Even under the best of circumstances, the staff of Wukong Hospital were very often forced to work almost nonstop to ensure that everyone who walked through their doors was cared for. West City had several smaller clinics, but when these too were filled to capacity by residents from nearby rural areas, or could not supply the treatment that certain patients needed, it fell to Wukong to pick up the slack.
Today in particular was a day in which even Wukong's massive facility was unprepared for the sheer flood of patients. Although no survivors from East City itself had been found at that point in time, the massive tremors produced by the sudden explosion could be felt even at the very outskirts of West City, and for residents of East County as a whole, the effects were devastating. Thousands upon thousands streamed into relief centers across the continent as a result of injuries suffered during the tremors.
To make matters worse, the incident itself sparked mass panic, with many carrying on as if the world itself were coming to an end, and consequently doing whatever they pleased. As many more streamed in due to injuries sustained in riots, robberies, and other assorted acts of violence, rumors began to circulate regarding the cause of East City's destruction. Some believed it was the work of the Demon King Piccolo, looking to send a message to the world. Others believed that some new experimental weapon was to blame. However, one rumor persisted above all others, and was the subject of intense debate.
A few patients noted the testimony of a farmer living far to the south, recorded by a reporter from Ginger Town. The report, detailing an incident involving a spherical flying saucer and a superhuman alien with a tail, was widely considered to have been shot solely to compensate for a slow news week. Several conspiracy dramas filmed episodes on the subject in the following months, with one perceptive host positing a connection between the alleged alien sighting and the strange characteristics and incredible power demonstrated by Son Goku, the plucky martial artist who made it to the final round of the Tenkaichi Budokai on two separate occasions, and won the 23rd.
However, outside of its fervently loyal following, this particular host's show was widely considered to be complete nonsense-previous episodes had claimed that the 21st World Champion Jackie Chun and the reclusive martial arts master Muten Roshi were one and the same, that Son Goku had also killed King Piccolo nine years prior, and that the man who fought Son Goku in the 23rd Budokai was actually the Demon King's son, according to the testimony of an old couple who claimed that their dog was attacked by a small green child shortly after the Demon King's death. Nevertheless, in spite of initial skepticism, first responders' discovery of two spherical vehicles in what remained of the city, constructed in a similar manner to the vehicle described in the report, sparked renewed interest in the story.
The hospital staff wisely chose to keep themselves clear of these rumors as much as possible. However, even they began having doubts when a man who appeared to have had his arm recently severed arrived carrying an unconscious man with three eyes. Even more shocking, the staff could readily recognize both men as the martial artists Yamcha and Tien Shinhan. The former had consistently made it to the quarterfinals of the last three Budokais, while the latter won the 22nd and made it to the semifinal round of the 23rd before losing to Son Goku. In particular, Yamcha had also made headlines the previous year when he abruptly announced his leave of absence from the Taitans last season. Now, it seems, the people of West City had an answer as to why.
Not wishing to exacerbate their situation with a media frenzy, the staff chose to place a curtain over their section of the intensive care unit as soon as possible, and had the pair of them looked after by some of the hospital's security team. However, this arrangement proved to have unforeseen consequences a mere two hours after their arrival, when the doctors' examination of Tien was disrupted by the sound of a woman screaming just outside of the wing and several nurses fleeing in terror.
The security personnel left his bedside and swung open the doors to find a curious sight: a young blonde woman struggling to free herself from the grasp of a slightly younger woman with raven black hair. Meanwhile, a pig who proceeded to transform into a large gorilla and a floating cat who transformed into a rope also rendered their assistance while Bulma Briefs of West City's own Capsule Corporation, wearing some curious green visor across her right eye, attempted to placate the blonde woman.
"Launch, please, you need to calm down, okay? You're causing a scene. Now, just take deep, relaxing breaths-" Bulma began before Launch screamed in frustration.
"Let go of me, you stupid bitch!" Bad Launch shouted at the woman holding her.
Chi Chi took a deep breath before responding. "...I'm going to choose to attribute that comment to stress and not hold it against you in the future."
"Please! I NEED to see him!"
"I sympathize, but this is hardly how a civilized person behaves. Calm. Down. Now!"
Launch screamed once more and renewed her struggle against Chi Chi's hold. Oolong quickly turned to the security guards, his fear evident across his features.
"For the love of God, just let her inside!"
The security guards, unsure of how to process this bizarre scene, were silent for a moment before one of them regained her composure.
