Hirudegarn was vanquished, locked away in a container thanks to the combined efforts of Earth's warriors and the two legends of Konats.
Tora's spiteful stubbornness kept her conscious and focused until Krillin proclaimed victory. Vegeta, in what was the front lines, and Gohan, who was behind her, both dropped super Saiyan before she did, and she saw white, exhaustion and a sense of trust with Gohan's hand on her back claiming her. She rested against that trustful hand that reminded her of the one that belonged to the man who taught her everything and then sacrificed his life to allow her to survive and bring peace to their world. She let her guard down, her legs weakened, and she gave up on her senses, holding onto Gohan and taking in his warmth, his hold comforting and reassuring, where she would be able to rest in safety, and so despite everything and everyone else present.
While Gohan held Tora against him, happy to be of use and let his close friend rest, Piccolo stated he'd take the container to Dende to dispose of it and that everyone could go back home and take a well deserved rest. The Namekian also took a good note of Vegeta's killing intents directed towards Gohan, the same kind of look and energy he saw and felt when Tora had died. And he was approaching, clearly disagreeing of Gohan taking care of the semi-conscious Tora, his intents became clear to the Namekian.
Before Piccolo could act on it (tell Vegeta off, give Tora a senzu…) however, a beam struck Eighteen's pot. Seventeen rushed to his sister, whose hands were damaged but would be alright. He cursed having let his guard down and let her be injured so easily, and his eyes narrowed, trying to find the source. A blink of an eye later, Krillin's pot was shot with accuracy. Both pots were destroyed, not only freeing Hirudegarn, but also keeping them from locking him again as the two seals were gone.
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As the mist slowly took over the battlefield, Tapion was quick to react. He drew his sword and went straight after the laughs that proclaimed victory. The warrior, like his counterpart in another universe, took no chances and straight up murdered the warlock that had shot the containers. The laughs quieted down in a gurgle as the blade sliced another one of those old men.
Minoshia grouped up closer to the boys, scared and uncertain what to do.
"Kill them!" another voice stated, but a powerful beam promptly interrupted the order.
Tenshinhan had arrived. When he felt the immense surge of battling kis, he came to investigate and a split second was enough to recognize allies from enemies and feel the wickedness in those attacking those whom he had fought with.
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Protective, Gohan wrapped his arms around Tora and crouched down the moment he felt the beams. Tora, half-conscious, tensed and tried making sense of what happened, but couldn't. Gohan took her close and jumped out of the way as Hirudegarn's feet tried squashing them down, recognizing them as the source of its imprisonment.
Vegeta snarled, summoned Ascended super Saiyan and went after the monster as it began reappearing and attacking. Tenshinhan joined Vegeta to keep the monster distracted and get some intel on what's going on. Krillin jumped back into the fight as the Cyborgs blasted it down, and was the one to give a brief rundown of the story to Tenshinhan.
Sixteen took Goten, Trunks and Minoshia out of the way while Tapion went from enemy after enemy and took them out one by one.
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Out and away, from the field, Gohan helped Tora down, worried with how pale his friend looked, all while refusing to pass out.. and absolutely refusing to let him go.
"Tora-san, rest here, I'll go fight."
"No, you.. can't," Tora begged, gripping on the green gi that he wore; part of his Great Saiyaman outfit, albeit he had removed the cape and helmet for that fight. "Gohan-san. Do not.. don't abandon me."
Tora's broken voice and wet eyes intrigued Gohan, this wasn't like Tora. It took him a moment to realize Tora was probably talking about another Gohan, fighting off unconsciousness got everything mixed-up.
"I am not, Tora-san. Nobody's going to die. We got this," he promised, holding his friend close to try and reassure and hope Tora would trust him and let him go so he could fight and protect everyone.
His salvation came from his oldest friend.
Piccolo flew higher to have a better view of everything, looking out for the kids, then for Gohan and Tora, which he found easily as attuned he was to Gohan.
"Gohan!" he called for his attention, and when Gohan looked up, Piccolo tossed him the little pouch containing a few Senzu beans.
"Piccolo-san! Thank you!" Gohan beamed when he caught it and understood what it was.
The teenager was quick to work on the pouch to release a precious bean and put it on Tora's lips.
Gohan counted the Senzu. Two left. He considered taking one for himself as he was quite drained from fighting and then giving his ki to Tora, but decided against it; it could save lives.
"It's a Senzu, Tora-san, eat it. We'll fight this together."
Tora fought to keep her eyes open, but heard 'fight together' clearly, and smelled fish. She took what was given, and a chewing and a swallow later, she stood up fresh and reinvigorated, eyes darting at the sign of danger and her senses promptly overwhelmed by the powers nearby.
