OPENING THEME:
Episode 24:
OF MEN AND GIANTS: WHO WILL FALL?
Piccolo shuddered from the realisation of what he had just witnessed. A room filled with not only saiyans all at level 3 but a Vegeta who was now their King? His mind was going crazy with a thousand possibilities as he watched the very man who proclaimed King Vegeta as their "great and loving hero" lowered his head and gave Vegeta a knowing glance and a respectful nod. His aura flared without warning but this alone was enough to intensify Piccolo's fear. His immediate plan of action was to take refuge behind the nearest wall. There was no way that he could been seen at this point.
"King Vegeta!" he heard the title bellowed once more as the man continued, "It is time that you step aside and let a real ruler do the job. It is time you perish!"
Piccolo's heavy breathing forced his chest to rise and fall in great leaps. 'Did I just hear right? Typical saiyans, faithful one second and the next - hmph, but do these idiots really think they could stand a chance against a super saiyan god?'
Finding the sudden silence eerie, he used that opportune moment to finalise his plans. 'That's it! There's no way that I can face them all at once. I'll let the King handle his business first, then get his attention to lead him beyond the wall of darkness. Well, at least I hope I can make it that far - otherwise Sentee's on his own.'
Relaxing somewhat, he regained some of his familiar calm and collected persona but it wasn't to last. Some distance down the corridor, the wall behind him imploded suddenly. He frantically made his way forward to investigate and soon realised it to be two bloodied bodies. And he was not too keen when he caught sight of their tails. Piccolo glanced at the gaping hole in the wall and assumed that was how these ruined soldiers made their sudden entrance to his part of the castle.
He took a quick peak and was not too pleased to see the same brilliant smile on Vegeta's face. 'Did the fight already start? It doesn't even appear as if he even tried. And the others must be scared stiff to just be standing there and watching on like lost puppies!'
"Warn them," a weak voice muttered.
Initially stunned that either had survived, Piccolo looked on at the man with pity but but what he had to say was laced with bitterness. "So, your King has already taught you a lesson, huh? I just might got an idea to get you saiyans to escape but after all - you're all alike."
"N-No. The Great Ruler, he is-" he was interruped by an upsurge of blood and the weakened warrior succumbed to his injuries.
Piccolo growled and pondered what he had just seen, 'Is Vegeta really this capable of such cruelty? And to his own? Well, makes sense - he was hiding out on Earth for all those years away from them, right?' Even though he thought it, he did not believe it, 'Why would the proud prince of all saiyans or more like the King hide from his own race? Furthermore, why are they all wrapped up in a bunch on this planet? And more importantly, how was it that they are even alive - isn't Goku and Vegeta the last two full-blooded saiyans of this universe?'
He drew closer to the other warrior and tugged at his collar with extreme force, "Speak - what is your King's true plans?"
The warrior struggled to lift a finger and motioned for Piccolo to turn around before he passed out. Obeying, Piccolo picked up to his feet but what he saw before him forced him to drop the man.
Drawing closer were the massive blasts embedded in the hands of the approaching man whose face spelt that he was in the mood for vengeance. Backing away and tripping over the now still body, Piccolo fearfully looked on, waiting anxiously for his demise.
Sighing in relief, he counted his lucky stars as he watched the man make his way further into the castle. He scrambled after him but made sure not to give away his cover. A smile crept on his face when he noticed the man's cat-like ears twitching excitedly.
'So it wasn't Vegeta that had dealt those men - they were attacked on the outside. And is he a Mezoran?'
The man released the blasts and the foundation was rocked to and fro like never before, ripping away at the remaining corridors. Even the earth beneath sputtered up in a swirling storm of debris.
Impressed by the spectacle, Piccolo continued, 'Is - Is he trying to kill them all? But there was so much power in those blasts and yet I can't sense him!' His eyes widened in glee and awe, "No - it can't be - is he a god?'
Pushing forward amidst the mess, the Great Ruler fired another round of blasts. This time they were aimed directly at Vegeta who was still standing. Poompa jumped and grabbed Vegeta in the nick of time as the blasts ripped overhead.
Vegeta growled for he knew that he was in no position to do anything. He watched from under the rubble as a group of surviving saiyans jumped in with readied blasts directed at the Great Ruler. With a wave of his arm, the Great Ruler sent a ripple of energy. Those that could not evade in time were sliced in half.
