- With the Z-Warriors -
Piccolo may be facing Gohan, Kuririn, and Yamcha but his eyes never once left the invader duo. He doesn't trust any of them to actually sit back for a full three hours time so there's no way he's going to drop his guard and relax. He thought he taught Gohan better but the boy is utterly relaxed right now, and unlike Yamcha and Kuririn he shows no signs of being concerned. 'Even I can feel the sweat drip down my back. Gohan is being way too relaxed considering the situation, especially after two of us have already died.' This is concerning. Is the boy not scared due to his age? Has the other shoe not dropped in yet about how dangerous this whole situation is? '...Or is Gohan really truly that fearless?' Somehow this thought is just as concerning as the previous one.
Yamcha is leaning against a rock. The long-haired former bandit groaned due to his wounds and about how absurd this entire scenario is. "The big dude is an absolute monster and the little one obviously has him by the balls. Just how strong is that guy to the point of commanding the baldy as if he was a child?" That man's power feels oppressive even when he's relaxing, Yamcha shudders just thinking about how strong he may become once he's decided to go all out.
Kuririn is resting against the side of a nearby tree while fanning his face with a hand. "H-hey, I just wanna say I'm sorry for freaking out like that before. I don't know what came over me..." He rubs the back of his shiny bald head without meeting the eyes of anyone present.
The youngest of the group scratched his cheek and looked at Kuririn with a small reassuring smile. "I mean... it makes sense why you would be more scared compared to us. You died before, didn't you? It's a bit easier to put your life on the line when you have that safety net behind it. Chiaotzu was really brave to do what he did knowing he would not be brought back. Honestly, I have no idea why I'm not scared at all so I'm the odd one here." He'll rub the back of his neck and laugh a little at the situation.
Those words did make Kuririn feel a bit better as he relaxed and leaned against the tree while sighing. "Thank you Gohan, it's a bit weird to be comforted by a child but I'll take what I can. Besides, you really are just like your Daddy, huh? If it were not for your hair and attitude you would have been a perfect little copy of him when he was younger."
The scarred bandit is inclined to agree as he leaned forward and held his chin between his thumb and index finger. "Y'know, you're right on the money, baldy. Lil dude here really reminds me of Goku when he was his age. Wait, no, wasn't Goku like 13 when I first met him or something like that?"
Kuririn snaps his fingers twice while trying to recall the exact age. "Wait wait wait... I think Bulma told me that Goku said he was fourteen when they first met but he didn't know how to count properly so he was eleven, I know that because he was twelve during that World Tournament. Goku just looked really young for some reason until he apparently hit that growth spurt while training with Kami."
Piccolo hummed at Kuririn's words. "Could it be that he looked so young at that age due to being a Saiyajin? His race might have had something to do with it." That would make sense considering how Son Goku remained young for so long.
Gohan gives a cheeky grin to Piccolo. "You know, if you're really that curious about that you can just ask them." He points a thumb behind himself, pointing a Nappa and Vegeta. "I'm sure they can tell you all about Saiyan biology." Piccolo glanced down at Gohan, momentarily forgetting to keep an eye on the Sayajin due just to give an unimpressed look at the boy.
Yamcha rolled his eyes at the suggestion. "Yeah, right. I'll just walk up to them and ask them if Saiyajins stay young for a long time before suddenly hitting a random growth spurt. I'm sure that'll go swimmingly and absolutely nothing wrong could possibly happen to my handsome face." Joking around like this does help lift the mood just a little.
Sunlight reflected on the top of Kuririn's head as he leaned forward while glancing suspiciously at the Sayajins. "Jokes aside... don't you guys think it's weird? I mean, I know Raditz came to Earth looking for his brother but those two are after the Dragon Balls, right? And they already guessed that Piccolo is somehow involved with it so why even wait for Goku to arrive?"
Gohan crossed his arms and tilted his head while trying to recall the reason why Vegeta choose to wait. Well, besides plot convenience. "Maybe Vegeta wants to see Dad watch us die? If I was a bad guy I would want someone who caused me trouble to suffer while watching their friends and family die one by one while I left them for last. I imagine the look of terror and them screaming for them to be spared would be music to my ears."
Silence.
Yamcha's eyes are wide as he stares at Gohan. "Holy FUCK Gohan..." He ignored Kuririn's glare due to his cursing next to a child. Come on! It's totally creepy to hear a kid saying those kinds of things. It's like something straight out of a horror movie.
Piccolo didn't react as strongly as the two humans but even he is a bit disturbed by how casually Gohan said those words. "You... might not be wrong there. But I think there's more than just wanting to see Son's horror at us being slaughtered. Those men are strong, too strong. I reckon they must not be used to their targets resisting as much as we did. They could have killed all of us without much effort but they instead choose to play with their food."
"You think they expect Dad to be more entertaining than us? Like we're just the appetizers and he's the main dish?" That does make sense considering how Vegeta is. He must be wanting to put the low-class down to assert his superiority over him. Now that's a Vegeta move alright.
- With the Space Travelling Warriors -
Nappa called his attack pod to retrieve some of that healing paste. He wonders if it'll even be effective considering just how long it has been in his pod without being used. Do those things have an expiration date at all? Looks like he is about to find out one way or another. His back is killing him and it is difficult to move around like this, and the broken arm doesn't help either. "Haah... thanks for sticking close, Geets. I don't think I can get up for a while now!" He laughs but winces due to how much it hurts to laugh right now. "D-damn... guess I should not be laughing right now."
The Princeling rolls his eyes at Nappa's antics. "This is no laughing matter, you dunce. It's clear by now that those Earthlings are not the common rabble we're used to dealing with when purging planets. They appear to have some bite to accompany their bark and if you don't start taking this more seriously that'll end up being you." Vegeta nods towards the tryclops corpse. "You better use those three hours wisely and reflect on your actions. I expected better from you, Nappa." Maybe he should have not. Nappa has never been as nearly as cunning as he is. 'Much like father. He can't see the full picture and would rather brute force his way through the opposition.'
Nappa rubs his head with his one good hand and releases a deep breath. "I getcha. I'll try to be more careful now." He's slowly getting used to the pain now. The adrenaline might have died down but thankfully his body has taken such a serious wound in stride for now. "Not that I'm not grateful for this time off, but why wait at all? I knew I messed up but you could've wiped everyone but the green man and torture him until he coughs up the location of those wish-granting orbs."
Vegeta is fiddling with his scouter, only paying half attention to Nappa's words. "Hm. I wonder if that would work since he doesn't seem like the sort to give up. He would most likely die without giving us any useful info. But Kakarotto? He has been brought back by the Dragon Balls so he must know a thing or two about them. We might not be able to interrogate the Namekuseijin but Kakarotto? We can use him."
The burly Sayajin's eyes widened as he looked at Vegeta. "That... that makes a lot of sense, actually. That's why you're the boss, Geets. You're way too smart for someone of our race, y'know. You might be the spitting image of your father but that attitude of yours reminds me more of your mother. It's a crying shame you two never spent much time together." Nappa rests his head on the palm of his hand while sighing.
"Tch. I barely remember the woman at all. It also does not help my memory that she died during the birth of my younger brother. You might have some fond memories of her but I do not. Hell, even my father was too busy all the time to pay any attention to me but I suppose that's how Sayajin parents are. You're more of my father than my old man ever was." And that's the truth. The King was only concerned with making the Prince get more and more powerful to the point of barely exchanging pleasantries with him.
Nappa grins after listening to those words. "That so? You flatter me, my Prince. I already feel like I can fight harder after that. But that's not the only reason why you want to wait for Kakarotto, right? There's always something else..."
Vegeta put on his scouter and smirked. "But of course. That man is not only a traitor but he's a kinslayer as well. I might have not been too close to Raditz but he was still one of the few that remained of our race. And he got got by his own brother, no less. Kakarotto deserves nothing but to watch as his precious little boy and friends writhe around in agony while begging him to save them. Only then I'll be satisfied."
The smirk on Nappa's face matched the wickedness of Vegeta's. "Now THAT'S more like it." He chuckles despite knowing full well how much it would hurt. "There is that Sayajin savagery I expected from the Prince of all Sayajins. I'll leave Kakarotto to you but I can have the other four, right?"
