We're back for another (hopefully) exciting chapter!
After all five of them formally introduced themselves to each other, Natsu speaks up.
"So uh, who exactly is this Goku guy you're waiting for? Is he really that strong?"
Natsu has no idea who this friend of theirs might be but he is clearly curious to hear more about this man ,or at least he assumes it's a man, who is apparently supposed to arrive here in 3 hours and help them out. Natsu looks on in anticipation, as he waits to hear more information from the Dragon Ball trio about who this mysterious ally of theirs might be.
Krillin who's the most knowledgeable about Goku amongst the trio then took it upon himself to explain that Goku is a Saiyan from Earth and that he's his best friend. He also told Natsu and Happy that Goku is not only the strongest person he's ever met but that he's also the most pure hearted as well as a kind, compassionate person who loves fighting yet also carefree and naive too not to mention his voracious appetite.
"He sounds quite a bit like you Natsu especially the appetite part!"
Happy said excitedly as he looked at his friend who grinned in return.
"Yeah he kinda does. But what's a Saiyan and what's Goku's story? I'm pretty sure he must've been through a lot of adventures!"
Natsu asked with curiosity as he already has a good opinion of this Goku guy so far.
Krillin then goes on to explain what Saiyans are as well as Goku's adventures from when he first met Bulma all the way to the fight against Raditz while also mentioning the Dragon Balls and their use along the way. He also mentioned his own experiences while Piccolo reluctantly told them that he's a Namekian and shared some of his past experiences while leaving the bad guy part out, at least for now. He also explained the concept of energy signature sensing to both Natsu and Happy as they are definitely interested in learning that later on since an ability like that will come in handy for many situations. They both make a mental note to get someone to teach them after this battle is over.
"Wow... So you guys have magical orbs that can grant any single wish once per year? Hey Natsu! You hear that?"
Happy said excitedly yet again before Natsu spoke up again.
"Yeah that's really awesome! I had no idea something like that even existed in the first place and that they can be used to revive dead people."
"But wait, who exactly are these two guys we're fighting?"
The blue Exceed asked with a curious tone as him and Natsu knew nothing about the enemy so far. Piccolo then stepped in and told them everything they know about Nappa, Vegeta as well as why they're here in the first place.
"So these bastards are here to conquer and sell our planet as well as find these Dragon Balls?"
Natsu asked in an angry tone as he briefly glares at Nappa and Vegeta who're currently looking smug and cocky before facing Krillin, Piccolo and Gohan again. Him and Happy looked at each other for a moment with a determined look in their eyes as they now know what's at stake and it's way more than just fighting for Fairy Tail's honour and saving a couple people from certain death.
Krillin nodded in the affirmative before before taking over the conversation.
"That's right. We have to stop them at all costs which is why we also need Goku's help and I can't thank you guys enough for your support. But enough about that, tell us more about yourselves."
Krillin as well as Gohan and to an extent the ever stoic Piccolo, are curious to know more about this duo whom they barely met today.
Happy then explained in more details about who Natsu and himself are, what their magic abilities are as well as the basics of magic which the trio was previously unaware of. Natsu then took over and told them their own adventures starting from when they first met Lucy until the daunting battle against the Alvarez Empire, Zeref and then Acnologia.
"Looks like you two had some pretty cool adventures! Especially with that magic part!"
Gohan exclaimed excitedly as he is started to like his new friends. Natsu and Happy simply chuckled, glad that they're making new friends even if that Piccolo guy doesn't look very friendly but they shrugged it off and figured that he's just that type of person and that he'll mellow out eventually.
"Maybe we should get Gray, Erza and Lucy to help. What do you think Natsu?"
The blue cat said prompting Natsu to contemplate the idea for a moment before nodding and speaking.
"Yeah, I think that would be pretty smart. This threat is clearly going to require all hands on deck, so anything we can do to get more people will be very helpful. Besides, if we want to protect the not only the guild and the planet then we'll definitely need all the help we can get! I think it would be a good idea, and I'm sure the others wouldn't want to miss this battle either."
Piccolo clears his throat and then speaks matter of factly.
"I'd hate to rain on your parade but there's no way these two Saiyans are just going to let you go and ask for help."
Piccolo's words bring Natsu and Happy back to reality, and they both pause. Nobody wanted to admit it but Piccolo was right of course. These Saiyans are ruthless warriors who don't seem to give their enemies a chance to do anything. There was really no way that they would listen to them if they wanted to ask for help and they would be put down if they attempted it. Unfortunately, the team has no other choice; they simply had to wait for Goku to arrive and help them out as soon as possible.
