A/N: Happy new year everyone! I hope you all had a truly wonderful time! Okay, so I'll be answering some questions at the end of the chapter that caught my attention. Without further ado, let us delve into the seismic rush of action and emotion that follows!
Chapter 62: The fallen Prince
"Are we just gonna stare at each other, all day?" Seventeen taunted his golden-haired foe, as they stood opposite one another on the thick, grassy terrain of an island, not very far from Kame House.
"Feel free to attack at any time."
"Don't mind if I do." With that, the Android leapt forward, hurling a fist towards his opponent's face, only for Vegeta to slip and counter with a low punch to the midsection, followed up by left-hook, right-hook combination and as the coup de grace, a side-kick to the chest. Seventeen was propelled towards a mountainside and barely managed to still his momentum, before impacting against the jagged slope.
"Not bad, your Majesty, not bad at all." The youthful Android smirked, dusting off his chest and leisurely making his way back over to Vegeta, without a care in the world. "I can see why you gave Eighteen so much trouble. Even so, this isn't a battle you can win. Why don't you try that again?"
The Saiyan snorted, but maintained his ground. Just as he'd thought, Seventeen's fighting maneuvers were more or less identical to those of his twin's. By his measure, the mechanical duo would slightly over-extend whenever they launched an attack, allowing him to counter; just one minor error, amongst several others. No matter how superlative Dr. Gero's programming was, nothing could overcome such deficiencies, aside from practice and proper training in the real world. It brought to mind his own simulation exercises. Had he simply relied on computerized combat, without reinforcing it on the outside, his fighting prowess wouldn't be nearly as distinguished as it was today.
'Why're they just standing there, like statues?!' Eighteen clenched her teeth restlessly, as a minute of awkward silence trickled by.
"Come on Princess, any time now." Seventeen goaded. That scathing slur was all it took to break Vegeta's placid composure and get him vexedly springing into action. This time, however, the Android sustained a solid defensive position. Some attacks managed to slip past his guard, but for the most part he remained untouched.
"That all you've got?" The Android smirked, before provocatively repeating. "Princess?"
The simmering Saiyan roared and in a calamitous fit of rage, intensified his assault, while his smug opponent continued riling him up at will. Beneath the blinding haze of fury, however, emerged a hint of caution and alarm. Eventually he figured out Seventeen's ploy. The cybernetic warrior was staying on the defensive, all the while fomenting his ire, so he could needlessly exhaust his energy. Upon realizing this, Vegeta quickly drew back and pulled himself together.
"What's the matter, Princess?" Seventeen waggishly chuckled. "Don't tell me you're giving up already? We've barely gotten started."
"You know, it seems to me that between the pair of you, blondey is the one with the balls." The Prince sneered, deciding that two could play a game. "Not that it did her any good, of course."
"Haha." The Android rolled his eyes. "Very funny."
"Are you sure you're the male sibling and not the female?" He asked, donning a vexatious smirk. "Or perhaps your senile creator decided to swap a few pieces, when he turned the two of you, into the mechanical freaks you are."
"Shut up!" Seventeen snapped, any traces of amusement vanished from his handsome features, as disturbing flashbacks flittered across his mind, of him and his sister, strapped on Dr. Gero's operating table like a pair of human guinea-pigs. "You don't know anything about us or what that fucking bastard did to us!"
"I know one thing." He jeered. "Your sister, for lack of a better word, has a sizeable set of balls. I know, because I held them in the palm of my hand."
"You motherfucker!"
Just as Vegeta had hoped, his fuming foe attacked with reckless abandon and the Prince was able to exploit his openings, thereby scoring a number of key hits on Seventeen's vital points.
"Focus, you idiot!" Eighteen peevishly yelled, from the sidelines. "He's obviously trying to provoke you! Keep this up and I'm tagging in, got it?!"
"No, this is my battle!" Seventeen shot her a glare, as he staggered to his feet and took a deep, calming breath. "Stay out."
"Where's all your bravado gone now, hotshot?" Vegeta scoffed.
