A/N: Thank you for your critiques, as they do help a great deal. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ.
Chapter 3 Gohan Unbound
Piccolo sped through the tunnel, still a little annoyed that he had to take off his cape to fit in the rocket car. It's not like it was that big, not as big as that sumo anyway.
'Well, whatever.' Piccolo mentally shrugged 'It's not like I needed to wear it, but it does kinda complete the look. Now that I come to think of it, I wonder why Gohan didn't want to wear the demon clan suit this time. Maybe he doesn't think it's cool any more… NO that's absurd! Purple is the ultimate color! Ok things to think about later. Now it's time to focus on the fight.'
Piccolo was pulled out of his thoughts when his pod landed in a meadow. As he stepped out, he couldn't help but feel the place wasn't really a great place for fighting. Still at least it wasn't some kind of giant nursery. That would have been ridiculous.
Break
In a ridiculous giant nursery setting Trunks was already locked in combat with his opponent. He was a short teal skinned guy with a purple turban. The little creep was getting on Trunks' nerves. Not only did he have the most annoying laugh, but he had also already tried to kill him twice. Trunks was no slouch in a fight, but he was used to opponents who relied on sheer power. This alien was different though. He didn't seem that strong, relatively speaking, but Trunks just couldn't pin him down.
"Hey! I don't know how tournaments are done where you're from, but in this one killing isn't allowed." He yelled after the third sharp object came flying at him.
The blue midget just smiled wickedly. "Oh? But where's the fun in that? We are in a playroom after all." Then he sent a large ki blast at Trunks, followed by yet another sharp object hurled at him telepathically.
'What kind of playroom has this many objects to impale somebody with?' Thought Trunks as he narrowly avoided the spike. He decided to go on the offensive but realized he had lost track of his opponent. He looked around trying to locate the blue telepath when suddenly, the alien appeared at his side.
"I'm right here." He taunted and followed up with two punches and a kick right in Trunks' kidneys. Trunks gasped and jumped back to create some distance.
'Man! This guy's been controlling the pace since the beginning. Ok just calm down, he hasn't done that much damage just catch your breath and…. Why is he just standing there?'
The little fighter was floating exactly where Trunks had left him. The odd thing was that he was not in a fighting stance. He was standing straight and smirking with his arms and fingers outstretched towards Trunks.
"Is that some kind of alien 'come and get me' gesture? Alright you asked for it." Trunks prepared to fly in for his assault, but for some reason he couldn't move. He struggled in vain against some unseen force.
"Wh-what did you do to me!?" Trunks yelled as the small alien smirked while holding his hands straight at Trunks. Trunks looked closer and realized that there were some kind of wires binding him in place. Then he noticed for the first time that his energy was slowly dropping. Comprehension dawned on Trunks' face.
"I get it, you're stealing my energy. Well, I've got news for you pal, there's a lot more where that came from."
Trunks began powering up to his maximum. The blue alien laughed at what he thought was a feeble attempt at escape. "Oh, you think you can generate enough power to break free? Well, be my guest. I quite enjoy this little power snack."
The more Trunks powered up, the more the little dwarf laughed. His smug look disappeared and was replaced with one of worry when he noticed that Trunks was not running out of power. On the contrary, the power just kept growing. The boy's hair quickly turned from white to spiky yellow and he was bulking up to a ridiculous size.
"What the? How are you doing that?"
Just then the wires snapped and Trunks in his super saiyan form rushed at the blue midget roaring with fury.
"HAAAAAH!"
"No! Wait! Please!" Cried the alien. "That's just not fair!"
Break
"HAAAAAH!" Piccolo yelled and his arm regenerated.
"Well, that's just not fair." Said Kogu, readying his sword for his next attack.
"Coming from the guy with a sword at a no weapons tournament." Retorted Piccolo with a little venom.
Piccolo was slowly getting annoyed with his opponent. At first, he was a bit excited when he realized that the 'extraterrestrial' was a genuine alien. His excitement grew when the fight started, and the guy seemed to be a decent fighter. His excitement stopped when the guy pulled a sword out and cut off Piccolo's arm. That was pretty uncool and, frankly, would put an end to any person's fun.