"Listen, folks, this area is strictly off limits to anyone but incoming patients, hospital personnel, and approved visitors. So unless somebody here specifically requested for you folks to come down here, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Just then, however, the guard heard the door swing open slightly to reveal Yamcha trailed by two nurses within arm's reach, struggling in vain to drag him back into bed.
"It's okay, ma'am. They're here for me," he said weakly as Bulma gasped in shock. Before any of the guards could stop her, she rushed to his side.
"Good God, Yamcha, what happened to you out there?!"
Yamcha chuckled. "Let's just say those guys can throw a mean punch."
While Bulma and the others were distracted by Yamcha's injuries, Launch took the opportunity to break free of Chi Chi's grasp and rush past the guards into the ICU, eventually locating Tien's bed and moving to within 5 feet of it before Chi Chi caught up to her and pulled her back.
"AGH! Stop it! Let! Me! Go...a...aaah...ATCHOO!"
With that, Launch promptly reverted to her blue haired state, and looked about in confusion for a second before remembering why the group had traveled there. As Chi Chi released her from her grasp at Yamcha's urging, she gently pulled open the curtains before putting her hands to her mouth. Tien laid on the bed with his eyes closed, motionless, while a series of tubes jutted out from various areas of his body, pumping chemicals into his bloodstream. The veins in his arms, legs, and torso were still bulging slightly, a side effect of the intensity of both Max Power and the Kikoho. The only indication that he was alive at all was a small monitor next to the bed, which beeped at semi-regular intervals to confirm that his heart was indeed beating. As the team of doctors examining him continued their work, one of them walked up to Launch, the expression on his face seeming to confirm her worst suspicions. After taking a moment to regain her composure, Launch began to speak.
"How is he?" she asked in a small voice, while the others gathered around behind her.
The doctor shook his head and gave her an apologetic grimace. "It's...not looking good for him, my dear. What his body's undergone...frankly, I've never seen anything like it. It's as if he's just spent the last three days running a marathon nonstop without food or water. Every inch of his body seems to be suffering from muscle spasms, constriction of blood vessels, internal bleeding, dehydration-to say nothing of the fractured wrist and cranial trauma. It's a miracle we were able to put him on life support."
Launch did her best to keep her emotions in check as the doctor continued, "Fortunately, as far as we can determine, while he's unlikely to recover...he isn't getting any worse. Which means that, provided we keep him on life support and no complications develop, he could stay alive indefinitely. But the costs to do so are-"
"I'll cover it," Bulma cut in, placing a hand on Launch's shoulder. "I don't care how much I have to spend." Launch looked her in the eyes and began to tear up before the doctor's voice brought her attention back to him.
"If I could perhaps have a moment alone with this young woman?"
The others nodded and moved over to Yamcha's bed, Yamcha finally lying back down to rest.
Meanwhile, the doctor led Launch into one of several offices lining the hallway. After pulling up a chair for her, the doctor sat down and began to speak once more.
"Well, miss, um...?"
"Launch," she offered weakly.
"Right. Well, Miss Launch, I was hoping that you might be able to provide some insight regarding Mr. Shinhan's background."
Launch cocked her head slightly. "Pardon me?"
"Well, usually, in cases like this, the patient's family makes the decision to keep them on life support, but in what little time I've had since he came in, I haven't found a single living contact anywhere in the world. I already asked Mr. Yamcha about it, but he stated that the only person he knew of was a boy named Chiaotzu, who is...no longer with us."
Launch felt her chest tighten as the doctor spoke, and she let out a small gasp of pain. It took every ounce of willpower she had to maintain her composure.
The doctor stopped for a moment to allow her to breathe before continuing, "So, uh...I was hoping you might know something he didn't."
Launch nodded reluctantly. "He...he told me that the village he came from has always been reclusive and isolated. According to him, his parents died...when he was 6. They were both only children-he told me that that was fairly common there, for...some reason. His grandparents on both sides were dead by the time he was born, along with any great aunts and uncles that I know of. Shortly after his parents' death, he was...'adopted' by a man named Taopaipai-"
She stopped suddenly as the doctor, having begun making notes in a notebook, almost dropped it in shock before hurriedly regaining his composure. "C-continue, p-please."
"-and went to live with his older brother, Tsuru Sen'nin. They, uh...they aren't on good terms."
The doctor coughed awkwardly, remembering tales of the dramatic confrontation at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. "N-no, I imagine not." He then hurriedly regained his composure. "And just to clarify, would you say that you are...close to Mr. Shinhan?"