"You're pretty clever Saiyan, I'll give you that." The debonair Android expectorated a thick glob of bloody phlegm, from his mottled lips. "But if you think you can win this with mere words, you're a bigger fool than I imagined."
"Funny you say that, considering that you've yet to land a single hit."
"That's just it, I don't need to land anything." Seventeen averred, lips quirked up in a bumptious smile. "I'll admit that your fighting capabilities are beyond my grasp and while that is mighty impressive, you still suffer the unfortunate drawback of being an organic life-form. So long as I don't sustain any major damage, all I need to do is wait for you to burn yourself out and it's game over."
"A coward's move." Vegeta disdainfully remarked.
"Call it what you want." The Android snorted. "The end result is all that matters, your Highness. Counter-attacks are your forte, that much is obvious, but what if there's nothing to counter? As I quite aptly demonstrated, a defensive position leaves far fewer openings, than an offensive one."
"In that case, it seems we're at an impasse."
"Not quite." Seventeen smugly replied. "Unlike myself, I'm sure that blonde form of yours isn't designed to last forever. That would explain why you only use it during battle." At the slight twitch in Vegeta's eye, the cybernetic fighter smirked, knowing he'd guessed right. "Just as I thought. I can stand here for as long as I please. You, on the other hand, are bound to regress and once that happens, we both know you're done for."
Without warning, the Prince rushed forward, getting in as many hits as possible, before Seventeen put his guard up. The flame-haired warrior decided that his only chance at victory was to rain down blow after blow upon his mechanical adversary and crush him the good old-fashioned way, hoping against hope that he wouldn't run out of energy beforehand. Loathe as he was to admit it, Seventeen's stratagem was damn-near flawless and overcoming it appeared to be nothing short of impossible. But he was the Saiyan Prince. He'd overcome the impossible before and was resolved to do so again. For starters, he needed to utilize all his resources. Arms locked together with his opponent, Vegeta roughly jabbed the tip of his golden tail into the Android's left eye, in a sudden and unexpected maneuver that rendered Seventeen half-blind, thus giving the Saiyan a major handicap. As Seventeen cursed and howled in pain, Vegeta pressed his advantage, clobbering away at his disgruntled adversary. Yes, this would certainly shift the tide his way.
XXXX
"Darn it, this wasn't part of the plan." Goku seethed, fists clenched in frustration. "What the hell is Vegeta thinking?"
"We have to help him." Gohan vehemently insisted.
"I know, but- I'm just not strong enough yet." Earth's hero said defeatedly. "We were supposed to wait for Piccolo."
"But-"
"Don't worry Gohan." He cut off his son. "If Vegeta can just hold them off long enough for Piccolo to finish his training, we should be able to win this, without question. In any case, if the situation gets out of hand, I will intercede."
"Alright dad." The edgy boy nodded, somewhat placated.
Little did they know, however, that a certain biomechanical fiend was fast headed towards the hotspot.
XXXX
Somewhere in the midst of battle, the youthful Android's forbearance ran out and he abandoned his early game plan of staying on the defensive. They'd been fighting relentlessly for a good half-hour or so, both parties completely oblivious to the ghastly monstrosity that was viewing the spectacle from nearby, his Ki suppressed and a twisted twinkle of sickly amusement engrained upon his repugnant features. Seventeen and Vegeta seemed dead-even, trading crunching blows, one after the other. An ordinary viewer would likely imagine that the fight could go either way, but Cell knew better. While each opponent was breathing heavily, Seventeen's perpetual power was an obstacle that no one could overcome- no one besides himself, of course. Even so, Seventeen's left eye was completely shut and Vegeta was greedily grasping at every little advantage that came his way. If the black-haired Android made a fatal enough mistake, it could prove to be his undoing. Deciding not to take that chance, the insectoid creature made his presence known.
"Hello boys." He greeted, casually walking towards the scene.
With a sharp jerk of their heads, Seventeen and Vegeta turned towards the encroacher, in unison.
