Author's Note: It's been a while since we've had almost a full chapter dedicated to fighting! We're starting this new year with a bang, and it feels like a good return to form!
Not much to say other than to thank you all for the heartwarming reviews and PMs I've received over the past month. Got a lot of praise for Cooler, which is good as this chapter is centered on him.
I'd also like to reiterate if there are questions about the techniques used here, then feel free to PM me. There's a lot of movement here, so if you get confused, please reach out.
That's all for now. Take care, keep safe, and please enjoy!
Including Soi, there had been six of them.
Handpicked by General Bara, they were the King's finest and honored to be chosen for this mission. The briefing was a tough pill to swallow, but every member of Soi's squad understood the importance of this undertaking and swore they would accomplish their objectives without failure.
They had gotten lucky that the invader's arrival was relatively close to them, as the North Mountains held a vast expanse of wasteland where it would have been difficult to locate any activity. This had not been an issue, as the small squad's eyes could not turn away from the blue sky. They watched as a single ship, massive in size, descended from the stars above. Under Bara's orders, they were to set up the cameras and recording equipment ten miles out from the invaders. A few of the squad believed that to be too far of a distance to get a clear picture.
With orders to observe and record, they finished setting up their equipment as the ship landed on Earth's surface. They found a proper hiding place on top of a large hill wide enough to fit all of them while also overlooking the fight. Properly camouflaged and using binoculars specifically designed for the battlefield, the King's finest took their positions, ready to do their part for the safety of the Earth. Each soldier held their breath as Cold, Cooler, and a full platoon of creatures they could only identify as alien walked off from the ship. Keeping their confusion calm, they then tracked a mysterious youth making his way toward the invaders. Unable to understand what was going on, Soi's squad did their best to remain vigilant and record all that they could.
Then the fighting started.
None of them could follow the conflict. Only able to grasp the situation after the clash had happened. They saw the bodies of the soldiers after Trunks had cut through them; they saw lights flash, and screams erupt as he put down Neiz, Dore, and Salza effortlessly. Throwing Salza into the mountains carved a path through the rocks that sent a tremor that nearly toppled their hill. The ground rumbled as Trunks concentrated his power and glowed. And despite the distance from them, the containment wave nearly blew them all away.
The squad could only hunker down hoping to weather the storm, none of them getting a clear picture of what was going on, or who was there.
Then the blast came. Fired from Cooler and dodged by Krillin, the beam flew at the small hill occupied by the six.
"MOVE!" Soi screamed, first grabbing the soldier closest to him and rolling away from the impact. As the energy crashed into the hill, it erupted up, spraying out huge chunks of rock while sending Soi up into the air.
He couldn't tell how long he was falling for, but the air twisted him in a way that he landed on the soldier he had saved. Covering his helmeted head as best he could as he was showered by dust, Soi stayed down, hoping the others were safe.
The seconds felt like hours, but eventually, Soi rose to his feet while trying to get his bearings.
"Report in!"
He did not get a response. Breathing heavily, Soi looked back to the soldier he had rescued and found that the man's neck had broken during the fall. The man's eyes had already grown cold. Shaking his grief away, the sergeant looked around for his team.
"Report in!" Soi called out again as he looked around, trying to find the hill he had been flung from. "If you're still alive, say something!"
With only silence responding, Soi reached for his field radio, only to see that it was crushed beyond repair because of his fall. Cursing aloud and continuing his march through the mountains, Soi's trained eyes finally found a body resting flat on the ground. Recognizing the uniform as the same he wore, Soi rushed towards it with newfound purpose.
"Soldier, are you alright? Can you move?"
"S-sergeant, I… I don't know," the soldier groaned. "… my back."
"I'll get you out of here soldier, but I need to find the others first," Soi said placing a caring hand on the man's chest.
His comrade nodded and Soi was off again, scanning the area for even a hint of his team. Eventually, he found his hill.
"…no."
The blast had disintegrated the area and burned away the bodies of his fellow soldiers, reducing it to a deep crater.