"Of course, if it is possible I'll rather you try to leave the brat alive since we might need to use him to get the info out of Kakarotto. But if you don't have a choice you can take him out as well. And do try not to mess up this time, will you?" They both fell into a comfortable silence until Nappa's pod landed near them. "I'm not going to spread that disgusting paste on your back, so you're on your own in that regard." He left no room for a discussion. He doubts Nappa would argue either way.
- Back with the Z-Warriors, after around half an hour as passed -
Yamcha's foot is impatiently tapping against the ground. "That Goku... I know being fashionably late might be cool but I'm starting to get concerned here." He bit his lip and quickly glanced toward the Saiyajin duo. "And now the big guy is spreading a weird thing on his back with his tail. I thought we could use that back of his to our advantage but that thing must be able to heal him just a bit. Damn it!"
Gohan knows that Goku will arrive only a bit after three hours have passed so he's not as antsy as the rest of the group. Unfortunately for them, they do not possess his foresight so all they can do is worry about Goku being late. 'Well, he's going to be late but we did keep Nappa busy for longer than in Canon, so at least he's not going to be as late as he was. There is also the fact Yamcha is still around so things are already starting to look much better than what I expected. I wish Tenshinhan didn't use his life force but for some reason, that was fated to happen...'
Kuririn is no longer resting against the shade of that tree, he is now instead pacing around with a worried look on his face. "Why is he taking so long...? The wish has been made a while ago so why is he not here already? Did something go wrong with the wish or something like that? What if he's still... dead...?" Such thoughts are haunting his mind as he nervously paces around.
"Tch. Don't go having another mental breakdown now. If the wish had failed the other idiots would have already warned us. Son was working in the afterlife, right? There's a chance he simply got caught up and is running a bit late." Piccolo pinched the bridge of his nose. "You two look like scared children waiting for their daddy to save them. Do us all a favor and follow Gohan's example, he's the only one here who has the right to look like a scared child and yet he's the most composed among us."
The boy did look like the poster child of being carefree. He's even watching a ladybug land on the palm of his hand as it buzzed. "I didn't know ladybugs could buzz like that." He blinks while leaning his head forward to get a better look at the bug. "Well, aren't you a beauty? You should fly far away now since things are going to get pretty chaotic around here." He gently blew air at the bug to make it fly away.
The little thing took flight towards somewhere else. Hopefully somewhere safer than this place. But still... there's something nagging him at the back of his mind right now. 'I feel like I'm forgetting something important about bugs.' Oh well, if he forgets them it is probably not all that important, right?
The humans looked at the sight with disbelief. "It's like looking at a real Dysxar princess in action," Yamcha said with some amusement.
"Hey!" Gohan protested at being called a princess. Piccolo has no idea what a Dysxar princess is but it apparently is not a flattering thing to call someone. He'll have to add that to his possible list of insults.
Kuririn smiles at the interaction and feels less uneasy now. "Man, I wish we could just run away but I don't think they would let us go that easily."
"There's also the fact that they'll exterminate all of humanity so it is unlikely you'll live for much longer if you managed to escape anyway." Piccolo's words are cold as he glances at the Sayajins. "Our fate will be the same if we run away or not unless we find a way to defeat them. I'm sure we can take the big one but the shorter one is the one that really concerns me."
Gohan's tail tightened around his waist. "Well, he's the Prince so it makes sense he's the strongest Saiyajin alive right now. They're a warrior race so there's no way any Saiyajin would follow someone weaker than them, no. He has to be pretty strong to command Nappa with such authority."
Yamcha groans. "And he's totally way smarter than that meathead, too. So the tricks that worked on the big guy won't work on him either. Man, I'm totally stumped as to how we're going to beat that dude as we are right now."
The vertically challenged Turtle School member crossed his arms and then furrowed his eyebrows. "Goku can do it. I'm sure of it. I don't know why I'm so sure but I'm putting all my faith behind Goku. He's just that type of guy, you know? He always manages to pull through in the end when we need it the most and this is definetely one of those scenarios he's made to shine."
A scream of pain made the four of them suddenly turn around to face the source of the nose. All of them are in battle-ready positions. Vegeta met their wide-eyed stares while holding Nappa's broken arm, and with another quick move, the bone snapped into place. Nappa cringes as Vegeta releases his arm and then cradles it with his other arm.
"Well, looks like he's going to be fighting with both arms once the time is up." Gohan is the first to speak after getting out of his battle stance and scratching his cheek. "But it's definetely weakened now so we can still use that to our advantage."
Piccolo agrees with a grunt. "His back, too. Any attack that hits there will cause more damage than usual, even light ones. If we manage to overwhelm him and target his weak spots he might be in too much pain to properly think and react."
Yamcha smacks the palm of his hand with a fist. "And that's how we're goin' to take him down like a rotten sack of potatoes."
Kuririn grins. "The bigger they are..."
He didn't need to finish the phrase for the others to know what he meant. They might not be able to take on Vegeta but if they play their cards right they'll manage to take Nappa out of the game. The mood is better now that they have a proper plan of attack, even if it is a simple one. Kuririn can offer an attack that can affect a large area while Gohan traps the ground with the same attack he used against the Copyman. Piccolo and Yamcha will antagonize Nappa until he focuses on them while Gohan and Kuririn work on their moves.
They can do this.
- Two hours and several minutes later -
Several high-pitched beeps came from the scouter Vegeta is wearing. The short man opened his eyes and turned to face Nappa. "Would you look at that, looks like Kakarotto decided to be a 'no-show', how rude of him." He'll say drily while getting up from the rock he's sitting on and removing his scouter. "We've waited for nothing. That's very disappointing."
Nappa cracks his neck and gets up as well. His back might still hurt like a bitch but he can at least properly move around now. "Maybe he bailed after sensing how strong we are. That's a thing those Earthlings can do, right? The coward must have run away to hide without even telling his friends. How pathetic!" The man laughs boisterously while staring his opposition down.
Yamcha and Kuririn frowned at Nappa's words. "Goku ain't no coward, baldy." Yamcha refuted his claim while glaring at the taller man. Sure, he's scared shitless right now but he's not going to let this dude bad-mouth Goku. He went as far as to flip Nappa the bird.
Gohan wonders if Nappa even knows the significance of that particular finger. Well, the context might be enough for him to realize it's not a friendly gesture. Maybe Sayajins have their own way of telling someone off? Probably with a punch to the nose or something along those lines considering how Sayajins are.
Kuririn swallowed drily at the sight of Nappa approaching them. "H-hey, is it just me or does he feel a bit more powerful? I thought we were supposed to be weakened after all that he's been through!"
"Hooh? So ya'll can actually feel Power Levels, huh? What you're feelin' right now is called 'Zenkai'. A Saiyajin gets stronger the more they fight, especially the closer they are to death. And lemme tell you, I was THIS close to losing." Nappa pinches his finger together, they are almost touching each other.
Piccolo snarls after hearing that and Yamcha snaps in anger. "Oh fuck off! This is such bullshit! So you're telling me that as long as we don't kill you you're just going to get stronger?"
Nappa shrugs with a grin on his face.
The Namekuseijin steps forward. "Pay attention because I'm not going to repeat myself; We'll only have one shot of defeating this man and if we deviate from the plan we discussed we'll screw everything up. He can't feel our Ki so Gohan and Kuririn will be able to plan their moves without catching their attention due to the build-up of ki. Yamcha is still hurt so I'll be the one to draw his focus. Son's tail also used to be his weakness so if I managed to snag his tail we'll be able to finish him off without much trouble."
His tail? They had not discussed that before. Gohan looks up at Piccolo. "Hey, there's a chance his tail is not as sensitive as Dad's or Raditz's. What if they did something similar to what we did no lessen the effects? You'll be falling right into his bait if that's the case." The boy knows this is exactly the case for Nappa and Vegeta, but it's not like he can just outright tell Piccolo that.
The two three Earthling warriors felt their hearts skip a beat at that possibility while Piccolo pursed his lips. "You're right, we better stick to the plan we've discussed. There's no reason to risk it if there is even a possibility of that being the case." Piccolo gave a respectul nod to Gohan.
So the worms are scheming? Nappa does not mind that too much. The result will be the same in the end. He took a deep breath as and focused on building up the power in his throat. Once he's finished he releases a loud war cry while shooting an energy cannon coming straight from his mouth, aiming right at those annoying pests.