"I assumed you wanted a challenge. It's not my fault that your frail body can't stand up to my power."
Piccolo's eye's narrowed at that. "Alright if you want to get serious, then I'll be happy to oblige." The Namekian readied himself by cracking his neck. "Just don't blame me if you get hurt."
"Bring it on green man. You may have survived round one, but let's see how you handle round 2." The blue swordsman taunted.
He made a lunge at Piccolo with his sword and the Namekian backed away just enough to avoid the tip of the blade. Kogu made another slash, then a thrust, and another slash. One stroke changed fluidly into the next and Piccolo was barely dodging the strikes, falling back further with every fresh attack. Kogu was smiling as Piccolo's back hit a tree. He thought for sure the Namekian was finished, but as he raised his sword to deliver the killing stroke, Piccolo grabbed the sword hand.
"You done yet?" Piccolo asked. The cold, neutral expression on his face caused more fear in Kogu any death glare could have done. The green fighter tightened his grip on the blue man's fist, crippling his hand. He then pulled him in closer, punched him in the gut, threw him in the air and sent a mouth beam at him. The swordsman crashed to the floor battered, bloody, and slightly smoky, but still alive.
"Well done." Said Piccolo. "You've survived round one, lets see how you handle round 2." At this point Piccolo showed his savagery. He was smart enough to work out that these weren't the fighters that were supposed to be in the tournament and felt no regret in dismantling his opponent without mercy. If one were to watch his onslaught, they would be able tell that this was truly the spawn of the demon king. He punched, kicked, upward elbow, back kick, stretch arm grab, smash to the ground and on he went. The more the blue man resisted the more vicious Piccolo got.
Kogu tried firing a ki blast at his foe, but he dodged to the left. The Namekian disappeared from Kogu's sight for a moment, only to reappear a second later at his side. Kogu raised his arm to block without realizing that was what piccolo was aiming for. With a knife hand chop, Piccolo severed the arm just above the elbow, and Kogu let out a wild cry of pain.
"Here on Earth, they have a saying. An eye for an eye and an arm for an arm, or something like that." He tossed the arm away. "Now, where were we?" Piccolo advanced on his prey.
Kogu tried to run but Piccolo stretched out his arm to bring him back. With only one hand to defend himself, the once proud swordsman stood no chance.
After a mercilessly vicious onslaught, when Piccolo finally felt no resistance, he knew that he had broken him. Or killed him, either one was fine by him. The teal man was on his back and Piccolo could tell he was breathing. He grabbed him by the neck and pulled his swollen face level with his own.
"Now, you're going to tell me who you are and why you're here." Piccolo stated and the barely conscious man opened his mouth and uttered something hardly over a whisper. Piccolo, having tremendous hearing just nodded. "Interesting."
Break
Gohan was locked in combat with Bido and Bojack. The battle had gotten incredibly intense as they fought all the way from the lava cavern to the cityscape. Both the Hera warriors were amazed at the power and ability of the boy. True they were getting more hits on him than he was on them, but he was still putting up a decent fight.
Bido shot a ki blast at Gohan, and the boy smashed it right back at the sender. The weaker alien blocked it but then Gohan was right on top of him about to deliver a jackhammer fist to his head. He was saved by Bojack who clotheslined Gohan into a building. Gohan rushed out of it and aimed a kick at Bojack's midsection, but the larger man brought his arm up in time to block it. Bido came back aiming a punch at Gohan's face, which he dodged and round house kicked from above, sending Bido to the ground. Bojack took advantage of this distraction and sent a ki bomb point blank at Gohan. He barely had time to put his guard up, but the blast was powerful and sent him flying quite a distance, crashing into the ground and forming a crater. The Saiyan got up and wiped the blood that was trickling out from his mouth.