Blood mixed with ash coated the Earth that he just moments ago had stood upon. Bits and pieces that were once men and women splattered across the ground as if accusing him of failure. Panic swept through the sergeant as he tried to get a hold of his emotions, but was denied the time as the mountains surrounding him trembled.
Following the source of the shaking, Soi could only gap in awe as the sky itself lit up.
"Sweet mother of-"
He could not follow what was happening, but the booms of the sound barrier shattering nearly deafened him. Wisps of what he could only assume were people appeared in and out as they soared overhead. Two figures he could barely see collided against each, generating a boom that knocked him off his feet. Beams of light that had killed his team streaked across the blue above him, causing him to shake out of fear. Soi's eyes could do nothing but widen as he was witness to something beyond his understanding. The battle for Earth had begun.
Turning away from the chaos, the sergeant ran back to his last remaining comrade. "We…. we have to leave soldier, we're retreating."
"What?" the man gasped, "But… what about the mission? The o-others?"
"They-they're gone, and the mission is a failure, but we can still get out of here with our lives."
Another quake rattled the two men. Soi covered his ally with his own body, protecting the man from the bits of rock and dust that coated both of them.
"W-we'll never make it," the soldier said, his voice weary and weak.
"We have to try," Soi said, doing his best to pick up his brother in arms.
As he did, the Earth again shifted underneath as the bellowing booms echoed through the sky. Nearly losing his balance, Soi slung the soldier's arm over his shoulder and lifted him up.
"Is… is that the hero? Did you see him?"
"I… no, I didn't… I don't know if he's even here."
"W-what?"
"The King told me that the hero said he was human, but," Soi said, starting his long march. "This fight, it's beyond anything human."
"His name was Chiaotzu."
Piccolo and Yamcha lunged forward, their auras leaving a stream of ki behind them as they charged. Piccolo engaged first with a fierce elbow into Cooler's stomach while Yamcha went high with a kick that smashed against Cooler's throat.
The force behind the blows was enough to move the alien back a full inch, and nothing more.
Cooler's tail struck and wrapped around Yamcha's leg while his remaining hand went for Piccolo's neck. Flicking his massive tail downward, Yamcha bounced against the hard ground as Piccolo gagged for air. The Wolf threw a blast of ki at Cooler's leg while the namekian fired off a burst of energy from his eyes. Both connected and kicked up a cloud of dust. Yet Cooler's grip remained in place.
"Hm, weaker than the child. How disap-"
Cooler was cut off as Yajirobi, under the cover of dust, smashed into Cooler's unprotected side with a heavy punch. Caught off guard, his grip on both his victims loosened enough for them to leap away. Turning toward his new prey, Cooler rammed a knee into the wide warrior breaking through his guard, barrier, and body before sending him hurling through many rock formations.
Before he could pursue, Cooler's trained senses picked up a sound he recognized. Cutting through the dust was a disc of ki laced with a current of electricity. Jumping up into the sky to avoid the attack, Cooler found himself face to face with the prince of all saiyans.
"Galick!" Vegeta shouted, his hands drenched in his energy struggling to contain its power. "GUN!"
The sky was dyed purple for a moment as Cooler was doused in a wave of ki fired from a point-blank range. The blast was not enough to harm, but it was dense enough to force Cooler back down to Earth. Shrugging off the rest of the blast, he planned to retaliate before he heard a cry coming from his side.
"EVIL!"
Cooler turned and saw Tien with his arms outstretched and a jar out in front of him. Reacting faster than before, he fired a thin beam of energy from his finger, aimed at the human's chest
"CONTAIN-" Tien stopped as he moved to avoid being hit. Only for the blast to connect with his left arm cutting through his barrier and tearing it off completely.
"Vanish," Cooler said as his point became a palm before unleashing a torrent of deadly energy at the three-eyed man.
Stepping in front of their friend, Krillin, Yamcha, and Piccolo, quickly formed a barrier covering all four of them. Adding their strength together, the wave washed over them. The bubble of ki held firm while the surrounding mountains turned to dust. As the wave faded, the area behind them had been carved out as if a spoon had scraped along the Earth.