Launch blushed slightly in spite of herself. "S-something like that."
The doctor nodded. "I see. Well, in that case, you will have to fill out some paperwork in order to secure this right for yourself."
Launch nodded, lips quivering slightly. "I understand."
The doctor noticed the change in her tone, and looked back at her sympathetically as he pulled out the requisite forms and a blue ballpoint pen. He coughed again. "Well, I better be getting back to him to check on his...progress." With that, he got up out of his chair and made his way towards the door before pausing. He moved to close the blinds of his office windows and pulled out the key to his door. "...Take as much time as you need," he said eventually, closing the door and locking it behind him.
As she bent over the desk and glanced down at the forms the doctor had left, she had just enough presence of mind to move them to the side before the lid she had tried to maintain shattered completely, and she pressed her face into her arms as she began to cry with increasing severity. It got to the point where one of Tien's security staff began to walk towards the door to check out what was going on, but Chi Chi calmly, yet forcefully placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. When his eyes met her own, eyes which seemed to know what was happening from personal experience, he turned back around without hesitation, leaving Launch alone as her world crumbled around her.
"How'd you even know I was here?" Yamcha asked after Chi Chi returned to his side.
"You can thank Goku's brother," Oolong replied. "We had all been hanging out at Kame House, 'watching' you fight those Saiyan guys with that alien doodad."
"I had already recorded everyone's power levels beforehand, so when we saw two of them dropping fast and moving towards West City, we knew who they were," Bulma added as she began to look Yamcha over.
"Well, I appreciate the thought, at least," Yamcha replied. "I just wish I could've done more against those guys."
"Hey, man, the important thing is you're still alive," Oolong consoled him. "Looked like...some of you couldn't say that." He cast his head down along with the others, saddened by Chiaotzu's loss. Bulma, however, was far too focused on her work to notice the shift in tone. She pulled out a set of measuring tape and began recording the dimensions of his remaining arm. Once she was satisfied with the results, she pulled out her phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Hi, daddy, I-yes, daddy, I'm okay. I'm at the hospital right now. I-no, daddy, I'm not hurt, I'm here for Yamcha and Tien. Now can you-daddy! For the last time, I. Am. Fine! ...Look, just-get the prosthetics lab working on something for me, will you? Model-remind me, which one was for just the forearm? ...C? Alright, Model C, Size...hm, would this be a 9 or a 10? You know what-just have them do both. And fast! ...Ugh, FINE! It's for Yamcha! There, you happy?! Just-have them put the two of them together and ship them to Wukong Hospital as soon as you can, okay?! ...Alright. Thank you. I'll tell him you send your best. ...I will. ...I love you, too, daddy. Bye."
With that, she hung up, still somewhat angry at her father's stubbornness and worried about Yamcha, before her eyes met Yamcha's as he smiled weakly. She found herself smiling as well, until a loud beeping noise from the scouter distracted her.
"What the...a power of 8,000?!"
"Holy crap...that's almost as strong as Piccolo got earlier!" Oolong replied.
"But...Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan's powers haven't changed. Which means it must be-"
"Goku!" Yamcha finished excitedly. "He made it! He's here!"
"Yeah...but that other Saiyan is still up," Bulma replied worriedly. "And his power is 16,750. It's dropping somewhat steadily, but..."
"Wait, I thought you said the others killed him a few minutes ago?" Chi Chi asked.
"I thought they did, but somehow, he's back, and over twice as strong as Goku."
Yamcha's face fell for a moment before he regained his composure. "M-maybe, but...but this is Goku we're talking about! He's always got something up his sleeve! He wouldn't send everyone away if he wasn't confident he could beat him!"
"Unless, of course, he just wants them to save themselves..." Oolong countered, his natural pessimism making itself known.
"Oh, hush, you!" Chi Chi scolded him. "I'm already worried enough knowing there isn't anything I can do to help my husband!" She sighed sadly. "Not to mention poor Gohan..."
"Look, the fact is, whether he wins or loses, there isn't really anything any of us can do about it at this point," Bulma interjected. "Let's just focus on what we can do here and now, alright?"
The group nodded, although Bulma could tell that their anxiety over the situation was hardly gone, and she couldn't blame them.
"Come on, Goku. You can do it. You have to," she thought as the scouter readings continued to shift, her small, practically opaque window into an event which could well mean the end of the world as she knew it.