"What the hell is that- thing?!" The Android grimaced, at the gruesome aberration that met his gawping eyes. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before.
"I do hope I'm not intruding." The monster grinned, meaty tail swishing behind him in excitement. Yes, his time had come at last. The dawn of a new, perfect era was right at his fingertips. He could practically taste its sharp, galvanizing tang.
"Cell." The Prince hissed, compact figure tightening with fearsome rage.
"You know this thing?!" Seventeen asked his opponent, noticing his deathly scowl, fixated upon the hideous intruder.
"I should've known you'd show your ugly face here!" Vegeta's golden aura burst around his robust figure, its skirling winds whooshing towards his insectoid target. Cell, however, wasn't fazed in the slightest. "I ought to have killed you, when I had the chance!"
"Oh Vegeta, ever the blustering buffoon." Cell chuckled, pressing a folded index finger against his beak. "From where I stand now, you're nothing short on a measly little insect, so I'll give you one chance and one chance, only. Flee now and leave Seventeen and Eighteen to me." He smirked at the searing glare on the wroth royal's taut features. If looks could kill, he would've died instantaneously. "Of course, I'll still end up killing you no matter what you decide, but since I'm literally a hair's breadth away from perfection, I happen to be feeling generous enough to defer your inevitable execution."
Vegeta pointed a palm towards his hated adversary and flared a gleaming orb of yellow energy.
"Big Bang Attack!" He fired, only for Cell to effortlessly deflect the beam up into the sky, to the Prince's horror and disbelief. That was one of his signature moves. How could he have done away with it, so easily?
"You have no idea what you're up against, do you?" The monster fizzled, as he made his foreboding advance. "Have you any clue, just how many millions I've absorbed in the past day or so? I have come far, since the last time you and I crossed paths and shall only go further, hence."
"That's enough out of you!" Seventeen growled indignantly. "Whatever business you think you have with Eighteen and myself, we'll gladly take a pass. I suggest you get lost now."
"Oh, I'm afraid I must stay, brother." Cell sniggered. "I have what you might call, a date with destiny."
"Wh-What did you call me?!" The suave Android all but gagged.
"Seventeen, you must escape immediately." Sixteen cautioned.
"Tch, give me a break." Seventeen sneered, gandering at his much larger companion. "Escape is the last thing on my mind."
"Your friend's right." Vegeta grudgingly spat. "This creature before you is Dr. Gero's ultimate weapon. His name is Cell and he means to absorb you and blondey, over there."
"Absorb?!" The Android gasped, before huffing and shaking his head, as he took up a stance. "Well that's not gonna happen, I can assure you."
"Come now Seventeen, do not resist fate." Cell maliciously smiled. "You are a part of something much greater than you could possibly imagine. You should feel honored."
"You should go fuck yourself!" Seventeen lunged at the insectoid and swung a right hand, aimed for his face. Cell easily caught the blow, with an open palm.
"Tsk tsk tsk." The monster shook his head in disappointment. "This was not the kind of union I was hoping for, brother." He promptly dug his fist into Seventeen's abdomen and slammed him to the ground, thereafter launching the tip of his stinger towards the dumbstruck fighter's torso. Right before it struck, however, Cell noticed a spinning saucer of flaxen Ki, closing in on him fast. He frantically jumped out of the way, but not in time to save the lower half of his spotted tail. "Arrrrggggghhhhh!" He howled in agony and turned his murderous gaze upon the complacent culprit. "You Saiyan bastard! What have you done to me?!"
"I would call it an improvement, wouldn't you?" Vegeta chortled at the incandescent insectoid's expense. "Now you can't absorb anyone, you son of a bitch! Mark my words Cell! You're going to die right here!"
Seventeen meanwhile, threw the severed appendage off of him, shuddering in disgust at the purplish goo smeared all over his shirt. He fell back several paces till he was standing beside Vegeta. Removing his blemished garment, he used it to clean the muck off his chest, before tossing it away. As aesthetically alluring as his upper-body was, the Android hated being shirtless but under the circumstances, he had no other choice.
