Chapter 15: Furious Battles on the Icy-cold Planet, Part II

The three observing the impact of Vegetto's punch were completely floored by his strength.

"I-Is this the power of my father and Goku-san's fusion?! I've encountered other types of fusion like the combination of the Sigma Force and the Metamoran Fusion Dance, and this power increase is in a league of its own!" said Future Trunks.

"So this is the power that completely overwhelmed Majin Boo when we were all absorbed. It… It's greater than I expected," said Goten.

"You three stay back," said Vegetto, "this fight will be over in a flash."

Vegetto flew instantaneously toward Trunks-Baby, who struggled but quickly succeeded in regaining his balance.

"What's wrong? You've completely lost that confident air about you," said Vegetto mockingly, "I haven't even gotten warmed up. Is this already too much for you?"

"Heh, I wouldn't get cocky because you landed that one punch, Saiyan… You merely took me by surprise because your method of fusion produced a whole far greater than the sum of its parts… But stronger you may be, you won't be able to kill me with that level of strength! It's convenient for me, actually… That you've reduced my target to a single person!"

"Yap, yap, yap. All you are is talk and no action. I said I'd end this in under a minute, so for the next thirty seconds or so, I'll play along… But first I'll have to put you right in your place," said Vegetto as he grunted and powered up, releasing a fiery golden aura which shot bolts of white lightning in various directions. Vegetto transformed to his Super Saiyan state.

Before Baby could even react to his transformed adversary, Vegetto landed a clean uppercut on the Tsufurian body-snatcher before crossing his arms and landing a series of kicks that Baby couldn't even see. Baby was sent flying once more toward an iceberg, but managed to stop himself in his tracks and shot a series of eye lasers at Vegetto, who deflected each blast with just his left foot. He then remarked, "So are you a warrior or a shoe shiner? You fail at both, all you've done is graze the soles of my shoes a little. Come on, you can do better."

"Grr… I stand by what I said, you've only made things more convenient for me!" yelled Baby as he lifted a massive, stadium-sized iceberg and threw it at his foe before then taking out the capsule containing Trunks' sword, cutting the giant chunk of ice into millions of pieces and covering the line of Vegetto's sight. He then sped at Vegetto with intent to kill, only for Vegetto to knock him backward with a finger flick, sever Trunks' sword in half with his Spirit Sword and then hurl the broken blade right into the wound on Trunks-Baby's forehead before he could react.

Vegetto then said, "Feh! You chose this icy planet to try and gain an advantageous terrain… But it's too bad your power ain't up to snuff. I've played with you a good fifteen seconds, from here on I won't pull my punches." He then spun himself around repeatedly in mid-air and landed hundreds of kicks in a fraction of a second before pinning Baby into the bottom of the ocean with a powerful punch to his abdomen. The shockwave this attack caused a massive tsunami, completely swallowing all the icebergs within a 4,000 kilometer radius and leaving the two fighters in a chasm where the evaporated ocean produced a rainstorm due to the abnormal friction caused by Vegetto's punch. Goten teleported to the site of the carnage, saying "D-Damn… I really wasn't expecting this. Hate to say it, but Dad's fusion is in a different league than ours."

"Goten! I sense that his Ki is primarily concentrated in his head and chest, are those his weak points?" asked Vegetto, prompting Goten to nod.

"Feh! You only gave me about 25 seconds of playtime, but I guess either way this gets the job done," said Vegetto as he prepared to place his hands on Trunks-Baby's head and chest, only for Baby to suddenly rise to his feet and shoot a blast of light out of his mouth, which completely lit up the surrounding landscape in a blinding glow. From the blast, thousands of tiny, razor-sharp Ki blades emerged, which Vegetto deflected without batting an eye. He then said, "Heh! For someone who's devoted so much to avenging his race, your party tricks are lackluster. I take it you thought you might have a chance to snatch my body if you so much as grazed me, but all you've proven is how desperate you are!"

Vegetto then kneed Baby in the stomach with such force that Baby spat a greenish blob out of his mouth, from which a thick metal tentacle with Baby's facial features emerged and clasped onto Vegetto's left wrist. Baby then said, "Hah! What was that about me being unable to snatch your body?! I told you before and I'll reaffirm my stance! Your body shall be my eternal servant, Vegeta – "

Before Baby could even finish this sentence, Vegetto concentrated his energy silently and massively flared up his aura, transforming to Super Saiyan 2 and blasting Baby's tentacles right off. He then landed a heavy backfist on Trunks-Baby's head, causing blood to spurt from his head and completely paralyzing his body. Not even Baby's possession could keep it moving after taking such damage.