"Are you sure we really have to wait? I was about to teach that bald guy and that short guy a lesson they'd never forget!"
It wasn't entirely true but leave it to Natsu to make bold statements like these as Piccolo raised an eyebrow at the Dragon Slayer's confidence and optimism which reminds him far too much of Goku.
Piccolo laughs slightly at Natsu's bold words and statement, as Piccolo knows that there's no way that Natsu's statement was the truth. But he's amused by Natsu's words all the same as Gohan and Krillin join Piccolo in doubting his words albeit with more tact than the latter. But there's a slight edge of seriousness in Piccolo's words as he makes it clear that he and the others know better than to believe Natsu's words in this moment and he speaks up.
"You can't compare this fight to anything you've ever faced in your life, boy. These are warriors from an entirely different world. The entire planet's fate is at stake here. Don't you ever forget that!"
"Hey! Are you telling me you guys don't have faith in Natsu?"
Happy said, clearly upset that his new friends aren't taking Natsu seriously. Piccolo looks at Happy with a raised eyebrow, and his tone becomes rather serious.
"It's not about that. This is a very serious situation and we are faced with some very dangerous opponents. It's not whether or not I have faith in Natsu or anyone else; I'm just giving everyone a clear picture of the reality we're facing here. We must remain realistic and not expect any miracles to happen. It would be better to be prepared for the worst than to expect the best and be caught off guard."
Natsu sighs and says the following while clearly not satisfied with their way of thinking.
"Alright fine, I guess we can wait as long as they don't decide to go on a rampage or worse."
They all nod in agreement, as they all realise that waiting for Goku to arrive seems like their best option here. Of course, if things change or turn out differently, then they'll be ready to take action. But for now, waiting for Goku just seemed like the best course of action as he's expected to make a huge difference in this battle upon arrival.
So three hours pass with Natsu & Happy sharing stories with the surviving Dragon Team members and vice versa with Happy and Natsu sometimes refuting each other's versions of the story much to Gohan's and Krillin's amusement. But unfortunately the time is up and there's still no sign of Goku yet.
"Well well, it looks like Kakarot decided to be a coward and not show up after all."
Vegeta said in a rather smug tone, seemingly ready to dish out some carnage while Piccolo, Gohan and Krillin start to panic as they know that they stand no chance whatsoever unless Natsu can pull off some unlikely miracle here.
Nappa then cracked his fingers and neck before stepping forward and addressing the five people in front of him.
"I knew it would be a waste of time to wait for that low class scum! Get ready to be crushed this time Pinky! It's you and me again."
Vegeta and Nappa share a smirk here, as they both agree that they were foolish to put their hopes in Goku. They both take the opportunity to gloat now, as they were both clearly confident that Goku wouldn't show up to save the day. They both seem to be getting a kick out of this, and they both begin laughing and cackling loudly much to Natsu's annoyance as he doesn't like their attitude one bit and he's ready to shut their mouths for good.
Suddenly, Piccolo, Krillin and Gohan looked surprised before turning their heads in Kami's Lookout direction much to Natsu and Happy's confusion and to Nappa and Vegeta's curiosity.
"It's Goku! He just made it from King Kai's Planet! He's finally about to arrive!"
Krillin exclaimed with joy causing Gohan and Piccolo to look hopeful as well. Natsu and Happy quickly figured that they must've used that energy sensing ability of theirs and looked in anticipation at Goku's arrival whom they never met before.
Vegeta then picked up his scouter from the ground again as he wants to know why they're all looking in that particular direction and why they all suddenly think that Goku will arrive as he can't see anyone new around.
After a quick scan and a couple beeps, the scouter displayed a number which shocked and surprised Vegeta as it was rapidly approaching the area.
"This can't possibly be right... A power level of 5000...?"
The number seems to sink in to Nappa's mind, and he is clearly shocked by such a high amount of power. He had never witnessed such a high power level before, and he's quite surprised that Goku has suddenly grown this strong now.
"Five.. thousand!? Are you sure that's right, Vegeta?"
Nappa asks, as he seems to be unable to believe this number that Vegeta is giving him.
"The Earthlings yelled his name earlier, they can somehow sense power levels without a scouter so it must be Kakarot. He somehow improved so much since his showdown with Raditz but how…?"