"Bray while you still can, my dear Prince." Cell hissed, before shutting his eyes tight and scrunching his face in concentration. Seconds later, he let out a grunt, as his tail regenerated.
"What the?!" Seventeen exclaimed, wide-eyed. "What the hell is he?!"
"Tch, I forgot that you're part Namekian." The Saiyan spat.
"What do you mean he's part-"
"Not now." Vegeta gruffly interrupted. "I'll explain everything once he's dead."
"Right." The Android replied. "Thanks, by the way. I owe you big time. That bastard almost had me there."
"Hmph, whatever." The Prince scoffed. He couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised at the display of gratitude. Seventeen didn't seem at all like the fiend from Trunks' future. Perhaps baldy's hunch was right after all. In any case, there were more immediate concerns that required his attention. "As much as I hate to say it, our only chance is to take him together. I'll attack him from the left-hand-side, you take the right. And be careful of his tail."
"Got it." The cybernetic warrior readily nodded, in agreement.
"A Saiyan fighting alongside an Android?" Cell mirthfully laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day. Quite an interesting turn of events."
"Now!" Vegeta roared, and the two lunged towards their monstrous foe, shooting their best attacks. They were far from peak condition, but even so, Cell found himself experiencing quite a bit of trouble against the unlikely duo.
"Down low." The Prince enjoined, as he locked his opponent's wrist, giving Seventeen a clear opening to strike. Vegeta continued using an array of grappling maneuvers to temporarily immobilize the monster and Seventeen capitalized with resounding blows, each and every time. The odd pair worked in tandem, perfectly harmonizing their respective abilities and thereby achieving optimal results. Cell was growing more and more frustrated. In spite of their individual shortcomings, these puny weaklings fought together rather well.
XXXX
"Boy, Vegeta's something else!" Goku buoyantly grinned. "Cell's so much stronger, but somehow he and that Android, have him on the ropes."
"They need to finish it quickly." Gohan anxiously remarked. "Vegeta's been fighting too long and he's exhausted."
"I know." Earth's hero nodded solemnly. "Come on Vegeta, you're so close. You can't botch this up now." He willed. "We're all counting on you."
XXXX
"Curse you both to hell!" Cell hooked the Saiyan across the jaw, launching him backwards and off his feet, only for Seventeen to land a brutal uppercut to his solar-plexus in that very same second. Vegeta followed up with a Ki blast mid-flight, striking the insectoid square in the face and landing him on the ground, in a sharp hiss of pain.
"Fall back." The Prince vociferated and Seventeen did just that, trusting the Saiyan's battle instincts over his own foolhardy impulse to chase after Cell, all by his lonesome. He had to admit that fighting with Vegeta as both an enemy and an ally, had completely revolutionized his perspective on martial-arts and he couldn't help the burgeoning respect he felt for his former adversary. Of course that didn't mean they wouldn't finish their battle once they crushed the overgrown bug-man. That aside however, he no longer held any animosity towards Vegeta. Heck, he even considered asking him to join their little clique, as an honorary fourth member. The black-haired Android smirked at the thought. Yes, organic or otherwise, the Saiyan had definitely proven himself worthy in Seventeen's eyes.
"It's time to end this." Vegeta stated.
"What do you have in mind?"
"I know a technique that'll hold him still, for just a short moment." He replied, in reference to one of Chiaotzu's psychic abilities. Try as he might, he was unable to master it as the dwarfish Crane pupil had, but he still acquired a basic understanding that would hopefully be enough to neutralize Cell. "On my mark, I want you to go in there and blow that fucker's head off. I'm sure he won't be able to regenerate after that."
"Sounds good to me." The invigorated Android grinned.
"You bastards!" Cell blared and lunged towards his opponents.
"Now!" Vegeta held both hands out, freezing the overwrought insectoid on the spot, much to the latter's shock and horror. Seventeen simultaneously rushed ahead, right hand flared up with his most powerful energy attack.