"I held back because I'd rather not have to bother wishing Trunks back with the Ultimate Dragon Balls if I can avoid it. With that last stunt you've killed a few more seconds, but all you're doing is throwing darts on the wall and seeing what sticks. I'll force you out of my son, now."

As Vegetto walked bristly toward the disabled Trunks-Baby, Baby suddenly voluntarily exited Trunks' body before spitting a glowing, pink and circular device out of his mouth, which then completely consumed him and teleported him elsewhere. Vegetto said, "Heh! You think you can escape me with that silly device?! Fool, you were so hasty you didn't even suppress your Ki!"

Vegetto then grabbed Goten by his hair and sped immediately toward the location of Baby's Ki, arriving before Baby could so much as make a move. However, as soon as Baby saw the two, he again shot a blinding ray out of his mouth that shot thousands of razor-sharp Ki blades toward Goten, forcing Vegetto to repel them all and buying himself the time to force himself into his next host: Future Trunks. Future Trunks could not even resist Baby's possession because Baby had already entered his second form and gained a flawless compatibility with the other Trunks, and was immediately morphed into an identical form as the previous, with his hair growing white and markings appearing on his face as well as the shoulder blades and visor-like eye coverings emerging. The renewed Trunks-Baby then let out a massive shout, leveling the entire area and releasing a powerful, orange and pink aura with bolts of lightning enveloping it. His Ki has risen by leaps and bounds compared to his previous form.

"I see… Before you arrived here, you set that teleportation circle underneath the seat of that spaceship… and kept the other teleportation device on you. Sneaky bastard."

"H-His Ki is still no match for yours, Dad! Or… Vegetto-san! Nothing's changed, all you need to do is force him right out of this Trunks-kun!"

"Incorrect. With the combined powers of legions of Machine Mutants, billions of people in space and the Saiya power of three Super Saiyans, I will at last enter my final form! And there's nothing you all can do to stop it! The long-awaited vengeance for my people will be achieved tonight!"

"Heh! With that stunt you've managed to eat up another ten seconds. I guess I'll actually have to exert myself to end you in the remaining time, but that's all. Come at me, Tsufurian. I'll show you a wall no amount of trickery can scale!"

Baby formed metal layers on his chest and forehead before charging Vegetto, who simply mockingly remarked, "You must be real scared of me to resort to armoring your weak points… But surely you don't expect me to strike them and actually give you a chance to try and snatch my body again? All your struggles… ARE FUTILE!"

Vegetto attacked every body part of Baby's except the armored parts and sent him flying into the horizon, where he emerged behind Baby and fired a Ki blast, which Baby barely managed to guard himself from with a barrier. Without even a moment's delay, Vegetto punched right through the barrier and formed blades on both his hands, slicing his armored parts right off before then kicking Baby from above with his ankle, driving Baby straight through the ground and sending him flying into the other side of the planet. Vegetto followed him in through the tunnel he created and then threw him back into the other side, at which point he hit him with a Kiai, causing the new Trunks-Baby to lose all his teeth and severely twisting his left arm. Trunks-Baby just forced his elbow joint back into place, at which point he flared up his aura again and charged Vegetto, but this time created a series of Zanzoken afterimages, which Vegetto saw through easily. He continued his assault for ten seconds that seemed like an entire hour due to the sheer speed of the fighters. Watching this fight unfold, Piccolo then said, "Baby's gotten a lot stronger after stealing the two Trunks' bodies, but all of his tricks are being countered one by one. Vegetto's power was already uneclipsed in his normal Super Saiyan form, Baby can't possibly win this. And it appears as though he knows that is the case…"

"Maybe he's hoping that Dad and Vegeta-san's fusion has a time limit, like my fusion with Trunks-kun? He's just buying time, nothing he can do can touch my fused father!"

"Buying time… Yes, he's surely doing that. But something is wrong, Baby should know full well from the short exchange Son and Vegeta had before they merged that they would be 'stuck together' and that Goku doesn't need to be revived. He's buying time, and for… what purpose?"

Just then, Piccolo hit an epiphany and said, "Vegeta! Son! Force him out of Trunks and end him now! He's buying time for another transformation!"

"W-What?! He looks just the same as he was in the other Trunks-kun's body! What transformation?!"

"He specifically called the form he attained when we fought him, his 'second form!' And he then added when he stole this new body, saying 'he will reach his final form!' All he's doing is stalling until it can happen!"

"Feh! I'll have to end this here and now, it seems forcing you out of Trunks at my leisure won't be permitted! Prepare yourself, Baby!" yelled Vegetto as he clenched his fists and grunted, "HAAAH! You'll have the honor of facing my full power!"