They didn't even have the opportunity to even begin their plan before Nappa suddenly attacked. Yamcha and Kuririn are momentarily shaken due to the powerful Ki beam coming their way to the point of being frozen by fear, their eyes are wide and reflecting the light made by Nappa's attack. Piccolo and Gohan moved fast, the Namekuseijin grabbed Kuririn by the scruff of his Gi while Gohan tackled Yamcha away from the blast.
A great explosion as the beam blasted into the ground between the warriors. "Snap out of it!" Piccolo growled in Kuririn's ear before throwing him far away.
"Don't go freezing on me now!" Gohan held Yamcha by his waist and used the ground as leverage to boost himself and jump high up into the skies. Yamcha managed to shake himself from his frightened state and nodded while bullets of sweat dripped down his forehead.
Kuririn thankfully managed to recover as well before he hit the ground. He started to fly while breathing heavily. "T-that almost hit us..."
"Remember the plan!" Piccolo shouts as his aura burst forth and he rushed Nappa while charging a weak ki blast on each hand. "NOW!" He threw the blasts between himself and Nappa to purposefully form a smokescreen and temporarily hide his intentions.
Yamcha and Kuririn nods. The scarred man follows Piccolo's lead while Kuririn flies up and begins to charge a Dispersion Kamehameha, he's going to need some more time to make it extra effective since he's planning to go all out this time. Yamcha is flying low enough to shove a hand into the ground below and take a handful of dirt.
Nappa's good arm sweeps the smokescreen, revealing his grinning mug just as Yamcha threw the dirt into his eyes. "Ack!" The taller man stumbles back while instinctively rubbing his eyes with both hands. Piccolo never stopped his momentum so he used his own body to slam against Nappa's chest and knock him back several feet. The green man grits his teeth as the Saiyajin's knee smashed against his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and forcing some blood to drip from between his clenched teeth.
Piccolo hugged Nappa's knee with all of his might while Yamcha sent several weak Ki blasts into the invader's bruised chest in hopes of throwing him off balance. "I don't need to see when I can feel you!" The ki blasts are too weak to hurt him too much but that doesn't make them any less annoying. Besides, just because the Namekuseijin is grabbing his leg it doesn't mean he can't fly up!
So Nappa does exactly that, he kicks off the ground with his free leg and jumps while repeatedly hitting Piccolo with his elbow. The Saiyajin is absolutely merciless as he performs this brutal onslaught on Piccolo, no doubt breaking several of his ribs in the process due to where he's blindly striking.
It's time for Gohan to lay down his Ki traps so he ignores what is happening right above him as he kneels and places his palms on the ground below. He's not going to make the same trap he used against the Copyman, no. 'I need to go above and beyond what I did before. I didn't have much time to focus but now that Piccolo and Yamcha are distracting Nappa I can take some time to lay a good foundation!' The boy thinks with a sharp grin.
Yamcha's Ki flares up as he flies behind Nappa and kicks his back with a sweep of his leg. "Hey, ugly! Piccolo ain't the one strong guy around so you better not forget about me!" And another kick for good measure right at a particularly exposed muscle for good measure!
The Saiyajin screams and stops hammering Piccolo's back, giving the green man enough time to push himself off while smashing the top of his head against Nappa's chin. A move that no doubt hurt himself just as much if not more than Nappa. Namekuseijin and Human alike began their assault as Nappa did his very best to raise his arms up and defend himself from their attacks. He can't see what is going on so he's going to have to do something drastic before they end up actually overwhelming him.
Nappa's muscles bulged and veins throbbed all over his arms, chest, neck, and head as he slowly raised both of his hands up. Only his index and middle fingers are raised up as his ki quickly raises to amazing levels due to the sheer anger he is feeling. Yamcha and Piccolo caught on quickly since they'd seen what Nappa is capable of doing while raising those fingers, and the raising power is nothing to scoff at either.
The Earthborn men raised their arms for protection and flew back as far as they could given the little time they'd been given to react. The Saiyajin screamed bloody murder as a large explosion surrounded him, sending both Piccolo and Yamcha flying away while burning their arms and ripping their clothes in several places by the sheer force and heat of the explosion alone.
"Kuririn, are you done yet?!" Yamcha shouted to his friend while cringing due to the nasty burns on his arms. He can't scoff at those like Piccolo since he doesn't has the same healing factor he has. Looks like he's going to have to get used to having some burn scars on his arms if he manages to survive this mess.
Kuririn is gritting his teeth as he focuses on gathering more Ki in his hands. "I'm ready when you guys are!" He shouts with determination.
"He's rubbing the dirt from his eyes so it is now or never!" Piccolo barks while pointing out the fact that Nappa is almost done cleaning the dirt that Yamcha threw into his yes. He then looks at Gohan who nods at him. "Gohan's done as well! NOW!"
The yellow beam is shot right above Nappa while Kuririn screams, it appears to have missed but much like before it explodes in several smaller blasts that rained down on Nappa. They hit his shoulders and back. Even in his enraged state, they are enough to knock him down more and more with each blast that hit his body, it reached the point that he had to twist his body around to completely face the ki rain since they kept hitting his vulnerable back. He managed to knock some of those blasts away while wildly flailing his arms around.
It's like time slowed down for Gohan as looks up to watch Nappa be hit by dozens of yellow ki blasts. But he can tell that the attack is almost over and it won't be enough to send Nappa flying down into the trap he armed just for the burly man. So he decided to do something about it. Something reckless and possibly very stupid if it fails considering he's about to purposefully trigger his own trap while standing right on top of it.
Well, a calculated risk is no risk at all, right? He can feel his grin split his face in half as the ground below explodes and sends the section where he is currently standing blast into the air right towards Nappa. Gohan's eyes are glued on Nappa's back as he quickly approaches the man. The boy squats on the quickly disintegrating platform he's using to travel and clenches his right fist tightly.
Gohan JUMPS, Ki strengthening his legs and his fist until they begin to glow with his Ki. He is so fast that he becomes a purple blur due to the sheer speed and momentum. "RISING DRAGON FIST!" Capcom can't sue him for stealing one of Ryu's most famous moves if he's in another universe, right? Besides, Hadouken is basically just a Kamehameha so it is only fair that Gohan can use a Shōryūken!
His fist connects with Nappa's back with a disturbing gristly sound as it sinks into flesh and bone. Gohan and Nappa stayed frozen in that position for a few seconds until Nappa coughed up a concerning amount of blood and fell limp against his fist. "I think I just stole Goku's spotlight..." He quickly mumbled to himself as he pulls his bloody fist back and used his other hand to hold Nappa above his body. He slowly began to fly down while Kuririn and Yamcha stared in awe at the limp Saiyajin he was holding.
He lands close to Piccolo who has his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "That was not part of the plan." The green man points out. Not like he can be all too upset about it.
"Hehe. I needed to improvise since Kuririn's move was not enough to knock him into my trap. I'm just glad I did not accidentally explode myself, to be honest." He rubs the back of his head with his bloody hand and cringes at the feeling of Nappa's blood on the nape of his neck. "Ugh, his blood is dripping all over me..." His very... sweet-smelling blood... should he be concerned about how sweet blood feels to his nose? He had noticed it when he hunted some dinosaurs and other animals but he chalked it up to their blood just smelling like that. But even Yamcha's and Nappa's blood smell just as sweet.
That's very odd.
Piccolo raised one eye ridge at Gohan's words. "Was that one of the possibilities?" He takes it back, he's just as smart as Son Goku when the subject is fighting. That's a scary thought to have considering the boy's young age. "Why am I not surprised?"
The humans landed near the duo while cheering. "Holy shit Gohan that was amazing!" Yamcha laughs while patting the boy on the back after he ducked below Nappa. "Is he still alive?"
Kuririn would have wrinkled his nose if he had. "Yeah, but barely. I can still feel something coming from him."
Gohan turns to Vegeta, about to tease him regarding how a Saiyajin elite lost to a little brat but the look on the man's face made him pause. It's not like Vegeta LOOKED angry or anything like that. But his eyes... his eyes told a different story. Those eyes of his are entirely focused on Gohan and they don't look amused in the slightest. "He's still alive." Gohan began as if to defend himself. "If you get out of this planet you can still save him." The boy threw Nappa toward Vegeta, making sure he lands with his back facing up instead of touching the dirty ground.
