A/N: Sorry it has been so long! I had a lot going on in real life (health issues with family members and some death in the family), so I was having trouble finding the time for this. Thankfully, I think things are getting back to normally, so you won't have to wait so long next time! Thank you to SoggyXWaffles (Hopefully you get notified about this one! And thank you for the review!), Lisa8507 (Thank you, I really appreciate that description of the story and I think it's accurate lol. I've decided to continue to post here for now, but I will let you know if that changes!), Guest (I hope that's a good 'wow' lol), HopelessRomantic183 (I'm keeping the story at both sites for now, because I think more people got their alert situation set! And yeah, Frieza is DEFINITELY concerned and unfortunately, his instincts aren't that terrible. And yes, Vegeta is dealing with a lot… a normal person would crumble under it, but let's hope he's up to snuff! In a way, he's in such a scramble that there isn't much time to stop and take everything in. We'll see how he does! Here is a Geta-free chapter for you lol!), xSmallLadySerenity13 (Thank you! Vegeta in this story is absolutely on a different path of destiny, if you will …so your wish may come true!), lmamc (Sorry about the delay, but hope you enjoy this one!), and NNP (The leak will be revealed! And for now, I'm staying on both sites, but I will let you know if anything changes. Thanks!)
Chapter 25:
When Trunks flew within visible range of the fight, he knew immediately that Gohan had been right: Goku and the Captain of the Ginyu Force had switched bodies. Goku's behavior was so uniquely his own that it seemed that his spirit was recognizable no matter what he looked like. The purple-skinned Captain was more casually-posed now, even while he was skirting the edges of the battle, clearly attempting to come up with a strategy.
Nappa and Goku's body were locked in battle, courtesy of Ginyu. And the current results of their encounter were surprisingly in Nappa's favor.
"Thanks for the golden opportunity," Nappa sneered, as he pulled Captain Ginyu into a hold with only his arms. "I've been wanting to kick the shit out of this guy since we ran into him!"
"How dare you move against Lord Frieza, you Saiyan scum!" The Ginyu wheezed in outrage as he wriggled. It was obvious that he wasn't used to this body at all and clearly, he recognized Nappa as a soldier that was supposed to be loyal to Frieza. The shock of the Saiyan treachery was probably knocking the Captain off his game even more. "There will be hell to pay for this!"
In his anger, he threw Nappa back, who was still grinning in pleasure. Goku's body lunged toward Nappa, and he dodged out of the way, playing with him. Trunks knew that Saiyans enjoyed nothing more than prolonging the fight: it was something that he himself had never understood, and probably never would.
"You make it clear to your enemies, Trunks! You flaunt your strength at every opportunity so that they understand what it would mean to move against you."
A kernel of unrest grew in young Trunks as he stood across from his father, and though short-lived, his logic won over. "Ending the fight makes way more sense than playing around," he muttered. "I don't get it. Making a fight last longer goes against the rule that you aren't supposed to waste energy. I think it's the opposite of showing your strength …Dad."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow at that, with no outward appearance that he was losing his temper, but his growl was a tell-tale sign that he was. "And you presume this how, brat?"
Trunks frowned. "You don't give the guy a chance to win, do you? Anything can happen in a fight."
His father had no answer for him, Trunks remembered. Instead, he swatted him away like a fly and resumed sparring—an arena where Trunks had no chance against him. "That is a ridiculous, human ideal! When you are strong enough—" Trunks' guard crumbled under Vegeta's fist "—it doesn't matter."
"There's only hell to pay if you ever find a way off this world alive," Nappa replied to the mercenary with a cackle. "Your odds aren't looking great at the moment. C'mon, show me what the Ginyu Force can really do!"
Nappa had said before that Captain Ginyu was really strong: way stronger than Nappa.