Looking at his opponents he couldn't help but feel frustrated. While Bido had some damage, it wasn't that much, and Bojack was virtually unharmed. It seemed every time that he tried to go after the boss, the underling was there to take the blow and then one of them caught Gohan while he was open. He compared the two to his own battered state and it just didn't seem fair. Gohan figured that one on one he could probably take them, but 2 powerful opponents at the same time was a different story, especially when their teamwork was flawless. Not to mention his arm injury from when he protected Zangya was putting him at a disadvantage. It was still usable, but it hurt like the dickens. He knew he had the stamina to keep going at this pace a little longer, but he didn't know what good it would do since he was barely getting in any hits. He could try to go beyond super Saiyan like he had done against Cell, but he hadn't mastered that form yet. In fact, he hadn't even used that transformation since he fought Cell and he wasn't sure he could do it again.
'Ok let's take stock of the situation.' Gohan thought to himself. 'The biggest problem right now is fighting them 2 on 1. So logically the best way to go forward is to separate them. But how? Come on Gohan, Think! What would your dad or Piccolo do?'
Then it hit him
Flashback
Gohan and Piccolo were training in the mountains in preparation for the tournament. At the moment they were taking a break from sparring and Gohan decided that it would be a good time to ask his master a question he had been thinking about for a while.
"Mr. Piccolo,how would you go about fighting multiple enemies?" Gohan asked.
"Easy, just take them out one at a time." Piccolo replied having a bit of experience with this. "Whittle away at their numbers, and eventually their one advantage will disappear."
"But let's say that they are near your strength or stronger, if you focus on 1, then the other will take advantage of the opening and then your toast." Gohan stated. He had made a habit ever since Piccolo's sneak attack to think out battle scenarios and solve them as if they were a homework problem. It was actually pretty fun. Usually, he was able to come up with a decent strategy for his scenarios, but this one had him stuck. After all, he had a hard time imagining how to deal with multiple opponents at the level Cell was at.
Piccolo thought for a moment. "Well, there is a technique you could use to mitigate their numbers. It's risky though, since it comes with a few weaknesses. Still, I guess it wouldn't hurt to learn it. You've actually seen it before, but I can teach you how to do it if you want."
"Yes please!" Replied Gohan enthusiastically.
End flashback.
'That's it! It's got a few weaknesses, but if I time this right, it should work out just fine.'
He flew back up and floated a bit away from Bojack and Bido. Bojack looked at the boy appraisingly. "Not bad brat. In a few years you might even be a threat. But right now, your just another bug." He said with a laugh. "Pity I'll have to squash you just like the rest of this planet."
"Is that all you came here for? To destroy the home of billions of people? Monsters like you make me sick!" Gohan's rage was building again.
"Actually, I came here to visit someone. The man they call Goku is from this planet, isn't he? I came to give him a little thank you for setting me free from my prison. Shame he hasn't shown up yet though. Destroying a planet just isn't as fun without breaking its champion first."
"I don't know how my dad set you free, but it doesn't matter. You're never gonna break out of where I'm sending you. Goku isn't here but I'm his son, and it's my job to protect this planet from scum like you!"
"HaHaHa! So, you're the son of Goku eh? Well then, I shall just deliver my thanks to you." Bojack started charging a ki bomb.
Gohan smiled "Heh, sure I'll accept your thanks. First, I have something for you." Gohan raised his hands to his face and yelled "SOLAR FLARE!" Then a bright light temporarily blinded the unsuspecting Heras. As the two aliens grabbed their heads in agony, Gohan crossed his arms over his chest and yelled "Tri form!" Gohan split into three and one went toward the blinded Bojack while the other 2 charged at Bido, hitting him far away from his boss.
Now that the numbers were in Gohan's favor, he had no problem overpowering the henchman, even with each Gohan at 1/3 normal power. Gohan 1 kicked him in the back, sending him over to Gohan 2. Gohan 2 then sent him right back with a right straight. It almost looked as if Gohan was playing ping pong with the alien.
BAM "GAH"
POW "OOF"
KERPACK "PLEASE!"
SMACK "STOP IT!"
Bido tried to right himself, but before he could, the first Gohan acquiesced to his request. "Alright, since you did say please." Gohan drew his leg up high over his head, charging his attack as Bido flew toward him. When the orange haired invader reached him, he brought his foot down, sending him speeding to the ground courtesy of his axe kick. The two Gohan's charged up there finishing blows
"KA-ME-HA-ME…" Gohan 1 yelled
"MASENKO…" Said Gohan 2.