He pauses for a few moments before saying.
"Nappa! Kill them now! If Kakarot shows up and they all team up this could be more trouble than we'd like!"
Nappa seems surprised by Vegeta's sudden harsh order, but he immediately understands what the Elite Saiyan is saying. Nappa nods his head in response, and then he takes action. Without a moment's hesitation, Nappa quickly moves towards the Dragon Team members and raises his hands in the air. In an instant, Nappa sends a massive blast of energy towards the entire group, striking all five of them and sending them crashing to the ground with Piccolo, Krillin and Gohan looking heavily wounded and bloodied as they were all caught off guard by the bald Saiyan's sudden attack.
Natsu is the only one who dodged thanks to his Exceed friend's quick thinking as he was held in the air by the blue cat.
"Hey! You could've warned us that the fight starts again you know!"
He yelled angrily as his allies are on the ground in pain and struggling to get up.
"You think we're just going to give you a warning?! You're way too naive Pinky!"
Vegeta said this in an mocking yet menacing tone, as he makes it clear that none of the Saiyans are going to pull any punches in this fight.
Suddenly Nappa takes advantage of the situation to immediately fire a Bomber DX meant to be lethal at Gohan who just got up and stands there in shock while Natsu and Happy look in horror since there's no time to move in and save Gohan. However... Piccolo is about to do something very unexpected.
Piccolo jumps in front of Gohan, shielding the young half-Saiyan with his own body. Piccolo puts himself between Gohan and Nappa's attack, and he takes the full blast of the Bomber DX attack himself. The force of the attack nearly destroys Piccolo's entire body as he briefly stands with a defiant look as most of his outfit is destroyed leaving only his shoes and a part of the purple gi to look like makeshift shorts with smoke coming out from everywhere else. After a few brief moments, Piccolo crashes to the ground after he has tanked the blast. Gohan looks on in shock and horror, and his eyes widen with a mixture of fear and worry as he stares at what has just happened.
"Mr. Piccolo! Nooooo!"
Gohan yells in shock and horror while Krillin, Natsu and Happy also have a look of horror on their faces as they realise that Piccolo's time is up and that he is on the verge of death.
They can't believe what they just witnessed and Piccolo's sacrifice is deeply troubling to everyone. It's clear that Nappa's attack was far stronger than anything they had imagined, and that this battle will be far more intense than anyone imagined. The stakes have been raised now, and there seems to be no turning back from this point forward.
Nappa is seen grinning as he expects to see Gohan's lifeless body before the smoke cleared as it was the Namekian who got hit instead of the half Saiyan child much to his confusion until he realised that Piccolo sacrificed himself to save Gohan which caused him to laugh at such a noble yet seemingly useless act.
"Mr. Piccolo! Why! Why did… you do this..?"
The young Gohan said with tears in his eyes as he kneeled himself in front of Piccolo, desperately hoping that the worst won't come to pass.
Piccolo coughs up a bit of blood, as he struggles to speak after Nappa's devastating attack. But he looks at Gohan, and Piccolo's expression becomes very serious as he answers Gohan's question. He's dying here, and Piccolo knows that the time to be honest and truly sincere has come. Piccolo speaks slowly and deliberately, as he chooses his words very carefully, and he speaks in a serious and straightforward manner
"I did it for you. I... don't why, my body just moved on its own. To think that me, a demon would actually give my own life for someone else... Heh, how soft I've grown..."
Piccolo's words are a heartfelt and honest confession and declaration of his love for Gohan. He then continues.
"I… I actually enjoyed the time I spent training you for… these… Saiyans and…. you're… the only… one who… ever saw me as…. a friend…"
Piccolo said with tears in his eyes before they closed for one final time with a smile on his face. Krillin, Natsu and Happy can't help but give a look of sorrow and respect for the fallen Namekian as they witnessed a fourth person fall in battle today. With Piccolo's death also came Kami's death because of their life link and he vanished from Kami's Lookout much to Mr. Popo's horror and grief.
Piccolo's final words of kindness towards Gohan seem to be the final push that Gohan needed. The half-Saiyan's emotions and rage explode, and he stands back up again now. His rage is fuelling him, and he is filled with hatred and a need for revenge at this point. Gohan charges at Nappa, rage and hatred fueling his every step as he gets his revenge for Piccolo's sacrifice.