Yet, he had switched bodies with someone whose body might be weaker, and certainly he had less control over than his own. Why? Trunks needed to think about this for a minute…
"Hey!" Goku called up from his new, lavender, leathery body, chuckling nervously. "Don't hurt me too bad, I need that body back, you know!"
"If I don't tenderize you now, I'll never get another chance!" Nappa yelled in response, then he drew back and landed a neat punch to Goku's face. It was instinct for Trunks to stop thinking and move, like he was breaking up a squabble between his team and not a full-fledged fight with the enemy.
"Nappa, knock it off!" Trunks demanded, shoving between them and releasing on the suppression of his power level. "We have enough problems without your stupid games!"
"Another one?" Captain Ginyu growled, and it sounded so wrong coming from Goku's form. "What is this place, that it has so many foreign defenders?"
"It's none of your business," Trunks said quickly. "You might want to worry about the here and now, which is us!"
He sniffed haughtily, looking between all of his opponents. "I'm not as desperate as you might think. Oh, Guldoooo!" he sang.
Trunks' gaze shifted to every corner, expecting someone to pop out… but no one came. Their enemy planted his hands on his hips and called out again, new viciousness and anger tinged in his tone. "Guldo, if you don't get out here, I'll find you and kill you myself!"
Oh. There was someone …a power level hiding behind a rock, but Trunks definitely deemed it unnecessary to bring someone else into the fight when they had to worry about the guy in front of them and switching Goku and Captain Ginyu back! But the hiding guy was neglecting his Captain's order.
"C'mon Boss," a voice finally rasped from the ground. "I'm all worn out from when you switched earlier. I need a rest!"
That admission of weakness pricked both Nappa's and Trunk's senses, but it was only Nappa who was delighted by it. His gaze fell to Trunks, who nodded slightly. The large Saiyan didn't need any more encouragement than that: he careened toward the voice, but Captain Ginyu didn't give chase.
He was now focused on Trunks, mystified (an expression which Trunks had to admit, suited Goku's body way better). "Who are you, boy?"
"Huh?" Trunks muttered, unsure why Captain Ginyu wanted to talk now, when his teammate was in trouble. The real Goku was following after Nappa, but Trunks doubted that Nappa wanted any help.
Ginyu paid no attention to what occurred below them, his voice focused and speculative. "You commanded that Saiyan."
"A mere boy, who barely appears Saiyan except for that tail you've got, controlling the one who some might claim is the new Monkey King's right hand. Where are you from and why does he listen?"
Trunks couldn't help but smirk at him. So, it appeared that they really had found the brains of this operation. "Huh."
"What?" the Captain growled suspiciously.
"Just …your priorities. No ship, no scouter…" Trunks tapped his chin. "No teammates that you haven't abandoned. And I'm the person you're worried. And you're right to be, because I'm dangerous."
Ginyu startled at the mention of his ship, likely not realizing that bit of information before. But Trunks could see his confusion and wariness heighten. Trunks wouldn't know about the ship being gone unless he had had something to do with it being gone, even an idiot could figure that one out.
"Who are you? And what do you want?"
"Forget what I want. Our interests aren't aligned. You love Frieza and I hate him. That's—"
Trunks shot left as Ginyu spread his arms and let out a change beam, trying to catch him unawares. He shook his head, but began to circle defensively. "Yeah, I know all about that trick! But you sure don't need to know anything else about me! What's it gonna take for you to give my friend's body back?"
He was pretty sure he figured out the guy's plan: allow yourself to get beaten up and then switch again, so your opponent couldn't fight back. The problem was that Trunks wasn't sure how to avoid beating up Goku's body and giving him what he wanted. They needed to switch back, and this was no longer a one-on-one fight, so Trunks had the advantage. He had no choice!
"A child is a child," Ginyu's voice snarled back at him. "No matter how you dress it up. And if you're a Saiyan, you won't be strong enough to defeat me."
"Well…" Trunks wrenched his fist back, feeling suddenly lighter, only seeing Captain Ginyu where Goku's body floated. "Let's see how I do."
VBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVB
"Did you take care of your concern, Your Majesty?"
"That and many other things," Vegeta answered. After he left Bulma to her big guard and her little lab, he had finalized the proof he needed in order to name the traitor. And the Elites had to have known, the way they stood at tense attention and waited. The table where they would normally sit was altogether abandoned for a standoff. But they were all there, accounted for, none showing obvious signs of guilt.
Every moment that Vegeta had to stand in the presence of the traitor while he still breathed was a moment too long, so he tossed the papers to the long table and began.
"As those of you with at least half of a brain have realized, your guest stay at the palace has less to do with your so-called shock, and more to do with an identified leak among the highest ranks of the Saiyans—those who convene here."
"Your Majesty, the timing of this seems rather convenient," Lord Parnip said, in what might have been an attempt to discharge the tension that was growing thick in the room. "You announce your human Queen and a change in succession, and we are now addressing the issue of an informant?"
"Terribly convenient," Vegeta agreed with a bitter grin slashing across his face momentarily. "But not for the reasons you seem to think. You see, Parnip, we have to do some weeding of the unfortunates who will not stand with us—who have already made up their minds about the ending of this era."
Lord Celeri!" Black eyes found a Saiyan sitting furthest away, appearing just interested enough in the scene. "How was your last campaign for the PTO?"
"My King?" the Saiyan Elite tried. He was nearly as young as Cumber, but never as loud. In fact, he had been the perfectly unnoticeable up-and-coming Lord: perfect for his role. "I have never been on campaign for Lord Frieza."
One mercy Frieza had allowed the Saiyans was never sending their Elites off-planet, and they all knew it. In Vegeta's mind, it was only a sign that Frieza had never feared their might—they were a pittance, a toy.
"And yet," Vegeta said softly, "did you find yourself off-planet some months ago."
"That was to—"
"The records show it was to one of the PTO's vacation planets. Already a disgrace for a true Saiyan," Vegeta pronounced, sweeping a hand towards the papers he had thrown aside earlier. Lord Celeri, the pathetic traitor, began to show signs of anxiety, his heartrate picking up and breathing just slightly shallower.
Lord Parnip was frowning and made a slight murmur, anticipating what was about to occur but not intervening. Vegeta and the rest ignored it, all eyes on the young Saiyan lord or the King himself.
"But our fuel-monitoring system tells a different story."
"Th—that was—" His stuttering made it clear, and the rising fury of his fellows had him shutting his mouth. Lord Cumber especially appeared apoplectic, his face reddening.
"Spare me your excuses," Vegeta snapped. "Whatever you fed Frieza was of no consequence to me; if he believes in the Legendary, he can come and face me! But before I speak another word, your sentence has been passed here, in front of these witnesses."
"My King." Vegeta heard Lord Parnip object dimly, but he had already seemed to make his decision. None of the others moved, unsure what Vegeta meant to do. Then he lifted his hand, palm forward, and it became clear.
"Who will flank him?"
It was happening so fast, that most of the Elites were struggling to gather the enormity of what was taking place, but General Cauli strode forward, and a pace later, so did Cumber, and Celeri's jaw dropped.
"You—"
Cumber gripped his arm, wrenching him forward toward Vegeta, saying nothing. A traitorous death was done without a fight, because it was a death without pride. A ki blast designed to create an undignified mess in its wake. Vegeta gathered the energy at his palm and Celer's eyes reddened with a choking fury, directed at the King.
"Lord Frieza will destroy this planet and you will be to th—"
Vegeta released his blast unceremoniously, and the light exploded around them, effectively ending both the Saiyan Elite and his half-born sentence. The King let his arm hang suspended for a moment, before slowly lowering it, his face cold with a fury that wouldn't die with the betrayer.
"If any more of you," he spoke with his eyes toward the fallen Celeri, but meant for all but him now, "believe that we have no chance against the Cold Empire; that we are better off remaining their vassals …then this is not the place for you."