"Hmm...come on out monkeys! I dare you!" the Great Ruler bellowed. The rubble trembled as several saiyans rose to their feet; clearly a lot more than suspected survived his surprise attacks.
Without warning, Ringo pounced forward and plummeted the Great Ruler with brilliant blow after brilliant blow. Soon the Great Ruler got over his surprise and grabbed hold of the saiyan by the back of his shirt and pulled him off as though he were nothing but an annoying child.
With his free hand, the Great Ruler charged a blast, wearing a wide grin, "I always knew you were trouble."
Upon release, the entirety of the blasts seemed to have consumed the man's entire body but the Great Ruler could not have been more shocked. Ringo had mysteriously disappeared without a trace and he looked to one side and then the other to which he found the answer. An elongated, green arm was worming its way to the outside of the castle with the man in tow. Ready to pounce after him, the Great Ruler's plans were momentarily laid to rest as the earth beneath him trembled violently and he turned around to see the phenomenon of a lifetime.
Eight golden, giant apes had risen to impressive heights, even higher than the castle with their large heads dismantling the roof. With several beating their hairy arms against their massive chests, thunder boomed throughout the ruined building. The Great Ruler could not help but to smile, "Monkeys, indeed."
As he was about to charge another blast, the Great Ruler was not prepared for what happened next. In one swift move, the full force of the mighty leg of the giant, swallowed the legs of the Great Ruler. The other giants took turns pounding his upper body with impressive fists.
Wordlessly, the great apes agreed to ease off of the attack. In unison, powerful blasts were spewed from their open mouths. However, their joy was short-lived as they noticed that their combined efforts were fazing right through him. He was standing and in perfect condition. Moreover, the great apes wore frustrated faces as they tried endlessly to land an attack on the man.
Piccolo was amazed by what he was seeing; it was either that he could not follow the man's movements or it was something else. Studying the situation closely, he realised what that something else was - the purple mist.
"Had I only had the Omanium jewel once more. But I guess I don't need that much time to finish you all off!" the Great Ruler shared and immediately broke into laughter.
The saiyans and great apes went in for the attack and blast after blast continued to faze through him. Realising their attempts were futile, they paused in their efforts once they noticed the Great Ruler charging a powerful blast. Many retreated but others were too consumed by the spectacle. His aura had intensified and the electricity that oozed off of the attack as it was being formed was felt even in the atmosphere about them. It was clear that when he released this no one was safe, no matter how far away they might have gotten by then.
Piccolo studied the situation with intrigue for the technique reminisced an attack similar to his, 'Aha! I see it now! He would appear as though he cannot keep up with both - this new attack is draining every ounce of his energy and focus much like how the Special Beam Cannon did to me in the early days. That time displacement trick is much like Sentee's but his mist is wearing away and fast. Alright, I know what'll I do!'
Waiting for his chance to strike, Piccolo soon realised that his plans had to be hurried along. One of the great apes had also caught on and about to attack the man. It was now or never!
Piccolo's green arm slithered away in awesome speed and struck the Great Ruler just below the heart and with a mighty tug, the man narrowly escaped the heavy foot of the giant. With the Great Ruler hung on his hand, Piccolo made haste out of the castle. The apes were in hot pursuit, knocking down any remaining walls in their path. At one point, the stampede forced a heap of debris that covered both Vegeta and Poompa entirely. Having had a head start, Piccolo ensured to keep the lead by swinging from branch to branch as he dashed forward at full speed.
Soon, he was beyond the wall of darkness and the blinding light of the afternoon unnerved him for a second. Making a move once again, Piccolo used telepathy to pass on a message to Sentee, "No matter what, stay right where you are. Got it?"
Sentee seemed startled at first when he heard the voice and he looked about him expecting to see the alien before him but then with a sigh, he understood immediately. "Ah, so this was your signal, huh?" he said aloud, "But why on mezora would he say something like that? I already knew to stay put until Vegeta..."
From beneath his hiding spot under a thick grove of trees, Sentee trembled at the evergrowing shadow that was looming overhead. He turned around, shaking like a leaf, and almost fainted at the sight before him. First, he was looking up at enormous feet and the further he craned his neck, he was now staring at a giant ape.