"Hmmm?! The brat suddenly has a power level of 2700?!"
Vegeta exclaimed before Gohan fired a full power Masenko at Nappa who simply punches it away much to Gohan's shock despite the fact that if seemed to have hurt him a bit as he briefly clutched his hand.
"Huh?! What got into him?!"
Nappa looks on with shock and surprise, as he sees that the blast from Gohan had actually caused him some pain and injury there. Nappa seems surprised and confused here, as he had expected to simply knock the attack away no problem. But now the bald Saiyan realises that Gohan has become something far greater and more dangerous than he had imagined.
"What the hell just happened...?!"
"Easy Nappa, his power level dropped all the way below 20 now."
Vegeta watched Gohan's attack and he notices that Gohan has now used up a lot of energy and stamina in this one final attack. Vegeta knows that this means that the half-Saiyan is no threat whatsoever anymore and Vegeta smiles at this realisation as it's only a matter of time before Nappa kills him.
"Heh, looks like he's got nothing left to give, what will he do now?"
"I'm sorry… I… couldn't avenge your death Mr. Piccolo…"
Gohan said with a weak voice as he is now bracing for the inevitable with Nappa standing tall and mighty in front of him.
Vegeta laughs at Gohan's comments and apology, and he smiles as he sees Gohan bracing himself for whatever comes next. Vegeta enjoys the fear and terror on Gohan's face, and he relishes in the pain and despair that this must be bringing the young half-Saiyan, as he awaits his death.
"Don't be sorry brat I'm loving this! This is what happens when you're weak and pathetic, just like your low class father! Now say goodbye!"
Nappa said in a mocking tone, as he is now about to stomp and crush Gohan's head with his left foot before two hands caught his foot and is prevented from doing so by Natsu's timely intervention.
"That's... ENOUGH!!! The only one dying here is you!"
Natsu yelled in anger as he glared with fury at Nappa with his fiery aura flaring again. Nappa and Natsu are now locked in a power struggle with Nappa trying to push his leg towards Natsu and Natsu trying to lift it up.
Nappa glares at Natsu, and he scrunches up his face in anger. The bald Elite Saiyan seems quite irate with the Dragon Slayer's meddling, and he stares at Natsu with his fists clenched as he begins to become enraged.
"Grrrr! I'm gonna KILL YOU! I've had enough of your damned meddling!"
Nappa says this with a firm and harsh tone, as his rage and fury is building up now. But he is suddenly sent skidding across the ground past Vegeta with a small flame on his left cheek and let out a yell of pain when he got struck by Natsu's fist.
Natsu then took a familiar stance as he put his hands before his mouth in a pose resembling that of a trumpeter.
"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!!!"
He yelled before releasing the fire prompting it to be expelled between his fingers. The flames start out as a very thin stream enough to fit between Natsu's fingers, before suddenly enlarging to strike Nappa.
However, Nappa quickly recovers from Natsu's earlier strike and reacts to Natsu's Fire Dragon's Roar by immediately charging up his attack as well before firing an immensely powerful mouth beam as both attacks are now on a collision course.
As the two attacks meet and collide, there's an immense shockwave and an explosion of energy and light. The impact is absolutely massive, as it causes rocks and rubble to go flying all over the place forcing Krillin, Happy and even Vegeta to shield themselves. The force of the attacks hitting each other is truly incredible and it sends Nappa and Natsu tumbling through the air as they fly far away from each other before they both crash into a rock leaving them buried under the rubble. The force of the explosion caught Krillin, Happy and Gohan by surprise, as they're stunned by the sheer intensity of it.
However much to Krillin and Gohan's horror. Nappa recovers much sooner than Natsu and he flies towards Gohan with his right fist cocked and ready to strike a lethal blow with seemingly nobody left to stop him.
"Say goodbye brat!"
But much to his confusion his fist hit nothing but thin air and he saw Gohan a few feet away from on some kind of yellow cloud which puzzled him even more.
"F... Flying Nimbus...?"
Gohan said in confusion before everyone just saw someone donned in an orange and blue outfit land in the middle of the battlefield much to Krillin and Gohan's relief as well as to Vegeta, Nappa and Happy's curiosity. Natsu who finally got out of the rubble also looked at the black-haired man who just arrived with a look of curiosity on his face as he's now wondering who this guy is.
Goku has finally arrived.
Let me know what you like and what you dislike about this chapter in the reviews! See you on the next chapter!