Vegeta's gaze turned to the agonizing Nappa, focusing entirely on the newly made wound on his back. Save him? In that state? No. Every single Freeza station with a half-decent healing pod is too far for Vegeta to reach before Nappa succumbs to his wounds. There's also the fact that it is a very real possibility that the brat's last attack did considerable damage to his spine. Too much blood for him to see how much it has been affected. Nappa might not be able to fight ever again if that's the case... he felt his gloved fingers squeeze his biceps.
"Ve...ge...ta..." The Prince's head swivels to stare at Nappa's face with a start. "Y-you know... what t-to do..." Nappa weakly mutters for Vegeta's ears only. This man has served his Prince for decades while being a trusted General and caretaker. He doesn't need to say anything else for Vegeta to know exactly what his wishes are.
Mercy.
Saiyajin Mercy, to be more specific. A warrior knows their limits and Nappa knows he won't be able to fight anymore in the state he's been reduced to. It is only proper for Vegeta to end his suffering with some dignity. After all, what better end could a Saiyajin have than to have the honor of being slayed by royalty? Vegeta raised his arm, gloved fingers spread wide as he pointed his palm towards Nappa.
'Didn't I tell ya to not fuck around with Lin, [Uninteligible]!' Those words echoed in the back of Gohan's mind as he felt a sharp stabbing pain between his ribs that spread towards his chest, and with them came emotions of betrayal and angst. The boy felt tears gather on the as images of a dirty alleyway kept flashing right in front of him as he stared at the scene in front of him.
Instead of Vegeta, he saw a young man walk behind another young man, both of them seemed to be of African-American origins. The one in front has his hood up, obscuring his face and protecting him from the heavy rain that's pouring down. He also appears to be holding a plastic back and despite being impossible to see his obscured face Gohan can tell he's surprised by the words coming from the other young man that's right behind him.
The other guy suddenly lunges at the first young man, plunging some sort of blade he retrieved from his pocket right into the hooded boy's back before he had the chance to fully turn back. The stabbed boy gasps and slips due to the wet ground below, falling into his side while gasping in pain. Moments after being stabbed he begins to cough up blood while struggling to breathe. It's clear that he has been stabbed in a vital spot because he's losing strength fast as his eyes fluttered close. The man who stabbed him is ranting with a strange expression on his face, his pupils are dilated and every word is spoken with a maniacal tone behind them. 'I told you! I told you what was gonna happen and now-'
Gohan realizes that those two knew each other. But he doesn't know why the guy stabbed the other young man. All he knows is the feelings of the one who has been stabbed in the back. He knows they used to be friends but... how does know that? Why can he feel the feeling of the one who's dying in a dirty alley? Could it be that was who he was before? But what triggered this-
Vegeta is going to kill Nappa for being useless. That's what happened in Canon and that is what he knows is going to happen now. 'Could it be that this is what triggered that memory fragment?' Gohan could not hear what Nappa said to Vegeta and he can't read Vegeta's thoughts as well. The picture in his mind of the scene right in from of him is different than what reality currently is.
A ki blast strikes Vegeta in the chest, breaking the man's focus on his own charging blast due to the surprise.
Who...?
The boy only realizes he was the one who fired that Ki blast due to the absolutely angry look Vegeta gives him and the fact his arms are raised and some smoke is billowing out of the palm of his hands. He saved Nappa due to his emotions making his body move on its own, as if by instinct. Gohan also realizes his eyes are wide open and he's panting while tears fell from his eyes, dripping down his cheek and falling into the ground below.
The next events happened all at once and at the same time.
Vegeta's fist struck the place where Gohan was, hitting nothing but empty air. Gohan's world turned upside down as he felt himself being held up by someone. Piccolo tried to snag Gohan but someone had already done that before he could even begin to move. A red blur quickly crossed the distance between Vegeta and Gohan before the Prince of all Saiyajins could strike Gohan.
The Princeling eye's slowly darted to the side and he straightened his body to face the newcomer. "Kakarotto." He said narrowed eyes.
Goku's muscles are bulging obscenely as reddish Ki burned around his body. He's holding Gohan with just one arm, pressing the boy close to his body as he stared Vegeta down. "So I've been told." Is the revived man's reply.
Kuririn falls on his ass due to everything that has happened, tears are in his eyes. "G-Goku!" His tears are one of happiness as he stares transfixed at the sight of his friend coming back after so long.
Yamcha released a breath and leaned forward while resting his hands against his knees. "Heh... now that's a heroic entrance...!"
The Namekuseijin body is still tense. Gohan was a split second away from death and if it were not for Goku the boy would have been dead. He wasn't fast enough. "Tch!" Piccolo clicks his tongue, upset with himself. "Son." He offers a nod of respect towards the man and Goku returns the nod while turning off whatever strange Ki coat he surrounded himself with. Even his muscles seemed to deflate after it has been deactivated.
Vegeta eyes with man warily. He may not be able to feel his power level but something about that red aura that was surrounding him is suspicious. "If it isn't the man of the hour." He'll speak with a biting tone. "I supposed it is better late than never." The shorter Saiyajin glances towards Nappa's immobile body. Has he succumbed to his wounds? Tch. He crossed his arms so as to not clench his fists in anger.
Goku scanned his surrounding and his eyes fell on Tenshinhan's corpse, then on the burly Saiyajin that's currently passed out. More specifically, on the open wound that's on his back. Then he glanced down at his son and gave him a reassuring grin while ignoring Vegeta. "Daddy's back." Even so, he couldn't help but notice how Gohan's fist is the one that was bloody. Did Gohan manage to take that big guy down...? Regardless, Gohan and all of the others have become so strong in such a short period of time. That makes him happy.
The boy's eyes are wide open as he looked up at his new Dad. "H-hi!" He manages to awkwardly yelp it out. This time he didn't even need to pretend to be a bit more childish because he was honestly surprised and amazed by Goku suddenly showing up out of the blue.
in fact, not even the rest of the warriors even felt Goku's Ki quickly approach the battlefield until he swooped in to save Gohan.
'He's fast. Too fast for even I to notice.' Vegeta thought while eyeing the man. He really looks exactly like Bardock. "Has no one taught you that it is rude to ignore your betters?" He'll say while extending a hard towards his discarded scouter and using his energy to wrap around it to make the scouter fly towards his hand. Vegeta grabbed the scouter mid-flight and equipped it while pressing some buttons.
Vegeta knows these people are able to control their Power Levels but he wants to have a general idea of where this man stands. BEEP. His eyes narrowed at the number that appeared on the screen of his scouter. "Almost six thousand...?" How is it possible that a Low-Class Saiyajin can reach such power? It sounds like a bad joke drunk Saiyajins would tell back home.
The man gently releases Gohan after setting him on the ground. "I don't know what you're mumbling about and I don't care either." He turned back to his son and retrieved a Senzu Bean he had stashed inside of his sash. "I don't remember if I ever told you about it but this is a Senzu Bean, it can heal almost every wound and replenish your stamina. I'm glad that you're not hurt but I want you to cut this bean in half and share it with the others."
"Right..." Gohan took the bean and nodded while splitting it in half. He's really not hurt or tired so it's better if Yamcha and Piccolo eat those since they're the ones who took the most damage. Yamcha was beaten pretty badly by Nappa and Piccolo also had trouble with that weird Saibaman variant and then Nappa as well. The boy heads to the group while keeping his eyes on Vegeta.
The Saiyajin eyes are glued to him and they only leave Gohan's form after Goku steps forward to block Gohan's body with his own. "Eyes on me. I'll be the one you're facing." Goku tightens his sash while looking at Vegeta with a serious expression on his face. "Are you the one who killed Tenshinhan?"
Vegeta smirks while shrugging. "The tryclops? I'm afraid to tell you that we had nothing to do with his death. In fact, from what I could gather he used his own life force and ended up killing himself after underestimating my companion. Now that I think about it, the other pale one also killed himself by self-destructing. So as you can see we haven't killed any of your warriors just yet." Just a bunch of weak Earthlings, but that's beside the point.
"Chiaotzu too, huh...?" Son Goku mutters to himself while clenching his fists. They won't be able to bring him back with the Dragon Balls and that really, really pisses him off. A vein popped on Goku's forehead as he glared at Vegeta. "Everyone, stay back."