"Right, stay where I am," Sentee repeated in a sarcastic yet quivering voice, "Yeah, I guess I'll do that then." He felt as though he was sweating buckets of water with the amount of fear that was surging through him. This was not the plan, for that he was sure. Nowhere throughout the journey was it agreed upon that giant apes were going to be involved in bringing down Vegeta.
Piccolo dashed towards to the sky to which three apes followed by taking impressive leaps. Firing a round of blasts from either hand in a consecutive order, he was taken aback by their sudden appearance before him. He dove down and he smiled to see that they followed and with as much speed as he was travelling. Looking up at them as he fell, he swiped his arm with a firm command. The apes blocked as expected but what they did not expect was for nothing to be the result of the attack. Wearing confused looks, the apes laughed it off but soon their eyes widened in shock when they realised what had really happened. His attack was not meant to hurt them but to cut off their tails.
Piccolo grinned with satisfaction as he watched them fall but upon sensing the others approaching, he had to think fast. With his arms now spread out wide, a ball of energy was formed around him and explosions went off all against it. As the apes drew closer and the smoke cleared, they quickly realised that they had been fooled. He had used the force field to make his escape.
Sensing that he was safe for the moment, he alighted on a clearing on a mountain top. He rested the Great Ruler down gently on the patch of grass.
"Sorry about this, ol' chap - I know you've got the power but not the know-how to back it up especially with your anger raging out of control like that. But, I get it - these saiyans chose your world to invade on and believe you me, they'll be sorry. Hadn't my heart grown so soft over the years, I would have let you kill that saiyan back there when you had the chance."
Piccolo's worried frown showed his concern for the man. He believed that he was in extreme pain but little did he know that the seething sounds was in fact because the Great Ruler was overcome with anger. His clawed arm reached for a small pouch attached to his pants. He opened it and poured out its contents.
"Here, you have the last one," Piccolo informed, the green bean shining in the purple sun against his outstretched palm.
He caught on to the questionable glare in the man's eyes and quickly explained, "A special bean from Earth that restores you completely - very much useful when we used so much strength in trying to resurrect the dragonballs. Hm, you don't got a clue to what I'm referring, do you!" Piccolo smirked.
The Great Ruler's expression softened and he allowed the bean to be fed to him. His grateful demeanour did not gave him away as he pondered what he just learnt, 'Yes - he really is a Namekian here on Mezora! So they're trying to retrieve the dragonballs? That damn dragon warned before he perished that because of my time displacement tricks that nothing, no matter what, no matter who, could ever revive him. Hmm...'
As he swallowed, his eyes widened with the wonderful sensation. He clasped his hand over where the wound was just a second before and was shocked to feel not a trace of it. And how much vigour he retrieved, he felt like new again and ready to go. He stood to his feet and flexed his muscles for clarification. Indeed, he felt revived. When he looked up, he noticed that the Namekian was no longer with him thus leaving him alone with his thoughts.
'Hmm. A Namekian from Earth, eh? That explains why they have dragonballs there - the very ones that resurrected Frieza. Perhaps, I should kill this dragon as well after making a few wishes - and this time it won't be by accident. Damn those Elmorites that got in my way - it won't happen again!'
Venturing stealthily behind them, Piccolo could not contain his joy as he unleashed a wave of energy at the unsuspecting great apes. He had successfully cut off all the tails of the apes that followed him - the group of two and then the group of three. Watching them writhe with pain and the realisation that their precious tails were long gone, he dashed upward but was soon greeted by an impressive reading. Fast approaching were three saiyans, presumably the very ones which he attacked first. His countenance stiffened in fear when he noticed that each one of them had transformed effortlessly to a super saiyan 3.
END THEME:
PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
"Son Goku here! It's a mess out there - I don't see how Piccolo is going to get out of this one at all."
Piccolo stares on at the ever-growing blast aimed at point blank range. He smiles when the blast is frozen in place.
"Unless...the saiyans show him mercy?"
Vegeta wraps his arms around his father in a loving display.
"Hmm...so I suppose Vegeta has decided to join his father after all? But I suppose as they say - all's fair in love and war, right? And what a war it's been! See you NEXT TIME ON DRAGONBALL SUPER: A SECOND CHANCE: FAIR IS FAIR"
END CREDITS: Author/Creator of the DBZ series and characters: Akira Toriyama
Author/Creator of this Story/Series; Creator of a Piccolo vs. Giant Golden Apes showdown: Chrissi B (c) 2020