None of them moved, but they appeared to be waiting for their King to say more. And say more he did, raising his eyes. "Your petty concerns, like what woman I take to bed means absolutely nothing in the face of this! Because mark me on this once more, for those of you who were not listening the first time: I would rather see our planet destroyed and wiped from this universe entirely than to serve another day under Frieza more than necessary!
"If you are impatient to see this done, if you have been frustrated with my slowness in accomplishing this, then I tell you now that we are of the same mind and I have no quarrel with you. You are no traitor to the Saiyans! But anyone who trades in secrets to Frieza or any of his kind will be dealt with immediately! There will be NO trials."
Vegeta's voice boomed in the cavernous room, half of the Elites staring at their King and half still lingering on the execution. Perhaps feeling as if these words were directed to him, Parnip was again the first to speak.
"I understand your meaning, my King, and I cannot defend the young lord—he was clearly a traitor. But in terms of maintaining order, this council will need the fuel records you spoke of to account for this."
"Forget that!" Cumber put in furiously, bubbling over the edge. "There's been a spy among us! Who else has sold information to Frieza? And how are we to contend with this?"
"And you see now why I was very careful with the information I gave you, Lord Cumber." Vegeta said, and he must have sounded as self-righteous as he felt, because Cumber twisted toward him, possibly too shocked to worry about contradicting Vegeta or display his usual level of smugness.
"And we are to trust you?" Cumber said, his voice stumbling over its own echo, but bold all the same. "He was a traitor, yes! But you—Your Majesty," he lifted a frustrated, accusing finger and Vegeta suspected that this would be his most honest display yet. "…you lie to us as you see fit! You tell us that we share our aims, but how are we to believe that?!
"You were the prince that never stayed, and now as King, you will? By what assurance?"
Vegeta could feel agreement from some. He let the Saiyan Elite rant, dispel some of his vitriol. Power was in his calm. Power was in acceptance of those charges, because there was truth to them. He would respond in kind and command them through it.
"You have no way of knowing, Cumber …whether I lie or not. Because when I have to choose between the truth to you, and the fate of our planet …I've chosen." Vegeta strode between them, parting them naturally and feeling suddenly taller.
"You say that I left. But there was because nothing held me. I know what I did when I killed my father! I bound myself to this planet and all within it. I do not take that lightly, my Elites! Say all you want, and more lies will surely be told, but this is not. I will fight for this planet by any means necessary. And nothing here is powerful enough to stand against ME." Vegeta slapped his own chest.
"My word is here, in the ignoble death of this traitor!" His eyes locked onto Cumber's. "And if I were going to abandon my duty and leave, I wouldn't have bothered…" Vegeta didn't need to peer into every face to hear the lull, to know that they were listening, and what was more—that they wanted to believe him. No more words could convince them, so the King decided to leave it there and move on.
"One mistake could be the end of us, and trust is not automatically granted. There was no need for interrogation. We assume that this scum gave all the information he had." He focused in on Lord Parnip with a bored air. "The fuel records are yours to peruse. I have nothing to hide…" He pitilessly nudged Celeri's remains with his boot. "Unlike some."
Paragus, who had watched the proceedings with attention, took advantage of the closing of this rather unfortunate subject. "My King, I've been far more curious as to the developments that you say Her Majesty is working on, and the slave that will be here to show us."
Lord Cumber made a strangled sort of noise at 'Her Majesty', and was ignored, as that was his only slip. In truth, the fact that Celeri had all but admitted his guilt at the very end had shaken Vegeta's detractors, a fact that Vegeta was certainly aware. Timing was essential in more ways than one.
When he had left her, Bulma was dropping into her one of her fits of scientific madness (she called it "brilliance"). He could only hope that it boded well for them, because while the problem of his power level was something that Vegeta had to push to the back of his mind thus far, it was something that now would become of prominent importance. He needed to become a Legendary Warrior. Frieza would not be taken down by anything less.