Piccolo swallowed half of the Senzu Bean Gohan gave him. 'I've never seen Son this angry before.' This means he's really taking this whole situation seriously, good. He lays a hand on Gohan's shoulder and drags him back. "You heard your father. Back off." Gohan purses his lips but doesn't protest.
Even Kuririn was about to protest but seeing the expression on his best friend's face changed his mind. "...Yeah... let's trust Goku on this." Sweat ran down his back as he glanced away. Yamcha doesn't look too happy about it but he nods as well while chewing the Senzu Bean he has been given. If there's someone who can deal with this it's Goku.
The Super-Elite Saiyajin watched as Kakarotto leaned forward and began to charge his power. 6000...7000...8000? 'What is this? How can someone raise their power so quickly? This makes no sense at all. And then there was that strange red Aura he showed up in to save the brat. His muscles looked considerably bigger when he was in that state so just how powerful can he be? If it were another man I'll say he's just talking smack but it seems like Kakarotto actually has the confidence to back up that attitude of his.'
It doesn't matter why or how, it's clear that his scouter will be useless to assess his Power Level so he threw it away and stomped the thing to sate some of his frustrations. "Very well then! I, Prince Vegeta, will be your opponent!" Vegeta points a thumb at himself while resting his other hand on his hip. His power rose to its max as he faced Kakarotto.
Goku's eyes widened at Vegheta's show of power. "He's even stronger than I thought..." He glances behind himself to see how the other are doing. They're as shaken as he is by Vegeta's power but... Gohan looks excited rather than scared. 'I know I liked to be challenged when I was around his age but was I that bad...? I'm going to have to talk with him later about this.' He gave them an apologetic grin as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. "He's stronger than I thought so it's better if you guys head to Kame House right now, remember to pick up Tenshinhan's body as well since things are going to get rough here."
Piccolo is the first to protest. "You want us to run with our tails between our legs? I can feel how strong you are right now and you're not even half as strong ad the shorter one." He'll say while looking at a smug Vegeta.
"I know we're not as strong as you but I and Piccolo can still offer support on the side," Gohan says holding a hand to his chest.
Goku looks down and frowns. When did his scared little boy become so brave? "That's... no. You'll just get in my way. We also need Piccolo to live or else we won't be able to use the Dragon Balls. If he dies Kami will die as well so we can't risk it." Just telling them no won't be enough since he feels like they would be stubborn about this so he needs to give a proper reason.
"Is that so?" Vegeta is close, too close. Close enough to listen to what they're discussing. "Good to know, but that doesn't matter to me anymore because I decided I'll exterminate every single one of you, Dragon Balls be damned. Well, there's also the fact that I've heard rumors about wish-granting orbs in the Namekuseijin's homeworld. I originally dismissed that as a myth but now that I know the truth I'll much rather travel there and use their Dragons Balls. If what I heard is correct they'll be more useful than Earth's Dragon Balls." The shorter man speaks with a lopsided grin. "Are you done saying your goodbyes or will you keep me waiting, Kakarotto?"
Goku grits his teeth and angrily sweeps his arm between himself and Piccolo and Gohan. Yamcha and Kuririn already picked up Tenshinhan's body and are starting to fly toward Kame House. "Get out, now! You'll only hold me back!"
Piccolo snarls but understands that the stakes are too high to argue with Goku over this, there is also the fact that they'll just distract him if they stick around. "You better not die, Son Goku! We haven't resolved our issues just yet!" He bares his sharp teeth and begins to float back as Gohan lags behind for a second.
Gohan looks up at his 'Dad' and frowns while clenching his fist. This is not how it's supposed to go...! Goku can't defeat Vegeta alone but he has no argument to even try to convince him... The boy gritted his teeth and turned back to fly alongside Piccolo but he has other ideas in mind as the gears inside of his head began to turn.
Goku and Vegeta are all alone now. They stare at each other, Vegeta with an amused look on his face and Goku with a serious frown on his.
"Going to fight me alone, huh? I don't know if I should call you brave or stupid." The Prince mocks the lower-class warrior. "Now that you're done we can start to-"
Goku interrupts Vegeta. "Actually, I'll rather fight somewhere else." This place is home to many living being and he prefers to not be responsible for screwing their habitat up even more than it already has been messed up.
Vegeta's amused look is replaced with an annoyed one. "Oh? Why would I allow that?"
"Well, you look like the sort that appreciates a proper battle, so it's only right we fight somewhere else since this land has already been scarred by previous battles. Wouldn't you rather have a place just for us to fight instead of reusing this place?" He's trying to rub his ego to switch places, if he's right about this man's personality...
The Prince of all Saiyajins pauses for a moment as he considers Kakarotto's words. "Humpf. I know what you're trying to do." He briefly glances at Nappa's body before facing Kakarotto again. "Very well, let's do it your way, then. Here, there, it doesn't matter since the end result will be the same. All that'll change is a few extra moments you'll have to live."
Son Goku chuckles and points his thumb behind himself. "I know just the place. I used to train before my death so it'll suit us just fine." An empty desert not too far away from here. He knows no one goes there so he'll be able to fight to the fullest in that place. He flew with a burst of speed as blue Ki surrounded his body.
Vegeta's purple energy wrapped around his as he effortlessly matched Kakarotto's speed. The Prince knows Kakarotto is faster than this due to their previous interaction when he attempted to strike his son so he wonders if he's saving up his energy for the battle. It really didn't take too long for them to arrive at the destination the low-class warrior mentioned. Vegeta made a point of landing at a rock formation that is a bit taller than the one Kakarotto landed on.
Cold wind billowed as their eyes met. "There are worse places to have as one's last resting place, Kakarotto. So I commend your tastes regarding your grave." Vegeta laughs while crossing his arms and staring Kakarotto down.
"Man, you really are a monster, huh? You aren't even sweating after matching my flying speed."
The shorter Saiyajin smirks. "Do you even have any idea what the difference between a Super-Elite and a Low-Class vermin like you is? No, I don't think you do so please allow me to explain just how different we are. You see, a Saiyajin's potential is measured right after their birth and the ones who score badly enough are shipped to planets such as this one. That is, planets full of weaklings that even a Low-Class trash can take care of. Meanwhile, you have Elite Warriors just like I, we are the ones in charge of the real challenges that even a group of Low-Class warriors cannot even begin to hope to beat. That's the difference between rabbles like you and the Elite like me. You are considered trash since your birth!"
Goku smiles at his explanation. "So that's how it works, huh? So you're telling me if I was born just a bit stronger I would have not been sent to Earth? Then I am glad I was born as a Low-Class trash and sent to Earth as a baby." To think his life might have ended completely differently if he was more powerful... what a scary thought to have. "Besides, maybe even a Low-Class like me can beat an Elite if they put their minds to it."
"What a bad joke, Kakarotto. If you're trying to sound like a clown you're going to try to be a little better than that. My power is a wall you can't overcome. I am the Prince of all Saiyajins and I'll surpass even the Saiyajin of legend."
They quieted down. It is now not the time for chatter but for action. Goku and Vegeta assumed their battle stances with serious looks on their faces.
It begins.
-With Gohan and Piccolo, several minutes ago after Goku and Vegeta flew away. -
"Let's follow them!" Gohan said with an impish grin on his face and began floating on the spot instead of following Yamcha and Kuririn. "As far as Vegeta knows we went somewhere else after Dad ordered us to, and he doesn't have that scouter of his so he can't even locate us!" And that's how he's going to help Goku beat Vegeta! There's no way he's just going to sit back and pray for Goku to somehow beat Vegeta without any help.
Piccolo raises one eye ridge at the suggestion while also stopping in place. "Hmm. That's not a half-bad idea, Gohan. As long as Son does not acknowledge our presence we'll be able to get the drop on Vegeta." It's a sound plan. Goku's Ki might have been powerful but he's still not at Vegeta's level of power. He'll need any support he can get. "You could have said that to the humans as well but you've decided to only tell me your plan, why?"
Gohan scratched his cheek with a sheepish look on his face. "Well... they're not... strong, y'know? Not to sound rude or anything like that since I do think they're pretty strong but they're just not as strong as the two of us so it's better if they go to a safe spot like Kame House." That definetely sounds a tad rude but it's the truth. He doesn't want to endanger Kuririn and Yamcha if he can Piccolo can deal with it. Goku only needed two people to help him around in Canon and this time he'll get a more powerful support to back him up.
