(Master & Student Clash, Piccolo vs Gohan)
Guest: Yeah, I'm taking the time to work on some of my other stories. But for future reference, please don't review just to ask when other updates will come out, I hate it when people do that sort of thing.
SSJGogeta729024: Thanks, I'm glad to see you like it so much. Yeah, Adult Gotenks was a major missed opportunity. As for whether or not we'll see him again in this story, I haven't decided yet. Yeah, GT definitely did have a lot of things going against it, it's definitely the weakest series of the Dragon Ball franchise. I'm glad you think I'm doing the rebellion team going against Baby well. As interesting as the idea sounds, I already decided that I'm not going to be doing the Super 17 or Shadow Dragon sagas. As for the possibility of Gohan going Super Saiyan 4, well we'll just have to wait and see. Even if I do incorporate it in some way, it won't be in the traditional sense like Goku or Vegeta. We'll see soon enough.
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Things were progressing very slowly on the Sacred World of the Kais.
Old Kai and Kibito Kai were still trying to pull out Goku's tail, only for this process to suddenly be interrupted when Goku sensed something strange happening, and he looked over at the crystal ball just in time to see the newly merged form of Majuub triumph over Gotenks.
After seeing this, Old Kai then had Goku tied to a rock so that he couldn't move, and then they resumed with pulling out his tail.
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The battle against Baby's herald was about to reach its climax.
Piccolo glanced out into the distance, and he gave a small smile 'So Bulla is down for the count, and now so are Goten and Trunks. Pan and Uub both won, but it looks like one of them did so at a price. Buu is gone. Still, his sacrifice was a noble won. Good job you two, I know Goku would be proud to see how much you've grown.' then his expression hardened 'But this fight isn't over yet, not by a long shot.' he turned to face his opponent "So that's two battles down now, and that means it's just us left."
"I guess so." Gohan's expression appeared to be one of remorse and sadness, along with a small bit of confliction "I don't suppose there was any way that I could talk you out of this?"
"No there isn't, and I'm guessing that goes both ways."
"So it would seem, but I really don't want to have to fight you Piccolo. Don't make me do this, I promise you everything is going to work out. I hated the thought of joining Lord Baby as well, but he proved to be that I was wrong. Being part of a united force like this feels unlike anything I've ever felt before. It feels good now, but having you and Pan and the others is going to make it perfect. We would be the ultimate force of Tuffle justice, and I want you to be part of it."
"If you know anything about me Gohan, then you know that I don't turn away from what I believe in. There are times when he have to look beyond what we want and do what we believe to be for the best. You know this because I've been by your side for so long, and I've seen how you've matured over the years."
"Yeah, almost all of that I have to contribute to you."
"Perhaps, but that goes both ways. You've become a truly great warrior Gohan, and yet despite that you've remained humble. I was taught by you that power is nothing if it isn't guided by love and compassion. Watching you grow has helped me to grow as well Gohan, and that's why I'm here now, standing the shoes once filled by you and your father, fighting to save the Earth and her people from themselves."
"...I see. So I guess I don't have a choice then." Gohan let a single tear fall down his cheek "I'm sorry it had to come to this."
"So am I Gohan, so am I. But at the very least, I can give you this. Clothes Beam!" with a quick flash of his fingertip, Piccolo engulfed Gohan in an identical copy of his purple gi, without the weighted cape and turban "That's the least I can do for you. After all, if we have to fight then we might as well do it properly, which is also why I want you to come at me with all the power you have at your disposal."
"I understand. You deserve that much at least." Gohan flared his aura, and with a quick yet primal sounding roar, he ascended to his highest level: Super Saiyan 2, with the golden hair standing on end and the aura crackling with bio-electricity "This is it Piccolo, this is as high as I can go at the moment."
"...Is that right? Well then I guess I'll just have to change that, and in the meantime I'll show you just how strong I've become since this whole ordeal started." Piccolo dropped into a stance and gritted his teeth, and then let out a furious roar and shockwave, the sheer force shaking the entire planet. When everything died down, Piccolo revealed himself, his upper body having bulked up slightly while crackling with white electricity "So now you see for yourself, you're not the only one whose gotten stronger. Now is where the real fight begins."