"Die!" Just as he fired, however, Vegeta's Super Saiyan aura abruptly fused out and Cell was able to move again. By a meagre millisecond margin, the horrendous monster ducked beneath the fatal blast, pulling himself away from death's door, under the flimsiest of wires. The Prince gasped, as he realized what had happened.
Cell furiously backhanded Seventeen away, before appearing in front of the perturbed, panic-stricken source of his troubles. This arrogant, inferior little shit had proven himself to be a major pain in the backside and it was high-time, he pay for his insolence.
"I hope you're happy Vegeta, to have come so close to keeping me away from perfection, only to fail miserably in the end." He seethed, pressing the base of his palm against the Saiyan's abdomen. "And now, without further ado, you shall join your royal ancestors in hell."
Cell shot a hole right through the Prince, hurling him afar. Vegeta's bloodied form submerged into the sea, all trace of his life force, vanished.
Seventeen apprehensively gaped at the display, overcome with dread, knowing that he'd not only lost a powerful ally, but his one shot at crushing Cell.
"You're a monster!" He furiously yelled at the insectoid, whereby the latter whirled around to face him.
"Now, now, Seventeen." Cell smirked complacently. "I was merely getting rid of a cumbersome fly, there's no need to be upset. Now, you and I can finally merge together and become one."
"I'll die before I ever join you!" The frenzied Android hissed, assuming a stance.
"So will I!" Eighteen flew over and stood by her brother's side, teeth grit and battle-ready. "You'll never get past the both of us. We're gonna finish what Vegeta started."
"No." It was Sixteen who spoke, sauntering towards the scene, with unflappable poise. The twins started, as he stoically made his way between them. "You two must get out of here now and leave Cell to me."
"To you?" Eighteen creased her eyes. "No offence big guy, but if Vegeta or Seventeen couldn't beat him, what makes you think you've got a chance?"
"My scanners indicate that I am just as powerful as Cell." He casually responded, to the astonishment of both his cybernetic counterparts. "Moreover, since he is damaged from his previous fight, it is likely that I have the upper hand. If he acquires either of you however, that will no longer be the case. Please, I urge you to leave now."
"Well hello there- uh- who are you, exactly?" The insectoid frowned in confusion. "I don't recall you being listed on Dr. Gero's files." He smirked, as he put two-and-two together. "Oh, I see now. You must be one of those failed projects that were filtered out of the good doctor's databank."
"You are correct." Sixteen confirmed, features contorted in a rare expression of disgust. "However, Dr. Gero is dead and I shall see to it that you join him- monster."
"And I look forward to seeing you fail- failure."
XXXX
"I- I don't understand." Bulma pressed a hand against her anguished heart, as her glistening, blue eyes watered. "Vegeta was winning- wasn't he?"
"He was, but- something happened." Krillin shakily answered. "He- he must've run out of energy and Cell- he uh-"
"He killed him." Yamcha finished, shutting his eyes tight at the loss of their mighty champion and dare he say- hero. Yes, Vegeta had indeed died a hero's death.
"No, it- it can't be true." The heiress clenched her teeth, as a batch of tears streamed down her face. She'd sensed it herself, but refused to believe it. Something inside her told her that he couldn't be dead. He just couldn't.
"I- I'm sorry Bulma." Krillin mumbled.
"It's not true dammit, it's not!" Bulma furiously grabbed the bald man by the shoulders, digging her nails inside his flesh, earning an acute cry from Krillin. "It's not true." She whimpered, her excruciating hold loosening, as she fell on all fours and wept profusely, heart throbbing with unyielding pain and sorrow. "Vegeta, you can't be gone. It's not possible." He was the father of her son, he was her life, her everything. He had to be alive, he just had to be. This was all her fault for losing that stupid remote controller. If they had it with them, they could've destroyed the Androids without garnering Cell's unwarranted attention. And then there was Trunks. How could he ever forgive her, for keeping him away from the battle?! Krillin knelt beside her, arm wrapped around her shoulders as he vainly tried to comfort the sniffling, sobbing mess of a mother.