It's hard for Piccollo to deny Gohan's words so he doesn't even try to, especially because he also agrees with his assessment regarding how strong those two are. "I can still feel them, if we move now we'll be able to find a good spot to hide and bide our time."
"Lead the way, Mister Piccolo!" Gohan grins in excitement.
...That again?
- Back with Goku and Vegeta -
Son Goku blocks one of Begeta's punches while the Prince uses his wrist to parry a strike from the Low-Class warrior's elbow. Goku swings his left leg and Vegeta quickly backflips back while shooting an energy blast at the rock formation Kakarotto is standing on. The rocks crumble as Goku momentarily loses his balance just as Vegeta uses a larger rock formation as leverage to push himself towards him while cocking his fist back. Goku throws his body back and redirects Vegeta's blow by kneeing his fist as he uses his momentum to spin back to safety.
Vegeta disappears in a blur of white and gold and appears behind Kakaroto, cupping both of his hands above his head and bringing them down in a hammer strike aimed at the top of the taller Saiyajin's head. The attack misses by inches as Goku twists his body around while using his right leg to sweep Vegeta's legs. The Super-Elite Saiyajin warrior raises his legs while flying and then uses them to kick Kakarotto's stomach, sending him flying away with a grimace on his face.
"That's all you got, Kakarotto? Come on now, you can do better than this!" Vegeta laughs while giving Goku a wicked grin. "Struggle more! It's no fun if you drop dead too soon!"
Goku pants while pressing one hand on his stomach. "Haah... haah... You're not even going all out yet but you're already faster and stronger than I am. Your technique is also superb, guess you don't call yourself a Super-ELite for nothing, huh?" Goku grins. How very exciting...! "You want to see what I can do? Well, if you insist..." The Turtle School member brings his arms to his sides and begins to power up as a red aura forms around his body. Kaio-Ken!"
He rushes towards Vegeta and the man seems surprised by the sudden boost of speed this Low-Class Saiyajin is displaying, but it's still not fast enough to completely catch him off guard so he manages to begin to raise his arms up to block the attack. Goku follows up by tilting his body to the side and striking Vegeta's armored stomach twice with quick jabs, then by kicking him dozens of feet away due to the force of the attack.
And with another rush of speed, he attempts to end his combo by swinging his elbow down while aiming at Vegeta's nose. The Prince manages to recover mid-air and kicks Goku's chin. Gritting his teeth, Goku uses the momentum of Vegeta's attack to flip around and face the Prince again.
"I don't know what this technique you're using is but it seems like it has multiplied your power. But that seems to be its limit. I must say, I am starting to get disappointed, Kakarotto. You just got my hopes up but even that move of yours is not enough to match the might of your Prince!" Vegeta smirks while leaning forward.
Goku smiles as sweat drips down his forehead. This fight is starting to get really good and he can't help but get excited. This Saiyajin blood of his hungers for battle even as he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. This is just who he is and he can't fight those rising urges. Vegeta notices that smile on Goku's face and can't help but comment on it. "Have you lost all of your hope and lose your mind? Humpf. If you think things are bad then allow me to show the true power of a Super-Elite!"
Vegeta's eyes widened as he began to flex his power, no longer containing it within his body and allowing it to be let loose. Energy crackled all around him as dark clouds formed above the warriors, lighting crashing into the ground due to Vegeta's frightening power. The Earth itself began to shake and winds picked up to the point of resembling a hurricane surrounding Vegeta. Everything is over just as fast as it began the moment Vegeta releases a loud yell and blows the clouds and wind away while destroying several rock formations in the desert.
Goku's eyes are wide open in amazement at the sheer display of overwhelming power. "This is..." Sweat ran down his back as he looked around at the destruction caused by Vegeta simply flexing his power. He was so overwhelmed he could not even react as Vegeta flew right at him and swung the back of his fist at his head. Vegeta's knuckles opened a bloody gash on Goku's forehead despite them not being sharp in the slightest. Vegeta followed up by using his other hand to palm strike Kakarotto's chest and send him flying down due to the force. Vegeta disappeared and reappeared behind the Low-Class warrior before he could even hit the ground and kicked him away into a nearby rock formation.
Goku gritted his teeth as he started to push himself off the rock his body embedded itself in after Vegeta's kick. But the Prince is not going to sit back and allow him to simply get out that easily, no. A fiery energy fireball formed on top of each of Vegeta's hands, and he launched the first one with a yell. Son Goku felt a vein throb on his neck as the fireball approaches him, he has no other choice but to kick things up a notch. "Kaio-Ken... times two!" His Ki surged around him and destroyed the entire rock formation as he flew up to dodge the fireball.
A sharp grin appears on Vegeta's face at the words. 'Times two, huh? Looks like he still had some juice left.' He puts some extra power behind the second fireball and launches it alongside an energy beam to make it stronger. Kakarotto barely manages to dodge that attack but his upper Gi is now completely torn, exposing his chest. His Kaio-Ken dies down and Goku grabs the little that is left of his Gi and completely tears it off. 'This is not looking too good. I had to double the power of the Kio-Ken but I can feel my stamina slipping away every time I use it. I may end up seriously screwing things over if this pace continues.' Goku thinks while staring Vegeta down.
"You know, I was holding back on that last one but you almost got hit either way. Should I stop playing around and finish this game of ours?" Vegeta crossed his arms as he lands on a rock formation below Kakarotto. "That is, unless you have some more tricks up your sleeve. Who knows, you might just end up surprising me if you try hard enough. Isn't that right? As long as you try hard enough you can climb up any wall no matter how tall they are. I suppose that's how trash like you think the world works but I'm happy to say that you're nothing but delusional, Kakarotto. Our power decides where we stand in this reality and trash like you were born without any power while I was born to rule!"
Goku doesn't respond for a moment as he considers Vegeta's words. "Yeah? Well, I say screw that messed-up reality of yours! I'll show you that hard work and determination are enough to climb even impossible walls!" He clenches a fist so tightly that blood drips from it. "Here I come! Kaio-Ken Times Three!" His body bulked up and he began to sweat up a storm as it trembled due to the sheer amount of power it is holding.
Even Vegeta can't help but feel the sweat run down his face as he stares at the sigh of the superpowered Kakarotto. "What... is this?" He can't sense his power but he can FEEL the pressure he's generating. The Low-Class leers at the prince as he dashes down so fast that Vegeta cannot even properly react as he receives a powerful punch to his stomach, breaking the armor there. An uppercut follows the punch as Goku strikes Vegeta's chin to send him flying. But that's not enough, before he can get too far away from his range the taller man will grab Vegeta's ankles and begin to spin around in place, and with a loud cry he throws Vegeta away through several rock formations.
The Prince's power explodes as he rushes out of the hole he left behind after Goku threw him into the rock formation. "To hell with you...!" He yells as blood drips from his mouth. Goku is now on the offensive as he continues his assault even as he feels his muscles threaten to rip apart due to the Kaio-Ken. Vegeta tries to kick Goku away but the man is too fast and manages to twist his body around the kick strike Vegeta's stomach once more. Now that there's no armor to protect that spot it is more effective than before.
Vegeta coughs up blood as he's lifted by the man's fist sinking into his stomach. He stumbled back a few feet and then puked some blood while holding his stomach with both hands. The Super-Elite glares hatefully at this Low-Class scum. "I-insolent worm!" How is this possible?! How can his power be superior to his own?! Unacceptable! Vegeta jumped back while gritting his bloody teeth.
Despite being the one to deliver such a brutal beatdown on Vegeta Goku is not faring that much better either. The Kaio-Ken did a lot of damage to his body as well. 'For such a short guy he sure is tough as nails... I thought I had him with that Kaio-Ken times three but it seems like I underestimated him. I have to speed things up before my body starts to collapse on its own.' He thought to himself. 'And then there's the fact we're not alone anymore.' Goku can feel that Gohan and Piccolo ignored his words and are hiding somewhere behind him. 'Maybe that's for the best... if I get Vegeta weak enough they might just be able to finish this fight.' He'll lie if he said he's disappointed with Gohan ignoring his orders, if it was Grandpa Gohan saying such things to him he would ignore it just to try to help him as well.