"I see," Cooler said, lowering his arm. "What you lack in individual strength you make up for together. Your movements show that you have thoroughly practiced together, or you are able to communicate silently. It also seems that your end goal is entrapping me in that vortex again or delaying me until the golden child can return. Which you have wisely hidden among the rocks."
"He's very perceptive," Krillin said to the others, dropping his portion of the barrier. "Tien, you alright?"
"I'm fine," Tien said, placing a hand on his shoulder and quietly regrowing his arm. "No need to use the senzu yet."
"Good, I can still sense Yajirobi as well. If anyone can take a hit like that, it's him."
"He's toying with us," Vegeta spat. "Nothing we've done has had an effect."
"Maybe not us," Krillin said, staring at what remained of Cooler's arm. "It's clear he can be caught by surprise and while he may have guessed our plan, that doesn't mean he can stop it. If you see an opening, follow-through, but our priority is to corner him so Tien can trap him or keep him busy enough for Gohan to return. Dig deep, stay moving, and don't die."
"Talking amongst yourselves again? No matter, it's clear to me now that Frieza was outmatched. Rejoice! You are all worthy to be hunted this day!"
Grinning with glee, it was Cooler's time to charge, this time bringing his power to bear. The strength Cooler had amassed was greater than any they had known before. Far beyond Frieza's, the amount of energy he exuded was enough to steal their breath away. Alone, they would have perished. Yet even against the last member of the Cold dynasty together, the team stood strong.
Cooler smashed into the center of the group, separating them and splitting the ground apart. Striking out with his tail coiled around Vegeta's ankle before he could escape. Swinging the saiyan around and crashing into Krillin's side, sent them both hurling away.
Piccolo with two fingers pointed at his forehead and burning with ki fired a special beam cannon at the alien's head. Cooler saw the blast and smacked it away with what remained of his right arm sending the drill made of energy careening into the rocks.
"Volley!"
Cooler turned toward a hard cry to see Tien hurling himself into the fight. Set ablaze with the kaio-ken, two extra arms tore out of his back as three eyes locked onto the alien with deep hatred. Tien struck out with four fists in a barrage of blows that connected against Cooler's head, stomach, neck, and chin. Cupping two fists into his other hand, Tien smashed upward with all four limbs. The blow held enough impact to launch Cooler into the air as if he was setting up for a spike.
"Fang!"
Another cry this time from Yamcha, also bathed in red, shooting down from the sky as if he was a meteor. Enhanced by his aura, the Wolf's hands became claws, tearing into Cooler's back and spiking him back down to the Earth. Sending out a tremor that shook the area with his landing, Cooler found his feet in time to see Tien and Yamcha chase him down from two different angles while both screamed.
"FIST!"
Tien went high and Yamcha went low, ripping into Cooler with momentum and force. The two blows connected perfectly, the impact shaking both the battlefield and the alien to their core.
Seeing the alien dazed gave Tien enough motivation to attack again, only to be stopped by a swift kick that shattered three of his ribs.
"You'll need more than that!" Cooler cried as he grabbed Tien by the head and drove him into his knee, splitting his nose in two. The warrior gagged on blood while Cooler snatched him by the leg slammed him into the hard Earth. The impact bounced the human, coating his back in agony before being flipped over and slammed onto his front. Moving from back to front, Cooler reduced Tien to a rag doll as bones began to snap and break.
Laying him flat with another slam, Cooler rose back up and reached out with a handful of dense energy. Yet before he could fire, Tien's eyes lit up with a passion not yet doused, bringing four hands together to form two triangles.
"Twin Tri-beam!"
A wave of explosive ki erupted out of the downed man, the sheer weight of the attack throwing Cooler back. The recoil dug Tien deeper into the Earth, jagged rocks digging into his already broken back. Yet With adrenaline pushing him further, a single finger pressed against his communicator as he spoke aloud.
"Senzu."
He could feel a single drop of liquid drip into him, and relief swiftly follow as his nose, leg, and back mended themselves in an instant.