"I can see that." Gohan slowly dropped into a stance 'I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, his power has increased so dramatically it's almost like he's a different person, and judging by what I'm sensing from him, he's had his full potential awakened by the Old Kai as well. The question is though, is it going to be enough or will it prove too much for me to handle? I guess there's only one way to find out. Come on Piccolo, show me exactly what this new power of yours is capable of."
"I intend to." with a green flash, Piccolo blitzed right past Gohan with ease, leaving a shallow cut on his cheek, the force of his aura also incinerating part of the mountain in front of him 'It does seem strange, but even now it feels like my body hasn't fully adapted the new power that was awakened by the Old Kai, but it does feel incredible. For all we know, this power might be what we need to turn the tide of this battle.'
"I hope you're not letting that increase in power make you conceited!" Gohan spiked his aura and burst towards Piccolo at full speed.
Piccolo was forced on the defensive, but he was very effective with it, as he dodged, blocked and weaved his way around every attack with ease, and once he found an opening he dealt Gohan a swift kick to the chest.
"MASENKO!" Gohan stopped himself, then burst up into the air and fired a Masenko blast downwards.
Piccolo calmly fired an Explosive Demon Wave at the Masenko, tearing through the blast with obvious ease.
"Cancelling out one attack isn't going to be enough!" Gohan burst down towards the ground and charged at Piccolo, leading the two of them to trade even blows, though he was quickly pushed back by a knee to the gut, an uppercut to the jaw and a kick to the neck, so he retaliated by firing off a Gekiretsu Madan barrage.
Piccolo dodged and weaved his way around each blast with a series of backflips and rolls, and then he made his way through the exlposions to confront Gohan himself, resulting in the two of them once again trading blows.
Gohan now found himself forced on the defensive and evasive, but once he was blown back a short distance he rebounded and tried to fire a a Masenko at point blank range.
Piccolo stopped this attack with one hand, then blitzed around Gohan and dealt him an elbow to the back of the neck, a kick to the spine, and then just as Gohan turned around, Piccolo hit him at point blank range with an Explosive Demon Wave, the force proving to be enough to send him flying straight through a nearby mountain and out the other side.
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Meanwhile, on the sidelines…
"Yes!" Pan pumped a fist at the sight of Piccolo and Gohan's battle "Looks like Piccolo has the upper hand for now, that means all he has to do is beat Papa and then we can use the Sacred Water to turn him back to normal."
"Easy Pan, don't assume the fight is over just yet." Majuub told her "Gohan isn't the kind of person who would go down very easily, regardless of whatever side he might be on."
"I know, but I truly believe that Piccolo can and will save him."
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Meanwhile, back with the main battle…
Piccolo leapt back a short distance and dropped back into his stance "You can go ahead and show yourself Gohan, I know for a fact that that's nowhere near enough to stop you."
Sure enough, the mountain suddenly exploded and Gohan emerged from within the rubble, revealing his new gi slightly torn, revealing half of his bare torso, and he was panting somewhat heavily as he spat out some blood "I shouldn't be surprised that you're able to overpower a form like that so easily. But with that being said, don't think that I'm going to let you win as easily as that."
"I never imagined that you would, but your body tells a different story, not to mention what you've got inside. You've always been strong Gohan, but you just might lack the heart of a true warrior. You've never been too good at closing the deal. I remember this all too well from back when you fought against Buu, after the Old Kai drew out your power. You were overcome by a different feeling, arrogance. You had struggled for so long to unlock your potential that when you did, you enjoyed it too much. Instead of using your strength to win, your arrogance left you open to be attacked, and you're doing that even now. It doesn't matter how much power you may possess, if you succumb to your arrogance or ideals. If you're going to be a warrior, whether with us or Baby, then do it right."
"...You're right Piccolo, I know that for a fact. This time I'm not holding back." so with a primal roar, Gohan flashed back into Super Saiyan 2, but his aura kept surging higher and higher "Don't think this is my limit, you're going to see something even greater, something that can surpass any form of Super Saiyan!" the color of his hair started flickering from gold to black, and then back to gold "I'm going to show you the fighter that I truly am!" and with a primal roar, he was engulfed in a massive white light that shone so brightly, it easily blew away the clouds gathering above them. When the light subsided, it revealed Gohan where he once was, only now his aura had turned a milky white color and his hair back to its regular shade of black, but with a single bang falling down in front of his face "Well how about it Piccolo, your awakened power against mine."
"Looks like I'm not the only one who's been busy since Baby showed up."