Piccolo and Gohan hurriedly took off into the sky, Gohan having managed to hitch a ride on Kintoun before it would have departed. Krillin, however, hesitated, causing Goku to turn to his friend in anger.
"What are you doing?! I told you to leave!"
"I know, but I just had to say-don't do it here!"
Goku cocked his head in confusion. "Why not?"
"Do you want our master's body mangled or burnt when he comes back to life?"
"Comes back to-what are you talking about, Krillin?! Master Roshi and Chiaotzu have both been brought back before-they can't be brought back by the Dragon Balls again! Not to mention Kami is-!"
"Look, I don't have time to explain, but before he passed, Master Roshi sent me a message. He told me about something that the prince was thinking about while he was fighting us!"
Goku was still confused and slightly angry, causing Krillin to groan slightly.
"Please, just don't fight here! You have to trust me on this!"
Goku hesitated for a moment before nodding. With that, Krillin smiled.
"Thanks! Now good luck out there, Goku!"
With that, he took off as well, leaving Goku the task of convincing Vegeta, still muttering under his breath about the horrors he had witnessed, to relocate their battle.
"Hey, you!" he called out, stopping the prince's rambling. "Let's not fight here!"
The prince looked up in confusion before hurriedly replying, trying his best to push the things he had witnessed in his tomb to the back of his mind.
"Huh? Uh, yes! Yes! C-choose whatever place you wish to die, l-low class scum! It will m-make no difference!"
Goku was puzzled for a moment, but nodded, and began to fly towards a nearby desert which he knew to be uninhabited, Vegeta doing his best to fly after him in his current state. After five minutes, the two arrived, Vegeta landing on top of a cliff overlooking Goku's own position. Having had a few minutes to get his bearings, Vegeta finally had the presence of mind to do something about the large gash in his side, roughly cauterizing it with a burst of ki. When he was finished screaming from the pain, he looked down to examine the situation.
"Damn. From what I can tell, the trip here combined with my earlier injuries and their treatment has dropped my power level considerably. Probably can only bring out a little over 16,000. Still, it matters not-there's no way a low-class like him can defeat me!"
Goku likewise looked up towards Vegeta, sizing him up.
"He's hurt pretty bad-that Kienzan attack really did a number on him. Going to have to see if Krillin can teach me that once this is over...assuming I beat this guy, anyway. In the meantime, there's no way I can beat him at my base level. I'm going to have to use the Kaio-ken Times Two at this rate..."
When the two were done with their examinations, Goku hailed the Saiyan prince.
"So...you're here for the Dragon Balls, right?"
Vegeta simply grunted. "Yes. What of them?"
"Well, I just thought I'd let you know: the Dragon Balls can only be used once a year. And I was revived yesterday."
Vegeta simply sputtered as he took in what Goku was saying. "N-no! You're lying!"
Goku chuckled. "I'm not in the habit of lying to people. You're not going to get your wish, so why don't you leave this planet and never come back?!"
Vegeta scoffed. "And if I refuse this generous offer?"
Goku began to growl, the anger he'd felt over the injuries inflicted upon his friends and teacher still weighing heavily on his mind.
"Then I'll send your broken body back out into space," he said grimly.
Goku cracked his knuckles as he entered into a combat stance. Vegeta laughed as he replied in kind.
"So you are serious about fighting me, Kakarot? Very well. Whatever training you received has evidently made you quite powerful-even more so than a nobleman like Nappa. But it doesn't matter how much you've trained-you'll never be the equal of the Prince of all Saiyans!"
To Vegeta's surprise, Goku merely chuckled. "Says the guy who got a gash in his side from a 'lowly human' like Krillin."
Vegeta growled. "That fool simply caught me off guard!"
"And what about Master Roshi dodging all of your attacks?"
"Grrr...I underestimated the old geezer! Nothing more, you hear me?!"
"No...it's much more than that," Goku replied. "Unlike you, Vegeta, the people of Earth know that everyone has the potential to do great things. That with enough hard work and determination, anyone can rise to the level of an elite, provided that they are given equal opportunity. A lesson that you and those like you refused to learn, even after your planet was destroyed."
Vegeta's rage began to build even further. "This is ridiculous! 'Hard work and determination?' What kind of sentimental crap is that?! What right does a dust ball baby like you have to lecture the Prince of all Saiyans about strength?!"