Leaping back to his feet, his aura flaring crimson, Tien pointed at Cooler with four fingers.
"Dodon!"
His ki sizzled as more and more gathered around the tips of his fingers.
"Rays!"
Jabbing at the air, four beams of light surged out of the warrior concentrating on just Cooler's head. The combined energy did little more than jerk the alien's head backward, but more dust obscured his vision, if only for a moment. Which was enough for a destructo disc to cut through the cloud seeking a clean slice.
Cooler noticed and flew skyward while twisting his body to dodge. However, this disc flew far faster than the last and nicked the back of the alien's ankle. While the pain was minor, a jolt of electricity emanating from the wound ran up Cooler's leg before enveloping his body.
"What? What is this?" Cooler seethed as static coursed through him, holding him still.
"KA!"
A shout with two different voices stole Cooler's attention. Turning as much as he could, the alien saw Yamcha and Krillin in a practiced pose with their hands by their sides. Yamcha's aura burned red hot while Krillin's calm aura crackled with strands of lighting.
"ME!"
Two shining blue spheres appeared by the warrior's sides as they concentrated their energy all into one point.
"HA!"
Their combined ki jumped to a level that made Bulma rear back in shock. Momentarily losing her concentration.
"ME!"
The power on display cracked into the Earth as bits of rock started to float upward out of the ground. As if gravity itself flipped over in awe.
"HA!"
Collapsing into each other, blue filled the North Mountains as two beams became one. The wave burned across the battlefield, aimed straight and true.
"Yes!" Cooler screamed, his eyes shining with delight. "That's what I want to see!"
Flexing his power, Cooler burst through and shrugged off the lighting before diving headfirst into the blast. The wave parted as he flew through the energy attack, pushing against the tide as if it wasn't there.
"No way," Yamcha said, his eye wide with disbelief.
Popping out of the beam while it was still erupting out from the martial artist's palms, Cooler leaned into a punch that cracked Yamcha's jaw. Waving his stump in Krillin's direction, blue blood was flung into the monk's eyes, blinding him. Free to act the alien's tail, then slithered around Krillin's neck and squeezed tight. As the wave faded, Cooler reared back and struck out again into Yamcha's stomach. Heaving out blood from his broken mouth, the Wolf could do nothing as Cooler pushed forward, his giant fist still lodged into him.
Dragging Krillin with them, Cooler's charge tore through the ground until they reached a nearby mountain. Pining Yamcha into the rocks and pushing even further with his fist, Cooler didn't stop until he felt the human's ribs give out. Yamcha's cries of agony were cut short as the alien lifted him, scrapping through the stone before slamming him down into the ground.
Cooler lifted his foot to end the man's life but felt a surge of static flow through him, emanating from his tail. Turning, he saw Krillin gripping the appendage with one hand, lighting running through it while he formed a disc of ki with his other.
"Ah," Cooler said in amusement. "So that was you."
Breaking the lighting's hold, Cooler flung the monk backward before he had a chance to cut anything. Returning to the broken man in front of him, Cooler again lifted his foot over Yamcha's head.
"Seems you'll be the first to-"
Tien cut Cooler off as two fists collided against the alien's temple and jaw. They were followed up with a heavy chop to his throat and a Dodon ray fired at point-blank range. It was enough to titer Cooler, but not enough to stop him.
In response, Cooler unleashed a devastating punch into Tien's chest. Blood pooled, then poured out the three-eyed warrior's slack-jawed mouth as Cooler grabbed one of the four arms and meticulously tore it off. The pain devoured Tien stunned him as Cooler reared back and smashed the man over the head with his severed arm.
The blow lay Tien out flat onto the ground but as Cooler reared back for another strike, an elongated arm colored green grabbed his already weakened tail. Cooler felt himself being pulled away from his prey, dropping the arm in his confusion. Turning as best he could, the alien saw he was being dragged toward Piccolo. With fingers ablaze with concentrated energy, the namekian prepared to fire a special beam cannon at Cooler's unprotected back. Only for the battlefield to light up with destruction as a barrage of ki blasts were shot out from above.