And Bulma …she seemed to be a key, in some way …to unlock this power. Trunks wept like his mother, except his blood wasn't only hers… Who could afford such a luxury, to weep? Those with all their strength already could, but not him. Yet he saw that incomprehensible boy of his …sunk to his knees, exploding like a new star.
"Your Majesty?"
Vegeta's gaze snapped to Paragus. "Yes, as I said, I will have someone from the Tech Department apprise you. But currently, my Queen is organizing her new project, and once that is settled, I will have her choose who will deliver the update."
That orange one that always assisted Bulma was a possible candidate—though he would have been better if he weren't afraid of his own shadow.
"But she will not present it herself?"
Heh. They wanted to see her. And so did Vegeta. In fact, he wanted to see her bare before him, with a burning that had been forgotten while she hadn't drawn breath. Now, as his Queen, it was all the more enticing. But he would be patient with her, knowing that she was in a snit with him and also appeared to be on the verge of a breakthrough with her work. These Saiyans would be allowed no exposure to her until things settled considerably.
"My Queen has better things to do than to entertain basic questions regarding her craft, as you will soon see," Vegeta declared. "Understand, I humor you because your ignorance of these things is not your own fault. But I cannot shift the alignment of every put in place when Frieza will not wait."
"And your queen is so important," Parnip said, and there wasn't a hint of a question in it.
Something relaxed in Vegeta. Bulma was the key somehow, to so much of this. That headiness that her presence often brought him was returning, only now he was less inclined to fight it off and replace it with something familiar.
"You would never guess what she would bring to us," Vegeta told them with great restraint. "But you will know it soon enough. Hopefully, sooner still."
Vegeta saw the glimmer of some interest in General Paragus. But he had no wish to stay and entertain this further; this business was done. Vegeta glanced at Celeri's form—it was a message they wouldn't soon forget. And he could now concern himself with a more desirable focus: his own power.
"You are dismissed from here …for now. But be prepared to return at a moment's notice. And arrange your own affairs! Need we to mobilize against Frieza's minions, I will not have you running around like some headless weaklings!"
"You believe the fury of the Cold Empire will be brought down on us, then?" Cumber questioned, finding his voice again.
"I can't read the mind of that abominable lizard!" Vegeta snapped. "But I do know one thing: we should be prepared for anything, or we will sorely regret it!"
There was a dull acceptance among them of that wise warning, and some of them shifted uncomfortably. Paragus shifted, but he did not appear ill-at-ease. Instead, he glanced around at his fellows with a slight smile. "Well, I take that at as much of a dismissal as anything. But before you go, Your Majesty, might I beg a moment?"
Though Paragus' relaxed demeanor irritated Vegeta on a normal day, he found himself unwillingly intrigued at what the Saiyan Elite might say to him in private. He couldn't recall a time he had ever met with the General without others around. He nodded sharply and the rest took their leave with a somber, but purposeful air. Only time would tell if what occurred here would inspire them or if more weaklings would be revealed out of the quiet corners.
Cumber almost appeared to not want to leave either, but leave he did, lagging behind the rest. When they were gone, Paragus tilted his head respectfully toward Vegeta. "I wanted to commend you on what transpired today. I doubt whether you care for the support, but I'm compelled to tell you that you will find it among most of the generals, if not the lords. We are not all wary of your changes, my young King."
Vegeta crossed his arms silently, not sure what to make of this. "Is that all?" he settled for saying. Paragus' words did hearten him, but he would die before he showed it. If this was all …then Vegeta found himself disappointed.
"No, that's not all actually!" Paragus responded, folding his hands comfortably. "Really, I desired to address the other issue in the room currently. That is, your little alien lover. Who you have raised to Queen."