When Goku cocked his head in confusion, Vegeta laughed. "Right, of course-you don't know anything about your homeworld, Kakarot! Well, when Saiyans reach the age of three, they are sent by their parents to alien worlds in order to test their survival skills and combat prowess on the inhabitants. We first send survey probes to record the average native power level across a given planet's surface, and divide it into several categories adjusted for the size of their populations. A-class worlds have an average power of over 1,000. B-class worlds have an average power of 100 to 1,000. C-class worlds, 10 to 100. And D-class worlds...1 to 10," Vegeta finished with a sneer. "Just like this planet, Kakarot. Only the absolute weakest of the weak are sent to planets like that!"
Goku smiled in spite of the circumstances. "If that's how I got sent to Earth, I owe my parents a great debt. The life I have lived on this world...I wouldn't trade it for anything."
Vegeta smirked. "Is that so? Well, then...allow me to END IT!"
With this battle cry, he powered up as high as he could and flew full force at his enemy. Goku barely managed to dodge this first pass by leaping upwards towards a higher cliff, causing Vegeta to halt himself and fly upwards for a second pass. Fully realizing he was outmatched, Goku's body tensed as it prepared itself for the strain it was about to endure.
"KAIO-KEN TIMES TWO!" Goku shouted as his body became enveloped in a red aura of ki. He felt his veins beginning to bulge as his power skyrocketed. "Agh! Damn! Forgot how much this hurts! Oh well, better take him out fast!"
Vegeta flew towards him, readying a mighty punch to Goku's jaw, but noticed too late the red aura surrounding Goku. As Vegeta mulled over the meaning of this change, Goku was able to dodge his punch and strike back with a blow of his own, leaving Vegeta staggered.
"W-what?! Impossible! How did he-?!" He had no more time to think before he was forced on the defensive, narrowly blocking all of Goku's strikes before finally being hit with a blow to the nose. With a cry of pain, he stepped back a pace before putting his hand to his nose, finding blood dripping from where Goku had struck him.
"Grrr...twice today, I have shed my royal blood...because of low-born trash!"
Vegeta had little time to think about this fact, as Goku was once again upon him, raining down blow after blow upon the Saiyan for a much longer period. Although Vegeta could block most of them, even these strikes were beginning to wear him down, and he found himself being struck by more and more blows. Eventually, he managed to dodge one of Goku's attacks with a backflip, and it was during this reprieve that he noticed he wasn't the only one slowing down.
"Damn!" Goku thought. "His ki's declining over time, but not fast enough! At this rate, I'll have to power down before he uses up all of his energy, and by that point, he'll kill me for sure!" His expression was set grimly as he understood what had to be done. "Sorry, King Kai, but...I'm going to have to push beyond Times Two!"
As Vegeta growled angrily and leapt towards Goku, Goku took a deep breath as he steeled himself once more.
"KAIO-KEN...TIMES THREE!"
Back in the Intensive Care Unit of Wukong Hospital, Bulma continued to pace around Yamcha's section, waiting for news of her order arriving even though she knew full well that it would take at least five more hours. Suddenly, however, a loud beeping sound stopped her in her tracks.
"What is it?" Chi Chi asked.
"It looks like Goku, but...it's increasing way too fast!" Bulma replied. "18,000...19,000...20,000...21,000-!" she cried out before the scouter's circuits overloaded, destroying the device and leaving what was left of it to fall to the ground in pieces.
Chi Chi rushed to her side before Bulma waved her off. "I'm all right. Just a slight malfunction, it seems. Still..." she remarked, "To think one guy could be so strong..."
Elsewhere, on another plane of existence, King Kai gazed down in the direction of Earth, observing the conflict between the two Saiyans with his extraordinary telepathic powers. As he saw Goku take pause, he could already tell what was going through his pupil's mind.
"Agh! You fool! You haven't had enough time to train the Kaio-ken properly! Your body isn't ready for the Times Three state!"
He grimaced as his two "attendants," Bubbles and Gregory, looked at him with concern.
"Still...at this rate, it seems to be your only option. I had no idea that he would be so powerful..."
"Wait...times what-?"
Vegeta's train of thought was interrupted by a powerful kick to his right arm. Although not quite powerful enough to dislocate it, the crack of several bones could be heard for quite a distance, and Vegeta screamed in pain.