Vegeta, seeing an opening, let loose a downpour of energy beams covering both Cooler and Piccolo's arm in deadly energy. Grunting in pain, Piccolo lost his grip on Cooler as a portion of his arm was burned off. Pulling it back to its normal length, he was forced to regrow the limb as the prince continued his assault.
Cooler was pushed deep into the Earth as Vegeta pumped out more and more of his power into every blast. As the alien was pummeled deeper, a vast crater cut into the ground, but the prince did not notice. His hatred had grabbed hold of the saiyan, blinding him to the ruin he brought.
"Vegeta!"
A voice in his head laced with a tone that could not be ignored stopped the attack. Despite the distance, Vegeta looked toward the ground to see Krillin staring back, with eyes that cut.
"Enough, any more than that and you'll endanger the planet."
"I had him," Vegeta snarled back. "The sooner he's dead, the soo-"
"This isn't the Pendulum Room. Shooting at the ground that many times could harm Earth's core, you know this."
The prince scoffed but said nothing, landing back onto the ground, his eyes not leaving the hole he had created. Krillin joined the stare, his instincts telling him that this fight was far from over.
"Wonderful."
Rising out of the depths was Cooler, playfully hitting what was left of his right arm to create mocking applause.
"It has been ages since an opponent has harmed me at all, and none have done so more than once."
Landing softly, the monk could see other than the loss of his right hand and the small nick in his ankle, Cooler appeared unshaken.
"You have trained well. Though you lack the courage to push an advantage, it seems… No, you know what you are doing. You stopped not out of fear… ah," Cooler trailed off as he eyed the hole behind him. "You stopped out of necessity. This is your planet, isn't it? It wouldn't do to destroy it with your own hands."
Krillin did not reply, his cold composure not giving up the anxiety he felt pounding inside him. That fear was eased a bit as Piccolo and Yamcha, now fully healed, landed next to him.
"Again you astound!" Cooler said, looking over to Tien and Yamcha. "Your broken warriors are now fully mended as if the fight had just begun!"
"You alright, Yamcha?" Krillin asked, ignoring the ranting alien.
"I'm fine. Used up my senzu though."
"He can break through our barriers as if they were nothing," said Piccolo. "He hits hard, so we should keep our distance if we can."
"Agreed," Krillin replied. "He seems aware enough to dodge another wave, but that should fade with time. Just keep him off his feet and we'll find our moment."
"Hmmm, still silently making plans?" Cooler said, annoyed his praise went unheard. "Very well. Perhaps we should see how well you are at adapting."
Reaching out with his remaining hand, Cooler raised it pointing directly at the group who all fell into their fighting stances.
"Your devotion to your planet's survival is admirable, warriors. Is your world's protection the reason you have gained so much strength?" Cooler said in a light tone. "If so, then that strength can also be a weakness."
Without warning, Cooler redirected his hand towards his side and discharged a massive amount of energy into one horrific blast. The beam sailed above the mountains, either burning their very tips or avoiding the rock formations entirely. With nothing to destroy to stop it, the beam flew across the battlefield unhindered until it had left the North Mountains entirely.
"I wonder where that will land?" Cooler chuckled.
"YAMCHA!" Krillin screamed, his voice moving faster than his mind.
He tried tracking the blast to see if he could get a sense of where it would fall, but the energy was moving too quickly to get a handle on. So, he needed it stopped. He needed to make sure that whoever or whatever was in its path would be safe. He needed the fastest among them.
"MOVE!"
Digging deeper into himself than he ever had before, the kaio-ken technique enhanced the Wolf's speed, strength, and ki reserves to their absolute peak in an instant. His aura boiling over Yamcha used every ounce of his power to fly.
Ugh, that hurt. Yajirobi thought to himself while standing up out of the rubble. Least I got a good punch in. I need to get back in there.
Before he took take flight, Yajirobi's senses picked up a recognizable ki signature nearby.