Tien gnashed his teeth in self-abasement, lip curled up detestably, as he was beset with a surge of abjection, directed solely towards himself. How could he have allowed this?! How could he sit back like a coward, when someone like Vegeta fearlessly stood on the front lines and gave his life away?! Where was he, in all of this?! Where were Goku and everyone else?! Unable to contain his blistering fury at Bulma's dejected cries of anguish, the three-eyed warrior let out a thunderous bellow.
"I can't take this anymore!" With the crimson flames of the Super Kaio-Ken billowing around him more potently than ever before, Tien sped towards the skies as fast as he could, before anyone could get a word out. He didn't care what happened to him. He would give his life away, just as Vegeta had, if it meant stopping Cell once and for all. It was time for him to join the fray.
"Tien, no!" Chiaotzu protested, but his best friend was already a dot in the distance.
"That guy is just as awesome as ever." Launch swooned, smirking at the three-eyed man's ebbing figure.
XXXX
"Goku please, you must stay put." Mr. Popo ardently pleaded with the outraged and frenzied Saiyan. "I know he was your friend. I know how difficult it is to lose someone, but if you go now, Cell will undoubtedly destroy you."
"I won't let him get away with this!" Goku swore, as sizzling fury swept over his stalwart figure. "I can't! I have to go!"
"Please, think about Gohan." His former mentor entreated. "He needs you to train him, so that the two of you may be ready to face the challenges that lie ahead. You must not throw your life away, young one. Cell's madness will not stop here. Once he's finished with Earth, he'll continue unleashing hell upon the entire Universe. Countless innocents will perish. With Vegeta gone, you're our greatest hope and we need you at your best, if we hope to stop this menace, once and for all. "
Gohan was on his knees, features lachrymose and tense with barely repressed rage and bereavement at the loss of a man he'd come to admire and revere, as long as he could remember. He too sought to rush towards the action, boots on the ground, wanting nothing more than to rip Cell's vile heart out and crush it within his palm, but the genie's sagely counsel struck deep and made him stay his wrath.
"We can't fight Cell, not yet." The demi-Saiyan stood to his feet, spitting the words out like they were poison, as he wiped his eyes clean. "Mr. Popo's right, dad. We need to train and become stronger. We'll find a way to wish Vegeta back, I don't care how we do it! I won't let him stay dead!"
XXXX
Atop a cliff, Tien repressed his energy and watched the explosive action unfolding before his incredulous eyes.
Cell found himself in a serious pickle. Sixteen was a troublesome adversary to say the least, despite his normally tranquil temperament. The gigantic Android introduced him to an unwelcoming assortment of techniques, each involving it's own special variety of pain. As it turned out, Sixteen was purely artificial unlike the others, which ruled out any possibility of cellular fusion. What a darn shame, given his considerable power. Even so, he had more pressing matters to be concerned about, namely, getting ahold of one of his unruly siblings.
The fight went on and Cell ended up being hurled beneath the ground. Sixteen removed his detachable hands and pointed his lasers towards the general direction of his insect-like adversary.
"Hell's Flash!" The giant roared, firing his most powerful Ki blast, causing vibrant tremors along the ruined landscape. So intense was the plasma attack that ample bursts of it shot out from below Earth, stretching across a half-mile radius. It was a volcanic light-show of unprecedented energy that would've obliterated the entire planet had it not been properly timed and controlled. A horrifying scream of agony was heard from within the vast burrows and it appeared that the monster had finally met its end.
"Way to go, Sixteen!" Seventeen lauded, once the noise died down and an eerie sense of calm swept over the placid island. "You sure showed him."
"Sixteen you're- you're amazing." Eighteen mumbled, in awe.
"Why're you still here?!" The giant Android vociferously rebuked. "Leave now! Cell may well be alive and if he absorbs you, no one will be able to defeat him!"
"Come on, there's no way he would've survived that." Seventeen smirked, arrogantly folding his arms. "Besides, if that monster's still breathing, I'd like to put an end to him myself." He let out a wistful sigh. "I came pretty close the last time, until Vegeta wasted away."