"That was for Yamcha-who your friend left with only one arm!" Goku cried out before landing a powerful punch to Vegeta's jaw, sending him flying backwards. "That was for Tien-who may never wake up!" Before Vegeta could slow himself down mid-air, Goku flew behind him and hit him in the back with a powerful downward strike. "That was for Chiaotzu-who'll never see his best friend again!" As Vegeta crashed into a nearby rock formation, Goku landed on a nearby cliff and powered down after pausing for a few seconds, in order to catch his breath and save his strength while Vegeta lay dazed in a pile of rubble.
Unbeknownst to Goku, an old friend of his hid behind a rock face nearby, peeking his head out to observe the battle.
"Shoot!" Yajirobe thought, sweating profusely. "I came to look since they landed so close, but...this ki from both of them is unreal! M-maybe I should bail while I have the chance!"
Just as he thought to do so, however, a great roar of anger could be heard from the rock formation, and Vegeta let out a massive explosive wave which vaporized it in its entirety. As Goku braced himself to have to power up again, Vegeta looked at him with a crazed expression.
"I will not stand for this! I am the Prince of all Saiyans! I will not be defeated by a low-class wretch on some D-class dirt ball!"
With this, he leaped into the air and settled several dozen meters above where he had previously stood.
"I had considered Nappa's idea of conquering this place...but ever since I landed here, I have been met with nothing but insults! My aide killed by some three-eyed freak...wounded by a cowardly midget and impeded by a frail old man...and now, overpowered by this-this mockery of everything the Saiyan race stood for! No...for these transgressions...there can be only one recourse!"
He began to charge up his ki, forming a crackling purple aura around himself as he gathered an enormous amount of energy between his two cupped hands. Goku, sensing the immense power of this final attack, likewise powered up to Kaio-ken Times Three and began to cup his own hands together.
"And this," Goku said as the familiar blue ball of ki began forming in between his hands, "is for my master! KA...ME..."
As both of the attacks continued to charge, the surrounding landscape trembled, and the winds kicked up by their sheer power nearly bowled Yajirobe over.
"Holy...these guys...they're something else!" he remarked, too transfixed by the sight to obey his gut instinct to flee in mortal terror.
"HA...ME..."
As Vegeta's attack neared its apex, he looked down upon his hated enemy, and growled in anger.
"SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR PLANET, KAKAROT! GALICK GUN...FIRE!"
"HAAAA!"
The two beams collided several meters above the ground, continuing to send shockwaves throughout the area as both Saiyans struggled to overpower each other. Goku could sense Vegeta's energy declining even faster as he continued to use this Galick Gun technique-but, unfortunately, the strain of the Kaio-ken Times Three was causing Goku to decline still faster. Even as it took everything Vegeta had to maintain the beam, still he could not deny himself the opportunity to gloat over his struggling opponent.
"It's over, Kakarot! You don't stand a chance! This attack will destabilize your planet's core! In a matter of minutes, I will be able to gaze upon your planet from my pod as everything you care about is vaporized in the explosion! This, Kakarot, is the price you pay for daring to challenge a Saiyan elite!"
With this last proclamation, Vegeta pumped even more of his energy into the Galick Gun, cackling madly as he saw Goku slowly give way under the pressure of the attack.
"It's no use! Please, body, hold out!" Goku thought as he screwed his eyes shut, bracing himself for a new flash of pain. "KAIO-KEN...TIMES...FOUR!"
The Kamehameha, which had previously barely been able to halt the advance of Vegeta's attack, suddenly ballooned in size and power, rapidly beating back the purple beam and leaving Vegeta terrified as it loomed ever closer. With one last scream of anger mixed in with a hint of fear, Vegeta was sent flying by the powerful beam, disappearing from view as he flew through a cloud.
Goku was only barely able to smile slightly before his whole body flared up in agony.
"AGGGHHHH!" he gasped as he hunched forward, continuing to stand purely through willpower alone. He continued to breath haphazardly for several minutes as Yajirobe finally became brave enough to venture out from his hiding place.
"Woo-hoo! You did it! You beat him!" he cried out, thankful that he wasn't going to die today.
"Yajirobe...?" Goku responded, drained from his use of the Kaio-ken. "When did you get here?"
"Oh, you know, I was just kinda...hanging around."
Goku nodded absentmindedly. "Well, not like you can help much anyway."
"Yeah, well, at least he's...wait," Yajirobe said, beginning to sweat once more. "D-don't you mean 'couldn't have?' P-past tense?"
"Nope," Goku replied simply. "He ain't down just yet."
"O-oh...b-but you're stronger than him, right? With your Kaio-whatever?"