Quickly, he raised a hand. "Now, don't look quite so murderous, Your Majesty. I have no objection to how you have raised her. But I did wonder at one thing." He lowered his hand and Vegeta noticed a glint in his expression for the first time, that spoke of something more restrained than was typical. "I recall your father carrying some disdain for your interest in the legends of our people."
"My father had no faith in the story of the Legendary Warrior. I believed it, and that was all it was," Vegeta answered flatly. "My interest never extended to other legends of our people. In fact, I don't know that I ever heard of any others."
Whatever was going on here, he hoped Paragus would get to the point. Vegeta was already putting his mind on his own physical training and the very last discussion he desired to have was one that involved his blasted and very-dead father!
Paragus hummed in thought. "Yes, I'm sure that would make sense. Our race made quite the point of snuffing out those old stories."
Vegeta cleared his throat, ready to leave. "Well, if they're only stories, I have little time for them at the moment, General."
"You understand then, why your father hated her?"
Vegeta shuttered to a halt and looked at him. What the hell was this about?
"There were a great many things that my father felt and did that I will never understand. One of those things was casting aside what was useful in the name of blood purity."
"Forgive me, my King, but I don't believe it was the fact that your woman was an alien who would taint Saiyan blood that truly bothered your father, but rather her effect on his son."
"What are you talking about?" Vegeta rasped, growing angry that this Saiyan was speaking in riddles, and that he was talking about something that Vegeta didn't know and that Vegeta was interested at all! "If you have something to say, then come out and say it!"
It was good that Paragus didn't chuckle, as it looked like he was near to doing. Vegeta might have ripped out his throat. Instead, the older general inclined his head again. "I am here to say that here may come a time when some other old, buried legends of our people might interest you. But I more than see that day is not today. I admire your dedication to freeing us from the Cold cause, Your Majesty. I only wished to talk to you without the ears of others to make you aware of the possibility, as it might help you navigate what happens after you bring about Lord Frieza's downfall. Unfortunately, I concede that I have little more information than that…"
"If that is the truth," Vegeta said with an inflection of warning, "then you've delivered your message and I've no time to continue this now." After he said this, he hesitated a moment. The dark curiosity nearly overwhelmed him, but Vegeta had ever been more controlled than to satisfy an urge so simple and currently useless. "But expect the subject to arise again at a later date, General Paragus, and I will expect you to have more information when that time comes. I do not like to be kept in the dark about something that affects me and mine."
Paragus' eyes had a dim twinkle, but what caused it, Vegeta was sure that he still didn't know. The General offered him a slight bow. "I was hoping you'd say that, Your Majesty. I apologize for dangling this before you, but I wanted to offer some token of my support. You can come to collect it whenever you please."
"And if I find out that this is some empty hunt—"
"I would be disappointed if I hadn't read your character enough to know that very fact, Your Majesty. And yet, I brought it to you any way," Paragus finished. "By your leave…"
It would be so much easier, Vegeta thought angrily, if these intrigues would stop popping up! He was making his way to the training room when something told him to check on Bulma.
Normally, there was something of an alarm that would go off in his head when he hadn't seen her in a long time and suspected that the reasons were not the usual. There were all sorts of legitimate excuses as to why he might have a passing thought about her. Back then, he would even occasionally ignore it so he could focus on his own pursuits, like his strength.
This time, however, with all that had happened to her recently, he couldn't banish that alert from his senses. Far better to know that she hadn't gotten herself into some stupid danger. Already furious, he redirected his path to her labs, where the tension was thick enough to know he had made the right decision.
Bulma, his insane little Queen, was strapping herself into some rigged contraption that spoke of nothing but trouble and disobeyed orders. And she was so stupidly focused on her task, that she didn't even notice when the entire lab dropped to their knees in respect. Her excitedly shaking fingers only stopped when her hulking guard cleared his throat loudly.
She huffed and looked up, her eyes dawning with realization quickly. "Oh," she said without any of the snap she was about to give to her guard when she looked at Vegeta. She was totally caught in the act and didn't do either of them the disservice of hiding it. "So …you're done with your thing then? That's soon!"