"Oh don't you worry about Vegeta." Came the fizzled voice of none other than Cell, emerging through a perforation, behind the youthful Android. The insectoid was singed and burned horribly, but alive nonetheless. Seventeen gasped and whirled around, but not in time, as the abhorrent creature's stinger dilated and enveloped the upper half of his trim body. "Unlike that annoying interloper, you shall live on, as an eternal part of me. And very soon, our sister will join us and we will be united into a single perfect being, like no other."
"Seventeen, no!" Eighteen frantically shrieked, as her twin cursed and vainly struggled to try and escape. She attacked Cell with everything she had, but the latter simply backhanded her away, callously telling her to 'wait her turn'.
Sixteen leapt forward, unable to do a thing, as his comrade's small, squirming stature was sucked whole, his muffled screams of horror and disgust, receding into a gaping abyss of nothingness. A demonic, evolutionary process had begun, which one could only imagine in their very worst nightmares. Cell's figure glowed, power spiralling through him, as a hellish metamorphosis began to transpire. Those present could only watch, frissons of spine-chilling terror coiling through them, as the monster transformed and the entire archipelago shook, in seismic dismay.
A/N: Oh nooooo, poor Vegeta! Is he truly dead or is there more to Bulma's gut feeling, than everyone thinks? And Cell's about to reach his second stage. It's all up to Piccolo now, but can he come out of the time chamber in time? And will he be strong enough to face the infernal menace that threatens the world? Please leave your thoughts and review, my friends! :D
p.s. Just wanted to leave a few answers, to some key questions and critiques:
Anonymous: You're right, Vegeta did lose virtually all his strength, but he spent the subsequent year and longer training his way through the Gravity Chamber at really intense levels, whereas Goku was training in Yardrat, where the Gravity is 10x Earth's (as per this fic, anyway). On top of that, there was the simulation training, so yeah. Regarding your point about Vegeta's defenses, remember that in the canon 50% Frieza was repeatedly delivering blows on Goku at Kaio-Ken x10, but he still wasn't out for the count (just one of many such examples, e.g. Goku vs. Raditz and Kid Buu vs. Vegeta etc.). I think it's very reasonable to say that Vegeta's defensive mechanisms would be able to weather out the storm of Kaio-Ken x20.
Guest: I'd like to thank you for all the reviews, first of all. Respectfully though, I think you're being a little too biased and blowing things out of proportion. No, it wouldn't be smart at all for Goku to leave with Krillin and Gohan, because the guy was crippled to the point of immobility, there were no senzu beans left and they were in a rush to prevent Vegeta from gathering the dragon balls. The Namekians most certainly have integrity, but they have to weigh that against self-preservation; if Vegeta's going to kill them all and steal their dragon ball either way, they may as well buy a little time so they can properly plan things out. Before labelling Bulma the 'bitchiest bitch', please consider what she was going through at the time, that she did apologise to Gohan for shouting at him and that the two of them ended up comforting one-another. I don't see how everyone's dumb at all. I'd argue that they're much smarter than their canon counterparts, being able to outmaneuver stronger opponents, using their wits. Being at 75k would've been too farfetched, because Krillin stood no chance against the Ginyu Force fighters and they were definitely weaker than 75k (which is why I decided to make him much stronger afterwards, through proper training, where it's more feasible and reasonable). Yamcha apologized, because he realized that he did pretty much the same thing Bulma did, so it wasn't right to just give her the cold shoulder. And believe me, Krillin and the humans will get some good screen time, especially when you reach the Trunks saga and the tournament saga, so hang in there. :)
Power levels (descending order):
Piccolo: ?
Android 16: 550 million
Android 17: 450 million
Vegeta: 8.5 million
425 million (Super Saiyan)
Spent the last day or so in meditation, springing some dormant energy
Android 18: 420 million
Goku: 8 million
400 million (Super Saiyan)
Zenkai boost, after recovering from the heart virus
Super Tien: 105 million