"Far from it, I knew that this power would come in handy at some point, so I've been training and meditating for days on end, preparing for when I would be able to finally awaken this power once again, and seeing you again face to face was the final push that I needed to unleash it in all of its glory."
"Spare me the flattery Gohan, now let's do this."
"Right, I know." so Gohan burst forward and let a fist fly, resulting in the two of them trading even blows across the battlefield, which ended with his fist being caught by Piccolo, the force releasing a sizeable shockwave "It doesn't matter how high I have to climb, I'm going to do whatever it takes!" he released a Masenko from his hand, the explosion sending Piccolo flying back a short distance, so Gohan then followed up with a second Masenko.
Piccolo leapt above the blast and landed on top of a plateau, only to be forced to block the incoming barage of Gekiretsu Madan blasts that followed.
"I've got you!" Gohan suddenly blitzed above him and fired an Explosive Demon Wave from his hand.
"Special Beam Cannon!" Piccolo quickly fired a Special Beam Cannon directly towards the Explosive Demon Wave, resulting in a quick yet powerful beam struggle, but the Special Beam Cannon lost out and was engulfed by the Explosive Demon Wave 'Dammit!'
"It's over!" Gohan poured more power into his Explosive Demon Wave, engulfing Piccolo in the massive explosion that followed as a result, resulting in a tense silence that lasted only for a moment.
The smoke was suddenly evaporated into nothing as Piccolo burst upwards from within the smoking crater and charged at Gohan, resulting in the two of them blitzing across the battlefield at full speed, which ended with the two of them kicking each other square in the face and grappling in a power struggle "Did you think that would be enough?"
"You're still holding on even after all of that, I always knew that you would never go down so easily, but you're truly excelling yourself."
"I don't do anything half-assed, and don't think I'm giving up in this fight."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
"Nor should you." Piccolo ended the power struggle when he dealt Gohan a kick to the chest, only to be met with one of his own that sent him skidding back, but he fired an Explosive Demon Wave as he did so.
"Masenko!" Gohan fired off a one-handed Masenko and cancelled out the Explosive Demon Wave, the force sending Piccolo flying and allowing Gohan to deal him a smash attack to the spine that sent him hurtling downwards, and then Gohan followed up with a Masenko he fired off at Piccolo's black, the force accelerating his descent and sending him crashing to the ground in a powerful explosion.
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Pan and Majuub were left looking horrified by what they were seeing, that being Piccolo lying on the ground in what looked like a scorched heap, missing both an arm and a leg "Piccolo come on, you have to get up! Every single time it's mattered, now matter how hopeless it might seem, you've always found a way to stand tall and proud, and it's never mattered more than it does now! We believe in you, you're the one who can stop Papa now, we know it! You just have to dig deep, show us what a true Namekian warrior is capable of, and get the hell up!"
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"You just have to dig deep, show us what a true Namekian warrior is capable of, and get the hell up!"
'I know… I have to get up…' Piccolo slowly but surely was able to pull himself back to his feet, and he regenerated his lost limbs as he did so.
Gohan's gaze hardened as his milky white aura spiked even higher "So I guess I was wrong to assume that you didn't have any stamina left."
"You're right about that Gohan, because this fight isn't over yet, not by a long shot."
"I didn't expect it to be, you continue to stand no matter how many times you fall, just like you taught me to do."
"It's no wonder why, I have people depending on me. It's not many people since Baby took over, but Pan, Uub, hell even Mr Satan, they're all depending on me to see this through, and so I have to keep going, so if I do give up then I'd betray the trust they've been putting in me, and there's no way in hell I'm letting them down!" he spiked his milky white aura.
"I can't let you see it through, your ideals may be strong but they mean nothing, not in the face of the honorable Lord Baby and his Tuffle empire!" the two of them charged forward to continue the battle.
"You say that they don't mean anything, but I'm going to remind you of how wrong that is, and why that's the case!" Piccolo blitzed around every attack Gohan threw at him with ease and began launching multiple counterstrikes in the process.
"Your speed has increased, you're even faster than you were before! How is that possible? How are you growing stronger as we fight?"