Then she cursed.
"It didn't work. Fuck."
"We'll get it, Tora-san."
Tora nodded, squeezed the hand that had held her all this time to convey her gratitude, then flew back to the battlefield.
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Hirudegarn was freed. They needed to act.
Tora went straight to Tapion as soon as she heard his voice and localized him. She blasted one of the last warlocks off from trying to shoot at this version of her friend.
"Tora, you're alright!"
"Yes, I can try again. These bastards ruined it, but I can do it again."
"There's no use, the warlocks destroyed the pots." Seventeen stated as he landed nearby, and Tora just about jumped him as his voice and her inability to feel him triggered her fight-response. "Easy, it's me."
".. I'm sorry. I gave my extra container to Sixteen. Get the capsule from him and give it to Krillin-san, please."
"On it," Seventeen saluted to take the order and went out to find Sixteen and the children.
Tapion looked at the Cyborg as he went on his way, then looked back at Tora with stern eyes.
"Will it work?"
"I will make it work."
Tapion wasn't that certain, and went on his way. Tora couldn't fight him off, so she let him go and went after Piccolo to let him know they still had a chance at it all.
Goten was hugging Minoshia close while Sixteen and Trunks waited to know exactly what to do, when Gohan joined them to make sure everything was alright.
"Are you guys injured?"
"No, we're ok! Big bro, what are we going to do?"
"I'll fight with Tora-san, you guys stay safe. We were able to hurt that thing quite a lot with Vegeta-san and Piccolo-san. Big brother Sixteen is going to keep you three safe, it'll be alright."
"I want to fight too, I'm strong!" Trunks protested.
"Then you'll keep Goten and Minoshia safe with Sixteen. Alright?" Gohan was not really willing to negotiate.
Trunks frowned, he didn't like it, but he had to accept.. even if he thought about disobeying later. Goten wanted to participate as well, but he was less confident in his ability and was far more willing to listen to adults.
Then Tapion joined them, after he had made sure every single warlock had met the iron of his blade.
"Mino," he called, and his sister listened.
Tapion said something brief in their language, which made her gasp and deny, but a stern look later, and he was about to go on his way, when the dark-haired Cyborg joined them.
"Hey Sixteen, Tora asks for the capsule. We gonna try again."
"That's Tora-san for you," Gohan sighed with relief. Of course Tora planned ahead.
"It's stronger than ever, I doubt it'll work," Tapion coolly remarked.
"You underestimate these idiots' inability to give up," the Cyborg winked, and took the capsule Sixteen handed his way.
Gohan gave Sixteen the Senzu pouch, believing it to be safer with him and the children.
"There's two Senzu beans left, if someone is gravely injured, give them one, ok?"
"Affirmative."
"And you three, you'll protect each other and stay safe, alright?"
"Understood."
"Got it." Trunks was not that willing, but at least his mission was clear and important and would fulfill it.
"We will stay safe." Minoshia reassured.
"Please keep an ear out for the signal to start playing. Goten, raise your ki when they start, because I actually can't hear it."
"I don't hear it either," Goten said apologetic.
"I'll do it," Trunks nodded. He could hear the melody and was quite intrigued as to why Goten and Gohan couldn't hear it.
"I'll take this, in case we need it," Gohan gestured towards the sword Sixteen had on his person, and Sixteen easily gave it for him to put on his back like Tora usually carried it.
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Gohan jumped in the fight with everyone else. Their timing needed to be more and more precise between the moment the monster attacked and the moment it became intangible once more. Their opportunities to strike back narrowed and narrowed by the minute, and the little patience Vegeta had was running thin.
Thankfully with Tenshinhan and Piccolo, the defenders of Earth had observation skills on their side, and all warlocks on the island were destroyed so they would succeed or so help them Kami.
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Krillin was given the capsule and he flew in position. Tora flew to be seen as well and she started summoning her ki, forearms crossed, glancing at Krillin every now and then for a while. She built up her power quickly, but that made Hirudegarn angry. The monster knew what was coming and tried ignoring those pesky fighters to charge the source of its recent imprisonment.
Piccolo and Tenshinhan intervened, soaking the incoming fist and deviating themselves and the monster enough to redirect it further away, giving the opportunity for Tora to stay focused and immobile.
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Minoshia and Tapion saw this happen and stepped forward, Ocarinas in hand.
'It'll work again, we must believe.'
'.. I will give it a chance. If it does not work, I will lock it in my body and you will kill me and Hirudegarn.'