"Yes, I'm done with my 'thing'," he said, freely mocking her tone as he closed in on the infuriating woman. "But that doesn't tell me what you're doing!"
She grinned. "Calm down, okay? I thought you were still handling your kingly matters and I thought 'why waste time?'" She held up a mask that he had never seen before. "I'm going to take a swim!"
VBVBVBVBVBVBVB
Gohan found him. The huge, pale soldier with the flaming hair stopped as soon as he heard Gohan panting after him. His alertness shrank to mirth when he saw his tracker.
"You're taller than the last one, but not much. That stupid, dumb midget that blinded me! I got totally lost!"
For such a hulking figure, his petulance was comical and could have easily brought the half-Saiyan's guard down. But no. Gohan said nothing to that, gearing up for what he had to do next. In a bizarrely flamboyant fashion, the Ginyu posed with a dancer's flare—as if they weren't about to engage in a bloody battle, but were in some parody of a ballet. "Fine, it's clear you don't care. I'm Recoome. You want to avenge your friend, the midget with no nose, right?"
"That's right," Gohan found his voice, bolstered by the reminder. Fighting and killing was all so casual to these aliens. If Recoome had seen Krillin dead, it would have been nothing to him. The death of his friend wouldn't have even rated as more than a passing thought. He couldn't let this go on!
"You aren't going to hurt anybody else, ever again!"
Recoome chortled slowly. "After I blast you to death, I'll finish my mission, so …I don't think that's going to work…"
Krillin was still lying back where Gohan had left him, waiting for him to get back and help him. This monster didn't care about that—he wasn't going to stop. A vision of Trunks swam to Gohan's mind: the way he looked after he had killed Burter. Gohan swallowed.
He had no excuse. If Trunks could do it… Gohan knew that he was powerful enough… He just had to want to be powerful enough.
"Whatare you waiting for?! I have orders to take care of after I deal with you! Can we get on with this?!"
Gohan was always waiting, but this guy had hurt Krillin. Getting angry wasn't as easy as it used to be, but he could press the images of all the death and destruction into his head and let it inflame him. If he didn't do something, then what was the point of being here at all?
I'm not going to be a fake anymore. I'm going to use my power!
Gohan's black eyes met Recoome's, his face set. In his mind's eye, all he had been seeing was a barrier: a terrible, cowardly wall. All he wanted to do now was break it. "Let's do this."
VBVBVBVBVBVBVB
Trunks avoided yet another beam from Ginyu, who appeared to be on his last legs.
"H—how are you this strong?"
"You said so yourself. I'm a Saiyan," Trunks said with no small amount of satisfaction. It felt good …to be acknowledged as strong, to not be underestimated for once! This guy was a challenge, but not nearly enough to fear for danger. "Guess fighting in a body you weren't used to doesn't work when you're fighting an actual threat, does it?"
"You …you aren't. You can't be a—"
Trunks closed in, not giving him enough space to send out another beam, not giving him room to breathe. "Believe what you want." He punctuated it with a fierce blow to the kidneys (if that's what the guy had …maybe he didn't have kidneys?) Goku's body hurtled backwards and Trunks followed.
VBVBVBVBVBVBVB
It was almost too late when Goku's instinct sent out a warning flare about Trunks. He let Nappa worry about Guldo and scanned his eyes upward to see his friend's son beating the ever-living crap out of the Captain of the Ginyu Force!
His feet were planted frozen on the ground of his own accord, watching the half-Saiyan preteen with new eyes. Goku remembered Trunks as a child; his eagerness to learn and his intuition to fight had been a contrast to Gohan's thoughtful and emotional approach. Trunks had always reminded him of Bulma that way.