"I thought that would be obvious to you. The reason I'm able to push myself to these heights is because I'm fighting for something other than myself, I'm fighting for all of you, and that's the biggest difference between us and Baby. You know I'm right too. Behind every single strike we throw is an entire community of people who have grown alongside us, helping us to grow stronger over a lifetime of challenges any normal person would never even dream of! Each one of them has been crucial, whether it be friends or family, allies or rivals, they inspire us and push us forward, driving us to better ourselves. None of us could imagine for even a second that the levels we're at now, we reached by ourselves. We owe that optimism and righteousness to the likes of you and your father, and you've pushed all of us forward and shaped us into the people that we are today, for better or for worse. A lot of us had started out as your enemies, and I'm no exception to that fact, because from the moment I was born, I was hostile and misguided, but you earned my trust and respect, even my friendship, and you were able to show me that there was a different way. Even as you fight your opponents, you have a unique way of drawing them in, and that's just the kind of people that you and Goku are. Or rather, it's who you used to be Gohan, and that's because Baby has made you lose sight of those ideals!"
"You're wrong, he showed me the true way!" Gohan continued launching a furious barrage of punches and kicks.
Piccolo dodged, blocked and weaved his way around every attack with ease, though eventually he was met with a kick to the jaw that sent him hurtling to the ground, but he was able to rebound before he was hit by Gohan's follow-up attack, and he fired a stray Ki blast.
Gohan deflected the Ki blast with ease, as well as dodging and deflecting the numerous blasts that followed "What are you trying to do exactly? This isn't your usual style of attack."
"That's where you're wrong."
"Wait what?" Gohan whipped around and found the numerous Ki blasts simply floating around him, leading him to realize his mistake 'Dammit, that means he's going to-'
"I thought you knew me better than that Gohan, but I guess being turned into a Tuffle has dulled your awareness to an extent. Looks like you're out of tricks, so I guess that means this fight is over! Hellzone Grenade!" with a wave of his arms, Piccolo started sending the Ki blasts swarming towards their target.
Gohan could do little more than try to shield himself as the blasts closed in, engulfing him in the explosion that followed.
"I think the best way to describe it is, this is the power that comes from conviction."
"Conviction, huh?" the smoke cleared to reveal Gohan's current condition, badly wounded and his gi practically shredded, but he was still alive and still ready and raring to fight "I know fully well that conviction gives someone true strength… you taught me that… But to accept that fighting for Saiyans is what gives you the power you have now… that denies all that my current self stands for… I may wish to believe in such a thing… but no matter how much I may want to… I can't… bring myself to… not as long as I serve Lord Baby… As long as I'm part of the new Tuffle empire he's building… I can't believe in it… the Tuffles stand to eliminate anything and everything that Saiyans stand for… as long as I'm one of them, I can't…"
"Gohan… Fine, I'll go ahead and end this, and free you from that dilemma." Piccolo dropped into a stance as his aura surged "I can't pretend that I have the power or the resolve to end this and any other threat like you and Goku do, but at the very least, I should be able to end your suffering!" so with his aura blazing like never before, Piccolo surged forward at his maximum speed and slammed his fist into Gohan's face, his eyes blazing with determination and rage, and then he surged around and followed up with an uppercut kick that sent him flying high into the skies of the Tuffle Planet.
Gohan spiked his aura and unleashed multipled waves of Ki that hurtled across the battlefield in multiple directions.
Piccolo used small concentrated Ki blasts to propel himself along the waves of Ki, but stopped when he and Gohan collided fists, blitzing across the skies of the planet and taking their clash down the side of a mountain until the two of them broke away 'I can't drag this out any longer than I already have, if I'm going to end this then now's the time! Lucky for me I've still got my trump card!' he charged forward in an attempt to end the battle.
"Special Beam CANNON!" Gohan held up two fingers to his forehead and fired forward a medium-sized Special Beam Cannon.
Piccolo dove underneath the Special Beam Cannon, blitzed in front of Gohan and dealt him a sharp uppercut to the jaw that sent him flying "You fought hard Gohan, but this battle ends right here and right now!" he slammed his hands together and began charging a ball of Ki in between his palms, his aura flaring wildly as he did so "LIGHT GRENADE!" using every ounce of Ki he could muster, Piccolo fired his ultimate attack forward at full speed, engulfing Gohan and sending him hurtling down towards the ground below.
Gohan could only scream in pain and agony as he was sent hurtling downwards by the blast, leaving him to be engulfed in the massive explosion that followed.
With the battle appearing to be over, Piccolo powered down from his Ultimate form and let out a loud sigh of relief 'I shouldn't be surprised, even when he doesn't bother to train for about half a decade, he still knows how to put up a much better fight than I predicted.'