Vegetto went Super Saiyan 3, causing such a massive surge of power that the ice and snow on every square inch of the planet evaporated, and a huge mist covered the area, which was dispelled by the completion of his transformation. Vegetto then charged at Trunks-Baby with his fists aimed at his foe's head and chest, at which point Trunks-Baby also took his final form, causing Future Trunks' garb to completely melt away and be replaced with a black and white Tsufurian bodysuit with yellow armbands and boots, as his skin darkened to a brownish gray and his hairstyle changed to a mohawk. The two clashed, causing a massive shockwave that completely leveled the continent. Baby fell first, but then smirked and said, "You were too hasty, Vegeta… If only you'd come at me with intent to kill, the day would've been yours!"

Just then, a huge spurt of blood erupted from Vegetto's left jugular, causing the Saiyan fusion to fall to his knee. Vegetto grimaced and said, "Devious little bastard… You hid that blade generating ability from me all along just for this moment…"

"Yes. I displayed the ability, which I acquired from my prior possession of Rild, on M2… but I took care to not use it during my fight with any of your friends here, and even pulled that little charade with your little boy's toy sword to create the impression that I couldn't generate blades on my own! Naturally, the others assumed I'd lost that ability after my injuries on M2, and you thought forcing me out would be a cakewalk… THAT LED TO YOUR DOOM! All that strength you've got, and in the end it backfired on you! I knew you would go and target my weak points, all I needed to do was place my liquid metal blade in the line of your charge! A fitting end for a monkey, defeated by his own speed!"

"C-Cough!" Vegetto felt the effects of the blood loss and spat more blood, as his vision began to fade and he reverted to a regular Super Saiyan. Trunks-Baby then said, "It is a pity I won't be able to steal your all-powerful body, now that it's about to die… But it's enough. The plans for my ultimate revenge are well in place. In recognition of your unimaginable strength, I will at least grant you the honor of getting to perish at my hand and not by blood loss," said Baby as he struggled to regain balance and walked bristly to Vegetto's side, at which point Vegetto said, "Don't you get it? Whether you sliced me or not… Your body already took a blow so far out of your league, it's crumbling apart!"

"W-What?!" said Baby as he noticed that he was trembling in all of his joints as his blood dripped onto the ground and his own vision began to fade, at which point Vegetto simply yelled, "HAAH!" and blasted him with a kiai, reducing Baby's host into a pile of pulverized bones and meat chunks. Vegetto then collapsed and reverted to normal.

"D-Dad! D-Don't worry, I'll get hold of Dende's Ki signal and make you better! J-Just hang on!" said Goten frantically as he tried desperately to focus on Earth, but try as he might, Dende's small Ki could not be detected on another corner of the universe. With tears streaming out of his eyes, Goten then said, "H-How about the Kaioshin-kai?! Kaioshin-sama has healing powers from his fusion with Kibito-san, I-I should be able to…"

"D-Don't bother, kid. It is my time. I was too naïve, trickery or not, I didn't go for the killing blow and rushed headfirst at a devious opponent. Kibitoshin and Dende… they can't come here. Even if they did, my power is too great for them to restore with their healing powers. A-And if they were to attempt it, Baby would just take the opening to steal my body. This… This is best. I-It's all up to you now."

"D-Don't say that! Y-You're invincible, your fusion is in another world of its own! I-I'll give you my Ki, you should be able to hone in on the Kaioshin-kai…:

"Heh. No can do, son. The Ki of one inducted Kaioshin can't be detected by mortals. I've done… what I can. Baby's lost his host, so turn your sadness into strength… The strength of anger. I-It's up to you, kid. B-Bring back the future Trunks, protect Bulma… Protect Chi-Chi. Protect… the Earth."

As Vegetto said this, he finally exsanguinated from his neck wound and died, causing his Potara Fusion to then destabilize. He split into an exsanguinated corpse of Vegeta, and a glowing corpse of Goku, with the halo atop him suddenly shattering. Goku's body began to scatter slowly into specks of light, at which point Goten went Super Saiyan and frantically grabbed him and tried to resuscitate him with multiple kiais to the chest, which only had the effect of causing his right Potara earring to fall onto the scorched floor. Goten could only watch in powerlessness as Goku's body fully dissolved.

"DAD! DAD! Y-You lying son of a bitch, you told me! That you and I were gonna have our one-on-one when we brought you back! Y-You can't let that asshole get the better of you! You… You… You were the greatest fighter ever, you can do anything! W-Why did it… WHY DID IT COME TO THIS?!"

Goten's anger surpassed all limits and shattered his reason, and he released a massive surge of Ki that shook the planet. His hair stood on end, spiked in multiple directions and lightning bolts encircled his entire body, and livid with rage, Goten unlocked his Super Saiyan 2 form. Just as he did this, Baby's short but apparently fully developed form rose from the chunks of meat that Future Trunks' body was reduced to and then released a powerful aura of his own, as he muttered "God… Damned Saiyans! One host after another, one plan after another, you destroy and foil! But no more! I shall show not even a smidgen of mercy now!"