""HAAAAAA!""
Two beams converged on the alien warrior as he screamed in fear.
"NOOOO!" and then he was no more.
"Well, that's one down one to go." The two Gohan's flew off to join the third one, who was not doing nearly as well as them.
Bojack did not take kindly to being blinded and, though Gohan was able to get a few good shots in, it only served to infuriate the space pirate that he had been fooled by such a ridiculous trick. As soon as he regained his sight, he locked onto Gohan and started pummeling him relentlessly. His left hook impacted on Gohan's guard but it still sent a tremor through his body. He flew backwards before BoJack could follow up, but just when he thought he had gained a good distance, BoJack appeared inches from his face. He landed a roundhouse kick on Gohan's bad arm, causing the preteen to cry out in pain, and followed up with a downward punch that caused Gohan to plummet to the ground. BoJack finished his assault with a large Ki blast that exploded as it hit the boy.
The young warrior groaned as he got back to his feet, his whole body shaking with pain. He knew it was risky dividing his power into three, but he could sense that the other two Gohans were doing their job well. He just needed to hold on till they got back, and they could merge. He hadn't counted on taking this much damage, but if he was smart and did his best to just avoid BoJack, then he could stall long enough to get back to himself.
"Easier said than done." Gohan said to himself.
BoJack still had no idea that his opponent had split and was too focused on torturing Gohan to notice his henchman not being there. When he noticed Gohan stand after the amount of punishment he received, he was more than a little miffed. How could a child stand up to his power? It was absurd! It was humiliating! Full of rage and indignation, he rushed full speed at Gohan, who tried to run away but was too damaged to outrun his opponent. He grabbed Gohan in a bearhug and started squeezing him, attempting to break the boy in half. The half saiyan did his best to resist the pain and fight out of the hold, but Bojack had a clear strength advantage. Finally, as BoJack continued to tighten his grip his victim let out an unearthly scream of pain.
"GYYAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
"That's right," BoJack smiled sadistically at the boy's pain. "Let me hear you scream, you pathetic child!" Then, seemingly out of nowhere, and confusing the Hera out of Bojack, another Gohan appeared and slugged him right across the face. A third one appeared and kicked him in the back, shocking the alien into finally released the first Gohan.
"You ok?" One Gohan asked the other.
"Peachy, let's just end the technique and put this guy down!" The other two Gohans nodded and fused together. "OWW man I am such a liar. I am certainly not peachy."
Gohan, now one being, berated himself for letting himself acquire so much damage. He didn't have much time to reflect on his actions though, when Bojack came straight at him. Gohan, now whole but still damaged, was able to move out of the way, but Bojack reached out with his hand and grabbed Gohans head then slammed it into the ground. Gohan launched a mouth blast causing BoJack to release him as he reeled back, clutching his hand in pain. The saiyan flipped back up and tried to press his advantage. He started hammering away at the semi-injured alien. With each blow, Gohan drove the man further and further along the street. He had forgotten technique, all he was thinking of was putting this monster down as fast as possible and, with each progressive blow, he seemed to be doing just that. With a powerful kick, Bojack went flying away and Gohan charged up what he hoped would be his finishing blow. He raised both hands over his head and brought them together. "SUPER MASENKO…HAAA!" A giant yellow flash of light erupted from his hands. Once his attack faded and the dust cleared, Gohan could see no sign of his opponent. "Oh, thank goodness." Gohan sighed as he sank to his knees and out of super saiyan.
Break
Piccolo arrived on the scene carrying his defeated opponent like a ragdoll. He walked toward Gohan, who was sitting on the ground, with a look of pride on his face. "I came here to help, but it looks like you've got it under control." Piccolo praised his pupil as he tossed Kogu to the ground. Gohan had dropped out of his super Saiyan form, and it was clear the damage he took was pretty severe. But the boy just laughed.
"Hehe, sorry to break the tradition Mr. Piccolo but I think I can finally take on a bad guy without you coming to my rescue." Piccolo chuckled a bit and Gohan laughed until his ribs started hurting again from Bojack's bearhug.