"With the Kaio-ken technique, yeah, but the more I push it, the greater a toll it takes on my body. Not to mention, if I don't balance it perfectly, it could kill me at any level."
"Oh..." Yajirobe said simply, his panic building. "W-what would you say your odds are here?"
"Well...I could probably pull off the Times Two for a while, Times Three for a minute or two, and...Times Four for a few seconds. But at this rate, I doubt any of them would be able to beat him. Still...call it 50/50."
"A-ah...well, good luck!" Yajirobe said before running off to cower behind a nearby rock once more. Goku simply sighed as he began to prepare himself.
"Welp...it seems that the Spirit Bomb is the only way I'll be able to defeat him. Let's just hope that I can find enough time to concentrate..."
Vegeta screamed in pain for a solid two minutes before he finally poured what strength he had left into the power of flight, managing to remove himself from the beam's trajectory mere moments before he would've otherwise been vaporized. As he floated there huffing and gasping in pain and anger, he clenched his fists and roared in protest.
"DAMN YOU, KAKAROT!"
His anger temporarily satiated, he gained enough clarity to hatch a last-ditch effort.
"I didn't want to have to expend this much effort on a low-class like Kakarot, but it seems I have no choice. I'll simply become the mighty Oozaru and crush him into-!"
He looked around the evening sky, searching for the object he had hoped to find already emerging by the time he arrived.
"W-where's the moon?"
He looked around again, more frantically this time.
"WHERE'S THE DAMN MOON?!"
Unbeknownst to him, King Kai was snickering on his home planet, fully aware that Piccolo had destroyed it almost a year prior when Gohan had accidentally gone Oozaru himself.
"Grrr-of course! That low-class bastard-he must have blown it up at some point! Tch-no matter! I'll just have to resort to the other method at my disposal. It'll take even more of my ki, but it'll all be worth it to see the look on his face..."
Vegeta sunk below the clouds, cackling once more as he flew to meet Goku back on the surface.
Goku looked up towards the sky in confusion.
"What's he doing? Why isn't he coming down to fight me? He's just been...sitting there. Oh, no, wait, here he comes."
On cue, Vegeta landed a few meters away, still chuckling smugly as he took off his scouter and threw it to the ground.
"Well, Kakarot, you may have overwhelmed me in my base form, but unfortunately for you, we Saiyans posses a transformation that increases our power manyfold!"
Goku simply readied himself, the signal for Vegeta to continue with whatever he was trying to say.
"When the light from a star is reflected by a planet's moon, the resulting moonlight emanates what are known as blutz waves. However, only on a full moon is the requisite quantity of 17 million zeno units per second reflected. And when this quantity is absorbed by our retinas, it triggers a chemical reaction in a certain gland in our tails! Of course, your little stunt seems to have eliminated the advantage of a natural full moon, but unfortunately for you..." Vegeta began to hold a white ball of ki above his left palm. "Following the final defeat of the Tuffles, the Saiyans developed a means by which an artificial full moon could be generated by mixing a burst of ki with a planet's atmosphere! And as you seem to have lost your tail, Kakarot, you will be powerless to stop me! Now, behold-the primal fury of the Saiyan race!"
Without another word, he launched the ball into the air before closing his fist, causing the ball to explode and ignite the air around it to create a perfect sphere of brilliant white light. Goku looked up at the sphere in confusion before he noticed the rumbling growls emanating from Vegeta. The prince's teeth became jagged, his eyes lost their pupils, and brown fur began to sprout all throughout his body. As his jaw expanded outward, resembling a cross between a canine and a gorilla, all Goku could think of as he looked on in horror was a single childhood memory, long repressed: Goku lying naked in the forest, trees crushed and animals dead or dying all around him, as he cried hot tears into the tattered robe of his grandfather's mangled corpse.
And another chapter complete!
First off, disclaimer for the introduction: my knowledge of standard procedure in hospitals is very limited. Please don't hesitate to correct me if something said there doesn't make any sense.
Actually, I'll be honest, I went back and forth on including the introductory scene in the hospital for this one versus once the saga was done, but I ultimately decided to put it here after realizing it probably didn't conflict with anything and provided a good intermission before the next big fight of the arc.
And speaking of that fight, I'm surprised at how much it(and, really, the whole arc) changed from outline to final product.
- For one thing, Tien died in my original outline, but slips into a coma in this.
- Nappa survived the Max Power Kikoho in much better shape, going on to ultimately kill Roshi in spite of his Automatic Movement technique
- Yamcha stuck around during the three hour skip, even when he was down an arm.