Gohan spat out some blood and slowly lifted his head to meet Piccolo's gaze "Well… you were right… you won… go ahead… finish me…"
"You know me well enough to know that I'm not going to do that Gohan."
"Please… just do it… I tried to kill my daughter… and I had a hand in the death of my own father… and I even tried to kill you today… Even if you don't kill me… Lord Baby will… for my failure…"
"How about we save that for another day? I can assure you of this, there's no way you're going to die today, by my hand or any other." Piccolo then picked up Gohan in his arms "But for the time being, we'll focus on turning you back to normal and freeing you from Baby's control once and for all." and so he promptly blitzed away from the scene using his Instantaneous Movement.
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Majuub looked up at what he was sensing "That ended faster than I was expecting, but I am glad it's over."
"You can sense it?" asked Pan "They started fighting each other out there, but I couldn't follow it after Piccolo got back up."
"Not surprising, I found it pretty difficult myself at a few points here and there. The battle is definitely over though, and from what I can tell, Piccolo won, though it wasn't an easy fight for him."
"So Piccolo's okay, that's good. But what about Papa, is he…?"
"See for yourself." this was when Piccolo blitzed onto the scene through use of his Instantaneous Movement and set Gohan down on the ground.
"Papa!"
"I had to go all out to stop him, but now we can cure him."
"Oh… So he'll be back to normal soon? Good."
"Pan… my child…" Gohan looked up at her and reached out one arm as he gently caressed her face, a single tear falling down his cheek "I'm sorry… Alright Piccolo, do it… I'm ready…"
"Papa…"
"This will be excrutiating for you, but I need you to swallow." Piccolo was promptly handed the Sacred Water by Mr Satan and poured some of it down Gohan's throat, causing him to scream in pain and agony as the Sacrec Water took effect, cleansing his body of any and all evil energy caused by Baby's influence.
"Is he…?"
"He needs some time to recover, but he should be alright. Pan, I want you and Mr Satan to keep watch over him and the others for the time being. Majuub, you're with me, so we'd better get moving."
"What are the two of you going to do?"
"The only thing we can do, Majuub and I will take the fight to Baby himself, two on one, and we'll go from there."
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The progress being made in pulling out Goku's tail had slowed to a simple crawl.
Still tied to a rock, Goku had finally found a way to pull out his tail all the way and get there in time to help the others. This plan just so happened to involve having Old Kai be tied to the rock in place of Goku, while he powered up and flew upwards, allowing his tail to be pulled out all the way.
Now that his tail had been pulled out all the way, Goku was taken by Kibito Kai to the Tuffle Planet, and then the group would take the fight to Baby himself…
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The battle was fierce, and both combatants sustained a great deal of pain and injury, but in the end, Piccolo was able to stand tall and bring Gohan down, showing him the might of the ultimate Namekian warrior. With this victory, the last of Baby's heralds have all fallen at the hands of the Z-fighters, and now all that's left is to vanquish Baby himself. Anticipating this, Piccolo and Majuub race to his location to face him head on, and at the same time, Goku is now ready to spring back into action, and is heading to the Tuffle Planet. With these three great warriors ready for action, the final battle against the Tuffle forces is about to begin, next time on Dragon Ball GT: Piccolo's Counterattack!
A/N:
One of the things I was looking forward to when writing this fic was the showdown between Piccolo and Gohan, a Master vs Student showdown, which I thought was a serious missed opportunity for the series. Plus it gives me the chance to give Piccolo some much needed love, and it gives me a way to give Gohan back his Ultimate form, which he will sorely need considering what's to come, and which was one of the many, MANY things GT was lacking, at least in my opinion.
At the same time, we're getting closer to Goku finally returning to action, which will lead into one of my favorite transformations of the entire franchise overall: Super Saiyan 4, in all of its primal glory. Like I said before, while I do prefer Super over GT a great deal, I won't deny that Super Saiyan 4 is a far better transformation than Super Saiyan Blue. As for Goku's involvement I know I said that this fic was mainly about giving characters other than Goku some time to shine, but I think I've done that quite well up until now, and just because Goku's here doesn't mean he's the only one who's going to have a part in defeating Baby himself. I'm going to make sure of that no matter what.
Anyway that's all I have to say for the time being. Thank you all for reading, and please support my P ATREON at the link provided in my profile.