"Owowow."
Piccolo, feeling concern for his young friend, asked "You ok? It looks like they did a number on you."
"Yeah." Replied Gohan. "I think I'll be fine, nothing a senzu bean won't heal."
"Did somebody say senzu bean?" Came a friendly voice. "Cuz' I could really go for one right now." Trunks appeared looking exhausted but otherwise unharmed. Piccolo commented on this.
"What happened? You look alright to me."
"Well yeah, physically. But I had to pull out all the stops on that guy and used up quite a bit of energy. In fact, I had to go all the way to my ascended state just to break this weird technique he used."
"I thought you said that form was too slow to do any good?" Gohan asked.
"That's true, but it definitely generated enough power. Once I broke free the little twerp was so shocked that I escaped that I was able to catch him and finish him with a single blow." Trunks left out the part where he couldn't control his strength, so he accidentally ripped the guy in half
"Hmf, alright. I did get some senzu from Korrin before the tournament just in case. Here, both of you take one."
Piccolo reached into his belt and tossed a been to each of the half saiyans, but as they were mid toss, 2 beams incinerated them.
All three z fighters looked in shock to the direction that the beams came from. Standing there bruised and bloody, but still very much alive, was BoJack, angrier than ever.
"You…. You really think a mere child can make a fool out of me and get away with it? I have destroyed whole galaxies! There is nothing that can stop me!"
Gohan responded in the only way teenagers know how. Flippantly.
"Well, you were in prison weren't you? So something obviously stopped you, right?"
This did nothing but enrage Bojack more and he began powering up. His hair turned red and his skin green as he bulked up considerably.
"This doesn't look good." said Trunks.
All three z fighters powered up and tried to attack him but without any effect. All three warriors were somewhat drained from their previous fights, especially Trunks and Gohan, and nothing they did seemed to work. All three tried to ki blast him but Bojack practically swam through that to get to Gohan. He began wailing on the boy, raining down blows left and right and driving the kid further into the earth. Trunks flew in to try and stop him but, without moving from his spot above Gohan, BoJack grabbed Trunks, held him by his hands and feet and broke him over his knee causing Trunks to cry out in pain.
"St-stop…it.." Gohan muttered.
Bojack tossed Trunks to the side and was about to return to Gohan, but then another annoyance came in the form of Piccolo who came in full speed driving his knee into Bojack's face. This was able to get him off Gohan but only long enough for Piccolo to become his next victim. He shook off the blow, grabbed Piccolo's head, brought it down on his knee, punched him in the gut, and sent a blast that knocked him away.
"Stop it…" Gohan said a little louder.
Bojack was about to return to the young half Saiyan when, yet another distraction appeared by means of a foot to his face. The kick knocked him away from Gohan.
BoJack Looked around to see who the newcomer was. His glare landed on a very familiar woman. "Zangya!? You dare defy me!?" Bojack yelled in anger.
"You bet I would! All these years I've served you loyally. I lose one fight and you try to kill me!" Zangya said angrily. "We were supposed to be like family Bojack! As the last of our kind, we were supposed to look after one another! That's what you always said! How could you just throw me away!?"
The hulking brute cocked his head at this question. He seemed genuinely confused. "You said yourself that you are my servant. My possession. What's wrong with throwing away a possession that no longer serves its purpose?"
Zangya was taken aback by this callous response. For a moment, it seemed as if she was about to tear up, but she shook it thought better of it. She peered over at Gohan. She didn't know why she was risking her life to protect this kid. Maybe she was just fed up with Bojack's years of abuse and she finally decided to take a stand. Maybe she had lost her marbles, and this was the dumbest thing she would ever do. Either way, she couldn't shake one thought from her mind. This kid, a complete stranger to her, and an enemy to boot, offered her mercy, even a little kindness. He had risked his life to protect her. Bojack on the other hand? She had been by his side for years, yet at the first sign of failure, he had cast her aside like she was so much garbage. Zangya tore her gaze from Gohan's prone figure and dropped to her fighting stance, ready to face Bojack.