The little girl had to accept her brother's resolution, after all, their fates had been sealed. It was presumptuous of them to try and defy it with mortals, even with the support of a Guardian. But Tapion had still a hint of hope in him, and was willing to give it a try.
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Soon, the melody started, and the roars of the phantasm became feral. Trunks, and then Goten, rose their kis to signal it to Gohan. Tora took her eyes off Krillin, appreciating his efforts to stay in her field of vision, and focused all of her attention on the monster.
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Vegeta was next to intervene when the monster tried attacking in his heir's direction, but he actually anticipated the attack and was able to strike the monster with a powerful kick in the joint of the knee when the leg appeared.
"Ha! Not so tough anymore now I cracked your code, you son of a bitch!" he spat. "Coward tactics."
The leg was broken.
"Stop boasting like a peacock and continue!" Eighteen barked and blasted when the tail went after her husband.
Vegeta snarled at the blonde Cyborg who defied him, but they were both soon shut down when two giant hands slammed them together in a loud clap.
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And that's when Gohan, in a strike of genius, unsheathed the sword and sliced the wrist of the monster to free his allies.
The pained screams of the monster shook the ground, and soon its attention and red glow in the eye sockets of its skull focused on Gohan.
'Oh crap. Not good.'
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Little by little, the magic worked something, especially coupled with the slicing with the sword, but the monster kept managing to become intangible whenever they tried to strike. Unlike before, the monster did not still, but kept phasing in and out of reality, thrashing around in pain as the melody started fully being a problem.
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Tora had built most of her power and was ready, she extended her hands forward and flared her aura some more to try and push more of her ki into the ready to be unleashed technique.
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Piccolo was next to successfully strike at the monster just before it moved to attack.
And then Tenshinhan threw a precise beam at what he had judged as a weak point, in the monster's spine. The monster stilled. They were winning, they would succeed.
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Until Hirudegarn transformed. The glow on its back gave way to large dragonfly like wings, and the monster rose, more powerful than ever, and incredibly mad.
Before anyone could react, the monster phased out of reality, reappeared and struck Tapion, sending him away with a tail sweep, cutting through his outfit, forearm and Ocarina, and leaving a trail of blood on the way.
"Tapion!"
While Minoshia went after Tapion, stopping the melody, screaming his name in shock of what just happened, the monster had already a new target, Tora, the source of his last imprisonment. Hirudegarn went straight after her.
Sixteen and the boys followed Minoshia, who landed by Tapion's maimed body. Sixteen used it as an opportunity to get away with the children to keep them out of battle, and if his radar was to be trusted, the Konats was still alive, but barely. He would take care of him.
Piccolo saw how the monster was promptly regaining its motricity and had attacked much faster than prior.
"Now!" he ordered towards Tora.
"MAFUBA!"
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The ki was projected onto the monster with force, and Tora kept her focus, but the target was moving and she couldn't fully envelop it quickly, now it had become even larger. She was still shocked to have seen Tapion be killed right before her eyes, and her anger got the best of her.
"Focus, Trunks."
Tenshinhan put his hand on her shoulder and transferred his ki to her seeing her have a hard time channeling everything.
She had to work more slowly and make sure it went through. This was their only chance, she did not want to see more death… And Tapion could be brought back. She had to believe.
"I'll do it," she gritted, tense. "You won't get away with any of this, not again, I will not allow it!"
She was here to change history, damn it all.
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Vegeta blasted the monster's new face to force it to submit, some brute force added to the Mafuba technique. If anything, the Saiyan Prince fought out of spite, and having been unable to properly face this foe had been a frustrating experience. Enough to blast it constantly.
Krillin was in position, holding the thermos open firmly against him with one hand and the cap on his other hand. Eighteen kept a close eye on him, ready to help her husband if needed.
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The melody started again, Minoshia flying back to face the monster with her Ocarina, forcing it to flinch.
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Seventeen flew between Minoshia and Hirudegarn when the monster blasted a beam in the child's direction. Eighteen screamed his name, but the Cyborg's barrier left him and Minoshia unscathed, and the melody kept playing.
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The boys came back, against Sixteen's wishes, they wanted to help, to fight, to protect Minoshia, and joined Vegeta in his blasting. They were new to ki control, but they had the energy of rowdy, restless childhood within them.
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Tora gave it her all, and even Tenshinhan's all, but it just wasn't enough for the wave to take over. She needed more, she pulled more, she cursed. Tenshinhan coached her to convert her energy as if it were ki blasts, when he realized she had been using the Mafuba with her raw ki instead of converting that energy first.