Baby was also encircled by bolts of green lighting as his pink and white aura exploded, and his arms and legs lengthened, his body gained more muscularity and his face took a more angular, mature shape. He then said, "Surpass your limits all you'd like… I have done the same. This form, I did not even program into Mu's design! I am now a Super Tsufurian!"

"You… Shut your goddamned mouth!" yelled Goten as he furiously charged Baby, who then said, "A battle of angered and bruised souls, eh?! But angry as you may be, my anger transcends all! The Tsufurian race must be avenged!"

The two began to trade blows, with Baby showing a slight edge. However, when Baby knocked Goten into the ground, Goten did a backflip and shot a massive Masenko at his enemy, blasting him into the destroyed crater that was once Planet Reito's ocean. Goten then charged at his enemy and punched him furiously and repeatedly until his knuckles were bleeding, at which point Baby tried to use his blinding Ki attack again, only for Goten to yell, "Oh no you don't!" and force his mouth shut, causing the blast to erupt inside his mouth. Baby, however, was unfazed by this and quickly regenerated, after which he manipulated his body to cushion himself from the impact of Goten's next punch by softening himself and then liquefied his body so that he positioned himself behind Goten, restraining both his arms. Goten tried to fire off a mouth blast, only for Baby to shut his mouth the exact same way as before, and kick the injured Super Saiyan 2 away.

"Heh… You've got astounding power, I'll give you that. Without a suitable host, this may've been perilous for me… IF it hadn't been for my superior constitution! Even with my power lessened from the loss of my hosts, I am still structurally superior to you… No, fundamentally so! You can't win!"

"Is that… right?!" yelled Goten as he began charging a Kamehameha at full power, at which point Baby simply said, "It's time to cut your losses and give up, half-breed," and morphed his arm into a massive, extremely hardened tentacle which he used to knock out Goten before he could fire off his Kamehameha. Baby then grabbed Goten by the collar and spat on his face, saying "All that stealing your body would achieve is acquiring myself a temporary host… And I would say, I have a much better one just behind me!"

Baby's attention was turned to Piccolo, who was positioned to release a massive explosive shockwave, one that he was prepared to kill himself with if it meant killing Baby. Without a moment's delay, Baby knocked Piccolo out as well with his hardened tentacle, at which point he began walking bristly toward his defeated enemy saying, "Oh no… I can't have you kill yourself here. Without you, my plans for the Ultimate Dragon Balls would be moot… Your body now belongs to me, but what I am really after… IS YOUR STUDENT GOHAN!"

Baby's declaration shocked the barely-conscious Goten to his core, at which point Goten barely managed to turn Super Saiyan again and grab Baby's ankle, saying "I… I can't let you do that… With my dad and Vegeta-san's fusion gone, Gohan nii-san is our best hope… H-He didn't train tirelessly for fifteen years so you could steal him away… from… us…"

"Fool! It is the destiny of me, the Tsufurian King's reincarnation, manifest! With my body having matured past its limits in my anger, and merged with the mightiest Saiyan, with power released exponentially beyond his limits, I… will no longer be a mere king. I will be no mortal. Upon my acquisition of your elder brother's body, I will be… A GOD! With power rivaling that of the Hakaishin themselves!"

"H-Hakai…shin?! Kaio-sama told me about them, they… are the counterparts of each universe's Kaioshin-sama…"

"Precisely! And with so much as me entering your brother's body through a simple cut, that level of power will be mine!"

"I-I won't let that happen!" yelled Goten as he turned Super Saiyan 2 and charged Baby, only for Baby to liquefy and meld into the ground, causing Goten's punch to only destroy a rock formation. Before his eyes, Baby then entered Piccolo's body through his head injury, healing it and completely taking it over. Baby then kicked Goten to the side, causing him to revert to his base form, and seized the capsule for OctoPUS 9000 from his belt, throwing it into the ground and then inserting the fuel tank that Piccolo had acquired from the spaceship Baby stole from M2.

"You… are powerless to stop me. My next stop is Earth. Saiyans! Son of the late Prince Vegeta, and son of his dispersed comrade… We will settle things there! Enjoy the last few months you have left… cowering in fear of me, the Mightiest King! Fuwahahahaha!"

"S-Stop!" yelled Goten as he weakly charged at Piccolo-Baby, before he stretched his arm and choked Goten unconscious before taking off on the Dragon Team's spaceship.

Trunks, Goten and Pan… the last hope for Earth and the universe… were completely defeated. The six Dragon Balls they gathered, their spaceship, and their mentor, Piccolo… were stolen.

To be continued…