-With Gohan and Piccolo, behind some rocks-
Not needing to hide their power means they can properly react to the fight if any attacks end up heading their way. It also helps them move around quickly without being noticed to get better vantage points. Piccolo quietly whispers to Gohan. "Son's technique appears to be able to multiply his total power, but it seems to damage his body the more he uses it, especially that last one."
"Dad got so strong he overwhelmed Vegeta's power with his own. Do you think we'll be able to learn that later on? I'm sure someone like you can use it to its fullest considering your body can regenerate on its own. That'll be the perfect move to add to your repertoire of techniques." Gohan wonders why no one else in Dragon Ball learned the Kaioken considering just how useful it is. Heck, doubling one's own power is already super impressive even without tripling it!
The Namekuseijin hums at the suggestion. "I agree. If I had a technique like that I could have effortlessly beat that big Saiyajin without any trouble whatsoever. But if he keeps dragging this fight for too long he'll mess up his body to the point of being unable to fight and I doubt Vegeta is weakened enough for us to finish him off." Piccolo frowns while crossing his arms.
Gohan is too focused on them to worry about that. Especially since he knows what iconic moment comes next. To see such an amazing thing with his own eyes... he really hopes that doesn't change. "Honestly... I think if I really tried it I could have taken him on my own." He'll say while furrowing his eyebrows. "But the thing is that he has much more experience than I do. I might have power on my side but when it comes to proper combat I'm still wet behind the ears. I doubt I'm even a tenth as good as you are, Piccolo. Much less someone who's used to death matches like Nappa is."
That's true. Despite his age, Gohan is even more powerful than Piccolo himself and yet Piccolo knows that if they were to fight for real against each other he would win 97 out of a hundred times. That's simply the difference between their experiences. Power alone is not enough to win a fight after all.
-Back with Goku and Vegeta -
Blood. HIS blood. Vegeta is very familiar with the sight of blood. But his own? Impossible. Preposterous! There's something wrong, there HAS to be! WHY?! WHYYYYYY! "I am... a Super-Elite!" He's the best around! The number one warrior! "I will not be toppled by Low-Class like you! I... I refuse! Rabble like you has no right to spill noble blood!" Vegeta's eyes are wide and bloodshot. His teeth are grinding against each other so much that they have begun to creak due to the force. "Fuck you! Fuck Kaio-Ken! AND FUCK THIS WORLD! I WILL TURN THIS PLANET INTO SPACE DUST!" Energy surged around Vegeta as he flew straight up.
"You're going to do what?!" Has the man lost his mind?! Is he really that much of a sore loser to the point of doing such a drastic thing?
Vegeta is laughing manically as he brings his hands together behind his head, both the back of his right hand is pressing against the palm of his left one. "Dodge it or not, I don't care! One way or another you are going to meet your doom even if I have to kill myself as well!" His eyes shrunk into pinpricks as they zeroed in on Kakarotto.
Goku grits his teeth while glaring at Vegeta. "D-damn...! Fine! Let's do it your way then!" He cups his hands to his side as he begins charging his most powerful Kamehameha to date. "I'll go all out with this Kaio-Ken Times Three Kamehameha!" He shouts to Vegeta as his red aura explodes.
"Ka...me...!"
"Galick...!"
"Ha... me...!"
"Gun... FIREEE!" A purple energy cannon is shot from Vegeta's hands as he thrusts them forward, not caring in the slightest if it ends up actually destroying the planet at all. Right now all that is on his mind is how much he wants to kill Kakarotto.
Goku's muscles bulged even more when pushed his hands forward and released the Kamehameha Wave powered by his Kaio-Ken. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" His aim is true as his Kamehameha meets Vegeta's Galick Gun head own.
A powerful beam clash occurs at their attacks pushed against each other for dominance. Goku's Kamehameha matched Vegeta's Galick Gun in power due to his weakened state, there's also the fact that Vegeta's rage has boosted his own attack to the point they have become even in power. A vein is almost popping on Vegeta's forehead as he gives his all."How...?! His blast is almost the same ad my precious Galick Gun! No! I won't accept this result!" The prince screams while forcing more of his energy into the blast.
Vegeta's blast begins to slowly push Goku's Kamehameha. It's a slow process but he'll end up overpowering Goku if nothing changes. "Times... FOOOOOOOOOUR!" Goku cried out those words with every fiber of his being, pushing his body to its very limits and beyond with those two simple words. His Kamehameha blast greatly increased in size due to the elevated power output and it quickly ate Vegeta's Galick Gun in a matter of seconds.
The Prince can't do anything but scream in anger as Kakarotto's blast envelopes his entire body and pushes him away past the clear clouds above. The Saiyajin disappears from Goku's sight but he knows the Princeling is still alive due to his Ki signature. Vegeta struggles while the Kamehameha Wave blasts against his body, pushing him even further away. He had to use the remaining of his strength to forcefully push himself away from the powerful energy blast.
Vegeta pants with wide eyes as he watches the blast disappear into the skies above, no doubt going past the stratosphere. "Haah... haah..." The man is struggling the breath and he's almost running on fumes at this moment. Most of his armor is ruined, leaving only the blue skintight catsuit underneath his armor whole. Several throbbing veins appeared on his forehead and neck as he began to scream. "HOW?! JUST WHAT KIND OF TECHNIQUE COULD MAKE KAKAROTTOS POWER LEVEL SURPASS MINE?! I AM SUPPOSED TO BE THE NUMBER ONE!" His tail bristled in anger and agitation.
After several more moments, Vegeta manages to somewhat calm down as the gears in his mind begin to move. His pupils have shrunk due to the sheer wrath he is feeling at this moment. He begins to laugh while blood drips from the corner of his mouth. "Yes! I can still use THAT! As much as I dislike that form I have no other choice but to transform into a mighty Oozaru...! My genius mind made sure to plan our invasion to coincide with the schedule of the Earth's moon. I never thought I would have to actually use the Moon FUll to my advantage but I'm glad that I kept that as a plan B." He begins to quickly look around as he searches for the moon, a savage grin plastered on his face as he does so.
"What...? I'm sure the moon should have been visible by now. What is going on?" He'll mutter to himself. "Where is the damn moon?!" Unknown to Vegeta Piccolo had destroyed it a few weeks back after he finished Gohan's Great Ape training. They had no more use for said moon and they didn't want to risk the other Saiyajins using it to their advantage.
-With Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo -
The Saiyajin raised on Earth wipes the blood still pouring from the gash on his forehead as he keeps a close watch on Vegeta's Ki signature. "What is he doing...? Doesn't he know I can sense him...?"
"He's probably looking for the moon right now." A youthful voice spoke from behind Goku, but he already knew Gohan and Piccolo had approached him so he was not caught off guard by them landing near him. "But Piccolo blasted it not too long ago so he's just wasting his time," Gohan said with a grin as he approached Goku.
Piccolo's eyes are also glued to Vegeta's signature. "This delay works in our favor. The man's Ki is considerably weaker now to the point that Gohan and I will be able to take him on if we work together. You may rest now, Son Goku." He crossed his arms as his eyes narrowed.
Goku shakes his head while releasing a weak chuckle. He doesn't quite know why the moon is so important to Vegeta but he doesn't have time to question that right now. "It's not gonna be that easy, y'know. The guy is way tougher than he looks so I'm sure he must still have a few tricks up his sleeve. "But then again... I also have a thing or two up my sleeve but I'm going to need some time to prepare it." The man glances at Piccolo with a smirk.
"Why do I feel like you're trying to imply something?" Piccolo clicked his tongue while returning Goku's glance with a leer.
Gohan covers his mouth with a fist to not laugh at the interaction. Of course, Goku is referring to Piccolo's Makankosappo. 'I'm surprised I managed to think about the name of that move without messing it up as well.' He thinks to himself as Goku/Dad begins to explain his plan.
"You see, I learned this thing called the Genki-Dama with King Kaioh, but I need time to gather the surroundings necessary to charge it up. If that hit Vegeta head-on we'll be able to end this fight for good. I also need a lot of concentration to gather Ki so as much as I hate to ask... you two are going to have to distract him for a bit until it's ready. Is that okay with you?" He really hates to ask Gohan this... but he has no other choice. He trusts that his Son is powerful enough for him to pull this off alongside Piccolo.
The Master-Student duo did not have enough time to reply due to Vegeta landing a couple of dozen feet in front of them. The shorter Saiyajin leers at the group but he has a smirk on his face. "I don't know what game you insolent worms are playing, but just getting rid of the moon is not going to be enough to stop me!"