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The tail disappeared, and Vegeta realized the power wasn't strong enough. He could keep fighting it and distracting it, or see why his heir wasn't succeeding anymore. Perhaps that technique was of no use anymore, the monster being fully unleashed.
Tapion was quick to rush towards the monster, sword in hand. Sixteen had given him a Senzu bean to heal him from the grave injury he suffered.
Before the swordsman could hit, however, Hirudegarn's phasing tail whipped in Trunks and Goten's direction, judging them as easier targets than Vegeta who paid much more attention to his positioning when attacking.
Piccolo was the first to see the strike directed at the two boys and jumped in to protect them. The hit was painful and pierced through the Namekian in a way that Gohan saw red.
The teenager unsheathed the sword that was on his back, screaming that the monster wouldn't get away with killing his friends, and launched himself at it. He knew cutting the monster worked, so he worked like Tapion. His mind also drifted to the image of Tora cutting through 'that big guy', back when he met his friend for the first time.
Piccolo's body was whipped away when the tail was cut by Tapion, and Gohan gave solid slicing through, displaying all of his rage and anger to end the monster. This had lasted far too long, and losing Piccolo again was not something his mind was ready to accept.
The slicing had been a true problem for Hirudegarn, but its newfound strength made it more resilient to the attacks.
"The joints!" Vegeta called out, then soaked the giant fist coming his way, before growling back. "You need to attack before it moves! Aim for the joints!"
Tapion heard, and the knee was cut through at the next opportunity. The holler of agony expanded across the night sky. Gohan saw it, and when the monster lifted its hand to slam it down on Tapion, Gohan acted as instructed and cut through and through the wrist, separating the hand entirely.
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Hirudegarn was weakened, sliced by the magical swords, the melody Minoshia was playing finished absorbing the magic that allowed the monster to phase in and out of reality. Even if her Ocarina cracked as she kept playing.
And that's when the ki wave finally took. Tora had managed to fully envelop the monster in such a weakened state, and gave a last push of exhaustion for it to finally work, and Krillin caught it and sealed it.
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It was done.
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Piccolo was thankfully not dead, but only injured, and a Senzu later, everything was alright. Tora was exhausted, but now it was solved for good, she could just rest it out.
Everyone was accounted for, and once the crisis was solved, Piccolo took the thermos to take to the Lookout and solve that problem with Dende and perhaps higher gods. He'd keep them informed.
Tora's watch bipped, warning her her mother was on her way.
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Tenshinhan, Sixteen, the Cyborgs and Krillin left (not without Seventeen asking Tora to give him a call later), but the boys, the teens, Vegeta and the Konats stayed and waited for Tights to arrive. Tora, forcing herself to not pass out before her mother and Bulma had arrived, stayed sitting with the boys keeping her company, while Gohan thanked Vegeta for his help in finding out the weakness of the monster.
"Of course we saw everything," Tights told them all after landing when Gohan questioned how they knew.
With Bulma they had sent a drone after everyone, and once things seemed safe, they landed with the large helico-plane.
Tora refused any help to stand up, they were out of Senzu beans now, but they were all safe. She stood on her own when her mother approached to check on her, and grabbed onto her like if her life depended on it. She whispered her victory and barely managed a step before Tights had to stop and hold her close when her exhaustion finally claimed her.
The Mafuba was far more draining than fighting the Cyborgs and surviving the beat-down. Tights could usually carry her child, but she needed a moment to readjust and grab her comfortably. Her daughter had grown larger and heavier since the last time she had to do something similar, just before her second trip to the past, so Tights realized she needed help.
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When Gohan moved to help, Vegeta gave a warning shot and walked to grab Tora and carry his heir himself, effortlessly. With a 'don't come any closer' glare. Clearly, he was irritated, but Gohan was speechless, and didn't understand what the message was, but let Vegeta take his friend regardless, since Tights was willing to receive his help even if she looked just as dumbfounded as he was. Bulma took good note of what she was seeing, clearly this meant something, as everyone boarded the helico-plane.
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Tights was just as speechless as Gohan and Bulma were, but Tora gripped on her father's blue tank top in her sleep, and she somewhat relaxed. Tights had to admit this was what she longed to see. It brought back memories of her daughter grabbing onto herself, and onto their version of Gohan.
This was her father, after all.
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This was such a hard chapter to work around, especially as nobody answered the previous' chapter's request about how you guys felt about the situation succeeding or not...
I hesitated a lot on how to do things, with so many people, and have them be present and do things, in what order.
I hope you enjoyed it! Please don't hesitate to give your thoughts ^^