"Oh, I see, you've taken a liking to this earth scum, haven't you? Well, you always had a soft spot for animals. Don't worry I'll kill you first, so you don't have to watch him die."
Zangya powered up and she aimed a flying kick at Bojack's head, but before it landed he grabbed her by the ankle and started swinging her left and right, hitting the ground on each swing.
"I took you all in!" BoJack slammed his former lieutenant to one side.
"I gave you purpose!" He slammed her to the other side.
"I made you the most feared and powerful beings in the universe!" blood was trickling from Zangya's head.
"You would be nothing without me! You are mine to use as I please! Mine to Kill! How dare you betray me!?"
"I said Stop it, that's enough!" Gohan said while getting shakily to his feet.
Bojack was forced to release Zangya and she went flying when Piccolo shot a blast at the rampaging monster. He stomped toward Piccolo. Grabbing the Namekian by the head he started to squeeze, causing Piccolo to cry out in pain.
"I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH!" Screamed Gohan as his aura flared up.
This change in energy caused Bojack to drop an unconscious Piccolo and turn his gaze towards Gohan. Gohan was standing tall, still bruised and bloodied but, in some way that defied logic, he looked stronger than ever. His hair was once again golden, but every strand was standing straight up, save for one lock that was dangling over his forehead. An electric aura surrounded him, and he was emitting an energy that petrified even Bojack.
Gohan began walking towards the invader with a slow and purposeful stride. "You think you can come in here and hurt my friends? You think you can kill innocent people? Well, I won't let that happen. Not here, not anymore." The closer he got the more intense his energy was and Bojack found himself backing away from a mere child.
He chided himself for being afraid of a brat and charged forward. He landed a punch right on Gohans face, but it did nothing and Gohan kept walking. He tried a kick, which Gohan didn't even bother blocking. It landed with a loud bang, but Gohan was unfazed.
"Is it my turn now?" He asked with a feral grin. Bojack now felt true fear and he tried to run away, but no matter which way he flew Gohan was there to block his path.
"See here's the thing about bullying Bojack." Gohan said as his opponent stood frozen in fear. "Sooner or later you'll always find somebody who is stronger than you, and it looks like today is your unlucky day." Gohan lunged forward and drove his fist deep into Bojack's belly causing him to double over in pain. He then tossed him up and backflip kicked him into the ground.
"Just… what… are you?!" Bojack asked between gasps, utter terror permeating his voice.
"Didn't I already tell you? Well, I guess once more won't hurt. I'll consider it a last request. I am Son Gohan, son of Goku! I am an ally of justice, but you can call me 'your reckoning'. I promised my father that I would protect this planet from Monsters like you! These people are my friends, and this planet is my home. So, I. Wont! LET YOU HURT THEM!" Gohan screamed as he threw back his head and powered up even more.
Bojack knew he only had one shot if he wanted to survive, so he put every last bit of energy into a ki bomb and launched it at Gohan. Bojack was sure, with as close as it was, he would hit no sweat. Gohan saw the ball of energy, smirked and kicked it into the air where it exploded in a massive display, but harmed no one.
Gohan disappeared and reappeared right in front of BoJack. He looked down in terror at the boy, standing in a crouched stance with his hands together at one side.
"Ka…me….ha…me….." Before BoJack's brain could tell him to run it was already too late. "HAAAAA!"
The blue beam enveloped the would-be destroyer and reduced him to space dust. Gohan stood staring and trying to sense his opponent. When he was sure that Bojack was no more he said "Well… Glad that's over." With that he dropped out of his super Saiyan 2 form and blacked out.
And so, once again, the earth was saved by Son Gohan! What adventures await the Earth's champion? Find out next time on Earth's Greatest Champion: Son Gohan!
A/N: I hope this was a satisfying ending for the intergalactic tournament. This was a lot longer than the first two, but I wanted to finish up with BoJack. I know I left out Vegeta, Hercule, and Goku, but to be honest I like Vegeta too much to have him show up and do nothing. Hercule will appear in the next chapter. Anyways, thanks again for reading. If you have any suggestions or critiques let me know in the reviews.