Goku wasn't seeing Bulma at the moment. He remembered another Saiyan years ago, who moved like he saw Trunks moving now, gloatingly powerful. But he wasn't beating up the right body. Goku blinked, and dropped his head to look at himself. He needed to figure out how to switch back before things got worse and he never got back!
He was considering his options when he was suddenly struck again and felt the world shift, then unimaginable pain radiated through every inch of him as he plummeted downward, unable to summon the strength to move. Trunks' eyes were wide as he fell past him. "Goku! You're—"
Goku's head cracked the ground and he saw black momentarily before he forced himself to open his eyes. They were above him, fighting, but he couldn't hear what they were saying; the ringing in his ears was deafening.
Though physically Goku couldn't move, mentally he was fine. Captain Ginyu had given him his body back so he could fight Trunks fresh. Trunks probably knew that was going to happen, but he had no choice but to play his game… all to get his body back.
And now…
I've gotta do something to help!
There was no time for him to remain lying around, no matter how much every inch of his body hurt. He winced and looked above him, but Captain Ginyu and Trunks had moved further to his periphery. Trunks didn't appear to be at the same advantage as before, but his movements were still as confident as ever. But something about what was going on above him was setting off that bad feeling again…
"Got your body back? And instead of helping, you're just gonna lay on your ass all day? I don't know why my King got caught up with you weaklings."
A booted foot came into view and Goku lifted his head with effort. From the words alone, he knew it was Nappa. "Where's that little guy?"
"Finished him off," Nappa said triumphantly, momentarily forgetting his irritation with the other Saiyan. "Sniveling coward wasn't so tough when he's all alone with only one trick! But I took out one of the Ginyu Force, even a fool like you must understand that honor!"
"Trunks…" Goku raised his eyes upward again and Nappa followed his gaze, annoyed that Goku wouldn't participate in his celebration.
"Yeah, what about him? He's holding his own."
"You won't help him?" Goku was confused, because he had thought that that was the entire reason Vegeta had sent Nappa with his son.
"Why don't you help him?" Nappa shot back nastily, blatantly ignoring that most of Goku's flesh was pulverized and he was heavily injured. "You may know nothing about Saiyan ritual, but it's a disgrace to interrupt another Saiyan's battle!"
Goku didn't care about Saiyan rituals. He still had an uneasy feeling and he didn't know how to communicate that to Nappa in a way that would make him care. Goku pulled himself over to his side and sat up, breathing strained by his injuries. He glanced up again at Trunks and Ginyu.
"The boy is getting the upper hand!"
The words only made it worse. Trunks was more powerful by far than Goku had seen before, and Nappa was right: Trunks was currently dominating and he was puffing up with every blow. Goku traced the fight for another moment before he finally figured it out.
"Hey, what—where are you going?! The fight's up there, moron!"
Goku scrambled around the ground for something, anything bigger than a handful of grass and living, ignoring the sharp pain that lanced through him with every motion.
"You lose!" Goku heard Trunks declared dimly as his eyes caught something hopping just out of reach. His hand closed around it and his head shot up just in time to see Trunks hammer down on Captain Ginyu, who fell sharply downward. Nappa jeered, Trunks was smirking, but Goku didn't blink.
The leathery purple body suddenly twisted upright and Goku's instinct was confirmed: playing possum. He watched as Captain's Ginyu's arms pose faster than he had before and the words left his mouth. Trunks blinked, slow to understand what Goku already knew. The half-Saiyan was still in the air, hesitating in a way that would make dodging the beam impossible. Goku pulled back his arm and threw the frog as hard as he could.
"CHANGE!"
Nappa took off from the ground, doomed to be too late, and Goku prayed his aim was true.
A/N: I don't really consider this a cliffhanger haha. But I'm sure that you will all be delighted to know that we are almost out of Namek, after picking off the Ginyu Force. There's just one final, quick thing that needs doing from our hero while there, and I'm not talking about Goku . I hope the notifications problem has been sorted out by most, and don't expect the next update to take as long this time! As always, let me know what you think!