- The whole Kienzan plan from Chapter 6 never happened-Vegeta's fit as a fiddle when he fights Goku.
- The whole fight actually followed the original manga a lot more closely than it does here, a choice I ultimately decided made the story feel somewhat dull as part of a what if series where things are supposed to change.
So, yeah. The writing process really is something at points.
To answer an expected question now for reference later: whether something's called its Japanese or English name is entirely down to what rolls off the tongue better for me when I read through it. "Solar Flare" sounds better than "Taiyo-ken," especially when read alongside "Kaio-ken," and "Kienzan" is about 11x more cool sounding than "Destructo Disc." So, yeah, just thought I'd clear that up in advance.
And to answer another question: the reason that he jumps to the Kaio-ken x 2 instead of working his way up, narratively, is because x 2 was the only way he could hope to match Vegeta. In a meta sense, the reason is that the Kaio-ken vs the Kaio-ken x 2's power increase in the original manga is utterly confusing. To rectify this, I'm just going to simplify things a bit with a bit of inventiveness on my part.
Under my interpretation, the Kaio-ken isn't really an increase normally-it's essentially a times one multiplier of one's maximum base power. However, as one can imagine, characters' power levels can decrease with exertion, and this is where the base Kaio-ken and its multipliers truly shine. The base Kaio-ken's true effect is to push the body to the maximum of one's base power regardless of one's own exertion-so, if your power level was 8,000 and has dropped to 6,000, the Kaio-ken will bring you back up to 8,000. Similarly, the x 2 pushes the body up to twice the maximum, the x 3 to three times, and so on. Now, the plus side of this is that it allows the user to fight at their maximum a bit longer, perhaps getting in a decisive blow on a weakened opponent that would've otherwise been too powerful to finish off. However, as anyone who jogs could tell you, trying to break into another run at full tilt just minutes after you half-fall down onto a park bench is only going to make you lose energy that much faster-and it'll hurt like hell, to boot.
Is there anything supporting this interpretation in canon? Not really. Does it make more sense than "x 1" and "x 2" somehow both doubling one's power? I'd say so, but that's just me.
Anyway, Q&A!
First off, Jepsie. Jepsie...they had a lot of questions. So, here we go!
"Will we see Master Roshi's Drunken Fist style of fighting?"
No. It was a one strip gag from Dragon Ball that has next to no practical purpose.
"Will we ever see Master Roshi use pressure point attacks like he does in Dragon Ball?"
Probably not. In order to use pressure point attacks, one would need to be familiar with your opponent's anatomy, namely whether or not they even had pressure points to use(of which half of the main antagonists of DBZ likely do not, being either entirely mechanical or being made of magical bubblegum and having a rubber neck). And Roshi is, well, dead-not coming back until the Namekian balls are used to wish him back to life. So he's not really going to be punching anyone for a while.
"Will we ever see Master Roshi use Jan Ken (Goku's original signature attack and the one that Grandpa Gohan taught him?)"
Again, probably not. It's a pretty low level technique, all things considered, mainly relying on misdirection in order to accomplish anything. Maybe for a gag.
"Will we see Roshi use hypnosis or that sleeping technique where he puts people to sleep?"
Probably not. That hypnosis technique was a one-time gag attack on Man-Wolf, and the sleeping technique has only been used twice in canon-once for a comedic gag with Goku, and another time in an actual combat scenario against Ganos in the Tournament of Power. Not to mention, again, half the main antagonists of the rest of the series wouldn't be affected. Maybe for a gag.
"Thunder shock surprise?"
Hm. You know, I actually forgot about that one. It definitely seems to be a powerful and effective attack. Obviously not in this saga, but perhaps in the future. Although...might see about the name.
"Will we ever learn about Vegeta's mother?"
Maybe later, although there isn't too much to tell as far as what that line was referencing. Saiyan society decries anything perceived as weakness, Vegeta's misogynistic as all hell through most of the series-you do the math on that.
Phew! Alright. Power levels:
Vegeta(wounded): 16,000
Vegeta(Galick Gun): 24,000(but at the cost of more of his energy)
Vegeta(post-Galick Gun and Power Ball): 15,000
Vegeta(Great Ape): 150,000
Goku(post-Kaio-ken Times Four): 6,000
With all that said, thank you all for reading, and be sure to leave reviews and comments on the work as always. Have a fantastic day, and take care.