and I couldn't risk exposing it to the general public, in case any of you have heart conditions (trust me, it would have been the end of you).
Cell says there's no challenge to him in his new form, and that he's going to destroy the earth, but the humans and various good guys all charge him at once (as well as android 16, who's with them). A titanic battle erupts, and Raditz is killed. This sparks both Goku and Gohan to transform into Super Saiyan 2. They attack Cell together, and Goku punches him so hard he spits out 18, followed by Gohan knocking 17 out of him. He uses a Solar Flare to blind them, and goes to absorb 17 once more after first beating 16 again, but Krillin gets in the way, and Cell accidentally absorbs him instead, becoming Cellin.
I'd like to point out this was years before Bringer of Death had Cell try absorbing Krillin. This was based off another what-if story in one of the Budokai games. And I'm so glad I didn't include this in the actual story, because...Cellin becomes a reccuring character. Yup, read on:
His power drops dramatically from what his 2nd form was (although he's still stronger than his first), and he puts up a good fight against, but is beaten by, Tien, Yamcha and Zarbon. Nail, using some of Kami's power, removes the Cell personality, leaving Krillin in control of the Cellin body.
Yeah. Apparently that's a thing that can happen.
And so Cell is defeated, and Raditz does the whole otherworld tournament thing, electing to stay dead for the time being, but being allowed to visit both future Goten and the newborn present Goten, along with Launch, at Baba's place (where the living and dead can meet).
Nope, saving his time on Earth for later would be the sensible thing to do. Majin Buu exists, y'know.
Future Goten returns to his time, and all nine androids attack him at once, but many of them are weaker in his timeline and he defeats them all quickly, especially as 16 refuses to fight, and quickly becomes friends with Goten.
Way to copy DBM, past me. Also, nine androids...what? Okay, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18...19? Really? Doesn't 19 not exist in the future timeline? Still leaves us with two more...20? I thought Gero was killed by 17 and 18? And that still leaves one more...8, maybe? Why the hell would android 8 suddenly be evil?! Or maybe I meant Super 17. WHERE THE HELL WOULD HE EVEN COME FROM AND HOW WOULD GOTEN BEAT HIM EASILY.
In the present, Bojack briefly appears, before being absolutely crushed, along with his henchmen, by the pair of Super Saiyan 2's.
Not much to say about that last part. Anyway, hope you enjoyed me sort of ranting at myself! There's more, but since a little bit does later on become BTtL, I won't post the rest yet. Maybe someday in the future, when I've done the Buu saga and stuff. I believe I actually wrote all the way through to GT.