Goku frowned. "Again with the moon... what's so important about it?" He's confused about this whole thing. First Gohan says that Piccolo destroyed it and now Vegeta comments about that as well.
Vegeta's grin expands, sharp teeth glinting against the light of the sunset. "You really have no idea, do you? Just how dumb can you be, Kakarotto? Very well, allow me to graciously explain what happens to a Saiyajin during the full moon. Moons have a special property that is only active when the light of the sun bounces against them. The light reflected by a moon contains what we Saiyajins refer to as Blutz Waves. Those Blutz Waves can exceed 17.000.000 Million Zenos! We Saiyajins can absorb those powerful Blutz Waves through our eyes and that forces a transformation due to those Blutz Waves being transmitted straight from our eyes to our tail! This allows our race to transform into what is known as an Oozaru, that is, a Great Ape!"
"A Great Ape that only shows up during a full moon...?" Goku's mind flashed an image of his Grandpa Gohan and how he told him to never go out during the full moon or else a monster would appear. "So that's what happened..." His eyes are downcast and he purses his lips. "But there's no moon for you to use right now, so that doesn't matter." His body still aches all over but he attempts to stand at his full height to meet Vegeta's wide gaze.
The man's grin is somehow even bigger as he raises his right hand in front of his face and begins to form a bright ball of energy. "Your father has managed to bypass the need for a full moon during a pivotal raid many, many years ago. As much as I hate to praise a Low-Class like him even my father the King held the man in high regard. This technique he created to mimic a full moon has been passed to only a few select Saiyajins and I am one of them! How does it feel to know that your father's own creation will be your doom?!" Damn it, he can already feel himself becoming weaker after making that artificial moon and as much as he wants to keep taunting them he can't risk them attacking him when he's in such a vulnerable state.
And without another word, he threw the artificial moon as high as he currently can. 'That's far enough!' Vegeta clenched made a fist with the hand he used to throw the ball and then he shouted. "Burst open and mix!"
The light coming from the energy ball Vegeta created is enough to momentarily blind the three warriors as Vegeta's laughter rang in the background. Once most of the blinding light dies down they all will immediately look at the artificial moon created by Vegeta. The two Saiyajins that retained their tails stared at the moon, their heartbeats quickening as the Blutz Waves poured down.
Goku grits his teeth as he watches Vegeta start to change. Worse yet, Gohan is also changing just like Vegeta is! "D-damn! Piccolo, jump back!" He moves quickly to gain some distance from the transforming Gohan. Piccolo does not run away from Gohan, he simply stepped back to give the boy enough space to properly transform. "Why...?!" Does Piccolo know something he does not? They did seem to know what the purpose behind the moon is so why does Piccolo doesn't look anxious?
Vegeta's laughter gradually changed into a loud rumbling growl as his body increased in mass and size. His transformation is loud and aggressive while Gohan's change is far more relaxed in comparison. It doesn't take long before their transformation ends. Vegeta's catsuit remains whole despite his colossal size but Gohan's outfit has been completely torn into ribbons due to the sheer size he now possesses. "You'll regret getting rid of your tail, Kakarotto! You must have thought it was nothing but a weakness of our race but it can also be our greatest strength! My power has been multiplied tenfold due to this!" The Apefied Vegeta looks at the apefied Gohan and releases another mocking laugh. "I completely forgot that your precious son still had a tail! Too bad for you, Kakarotto! Low-Class Oozarus instinctively follow their betters due to not being able to retain their minds!" It is a shame the increase in power does not apply to speed, but at least he doesn't move any slower in this form so he doesn't care too much about that.
The Turtle School member eye's widened at Vegetas words and he looks back to Gohan. His son's red-eyed gaze looks dangerously blank and that makes panic surge on Goku's entire body. "N-no!" How could they possibly fight Vegeta AND Gohan at the same time?! Their power together is just too much to even fathom! "S-sorry Gramps... looks like I'm going to have to apologize for crushing you in the afterlife..."
"Now, come closer and crush your father, child!" How tantalizing! To have his own son be the end of him. That's even better than Vegeta finishing Kakarotto off himself. He really can't help but laugh as the brat begins to move toward his father while raising one meaty fist.
The fist is brought down., and Goku is too shocked to move, frozen in place as Gohan's fist quickly approaches. Piccolo does not move.
Vegeta feels a sharp pain as the fist suddenly switched its trajectory and smashed against the side of his face, sending him flying through several rock formations and into his back. "What...?!" The Great Ape roars in anger while pushing himself back up and using his other hand to wipe the blood from his mouth. "You...!" Oozaru Gohan looks back at Vegeta with a sharp grin on his snout.
"Me." The boy's voice sounds considerably deeper due to his transformation. "You aren't the only one that can keep his mind, 'Veggie', I've been training with Piccolo under every full moon to get the hang of this transformation and you were dumb enough to handle it to me after we got rid of the moon!" He gently pushes Goku with his foot while giving him a wink as Piccolo flies up and lands on his left shoulder. "We'll handle this, Dad."
Piccolo can't help but smirk as he watched the furious Vegeta punches the ground in frustration while releasing another roar. "Do what you must, Son. It's our turn to handle this beast." His ego must have been bruised after Gohan surprised him with that punch. Good.
The man weakly laughs while rubbing the back of his hand. "Gohan... Piccolo... you two are really amazing." He nods and jumps back into the tallest rock formation while closing his eyes and raising both of his arms up. "I'm counting on you!" She cried out as he began to gather the surrounding Ki of the Earth itself.
Vegeta snarls and jumps back into the proper standing position while Gohan assumes a fighting stance. "Let's go ape, Geets!" Gohan shouts with amusement.
- With... Nappa? -
He's dying, he can feel it. Where is Vegeta...? Is he OK? Even while dying he can't help but think about the man he took care of for so many years. All that remembers is that Kakarotto had shown up and then they just flew away somewhere. Well, at least that's what he thinks happened he couldn't open his eyes to see what happened, only hear it. He's sure Vegeta must be toying with Kakarotto for him to take so long with the Low-Class... right? There's no way Kakarotto is strong enough to defeat Vegeta!
Footsteps.
Nappa can hear footsteps approaching his limp body. Each step is louder than the rest and soon enough they stop altogether as he feels a hand rest against his broad shoulder and gently shake him. "Ve...ge...ta?" He used his remaining strength to utter his liege's name.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Nappa. But it's just me, Raditz." He hears Raditz's voice and then feels something cold and slimy press against his back. "Don't try to speak or move, I got your back now. Literally." Raditz is rubbing something against his back. The healing paste, perhaps? Nappa doesn't even have enough energy to protest so he does as instructed, his tense body relaxing as he feels unconsciousness take over. "Everything is going to be okay..." Is the last thing he heard before he fully passed out.
Raditz finishes applying the healing paste he got from Vegeta's attack pod and glanced at the concerning artificial moon on the horizon. Thankfully Radtiz is too far away to be affected by the Blutz Waves coming from it. "What the hell did you get yourself into, brother?" He whispers to no one as he furrowed his eyebrows and carefully set Nappa on his shoulders. "And what are you doing, Vegeta? Are you really that desperate to the point of having to resort to that?" He began floating while staring at the artificial moon.
The Saiyajin closes his eyes and flies in that direction. "As long as I keep my eyes closed or look down I won't be affected by it. I don't know what is going on at all but I own Kakarotto a solid." Tracking Nappa was hard, but at least he knows exactly where Vegeta and Kakarotto are due to the artificial moon.
Raditz hopes he can make a difference.
-ooooooooo-ooooooooo-ooooooooo-
And there we go with another chapter. This one could have been longer but 14K words is already too much and I didn't want to turn reading this entire chapter into a chore of its own. You may be wondering why I wrote Vegeta the way I did regarding Nappa but this is very important for his future characterization and character arc a whole and it'll make more sense with how he will be later portrayed as. I needed to show his forming some sort of attachment toward another person. When Akira Toriyama wrote Vegeta he never planned that far into the story so he was very much a total psychopath without much depth back then.
And that's the reason why I took the liberty to rewrite some of Vegeta's early character.
As always, I appreciate all forms of reviews and if you just want to chat I'll also love that! I really enjoy talking with other people about what I write and I like listening to their thoughts and theories.