That's…
Redirecting his path back, Yajirobi rounded a corner and leaped over the remnants of one of the mountains he had flown through. There huddle and trying to catch his breath was Gohan with an unconscious Trunks lying still next to him.
"M-Mr. Yajirobi," Gohan said, his hair matted with sweat.
"Hey squirt," the swordsman said, slapping him on the back. "How you holding up?"
"I'm f-fine," the half-saiyan wheezed. "Just need a litt-little rest."
"Okay, I can sense everyone so no one's dead yet, but we'll need you when you're set," Yajirobi said before looking over at Trunks. "What's his deal?"
"I used Mr. Krillin's, communicator… but he won't wake up."
"Hmmm," Yajirobi said, walking over to the mystery man and lightly slapping him on the cheek. "Come on pretty boy, it's your fault we're in this position, so you may as well help us fix it."
Trunks seemed to stir a little but remained still, causing Yajirobi to grumble and slap a little harder. Yet the boy remained silent.
"Figures," He huffed.
A horrifying streak of energy shooting overhead stopped Yajirobi from trying again. A moment later, a burning red aura flew after it, hitting a speed that shattered sound.
"Yamcha?" Yajirobi said as the energy and his friend faded away into the distance. "That looks bad."
The swordsman felt the ground shake again, his senses pointing him in the direction of the battle.
"Gotta go Gohan," Yajirobi said as his aura flared out. "You sure you're good?"
"Y-yeah."
"Alright, then I'm of-" Yajirobi paused before he turned back at the unconscious Trunks one last time.
"… that's a nice sword."
"It appears taunting my father and bringing us here let you accomplish two goals. One for the ambush and two to shield the rest of the planet from our conflict," Cooler said, tracking his energy wave and Yamcha as he pursued it. "How informative."
Krillin generated and threw a fierce destructo disc, crackling with static. It sliced through the air while separating, forming two smaller discs, their speed doubling.
"Have I struck a nerve?" Cooler said playfully as he dodged the first, then the second.
The question was ignored, then answered with another disc of ki. This one breaking off into three smaller approaching the alien from three different angles. Retreating upward, Cooler weaved through the first two discs but was forced to act as the third closed in on his throat.
Throwing out a small ball of energy at the electricity-laced attack, Cooler watched it cut into his orb for a moment before it detonated. The explosion erased the disc from the field, rattling both the ground below and the sky above.
"Special beam cannon!"
The shout came from Cooler's left just as an energy spiral streaked at his chest. Finding Piccolo but with no time to defend, the tyrant ducked under the blast, letting it sail over him. As soon as the danger had passed, Cooler launched himself at the namekian throwing a devastating punch that connected with Piccolo's head. His mind and body swimming, Piccolo couldn't hold up any kind of defense as Cooler smashed him downward and deep into the Earth.
"Foolish to announce your presence," Cooler chuckled to himself. "Makes it rather easy t-"
His honed instincts shouted a warning, allowing Cooler to tilt his head to the side just in time to avoid a special beam cannon from cutting through his neck from above.
Now following the beam, the alien watched it fly before one of the four discs flew in front of it at an angle. The spiral of ki ricocheted off the disc and flew in a new direction, gaining speed.
"What!?"
Again, the beam bounced off another disc, achieving greater power as it shot out at Cooler from a new direction. Cooler twisted his body away from the energy attack but felt the heat of the beam singe the side of his face. Looking down, he spied Krillin using both hands to control the four discs as it reflected the special beam cannon and cut off every avenue for escape.
The beam pierced through Cooler's shoulder, burning a perfect hole in him. Moving faster than he could track, Cooler could only listen to the beam bounce off another disc behind him. With blood pumping and his excitement rising, the alien closed his eyes and allowed the world around him to melt away. Relying just on the sound the special beam cannon made as it reflected off the discs, Cooler turned toward the blast just as it flew at his chest.
Reacting faster than he had up to his point, Cooler backhanded the blast away. The smash sent it far from the discs with no chance to redirect it again. Instead, the four ki discs closed in on him, looking to cut into the invader anyway it could. Curling up into himself, Cooler gathered a large amount of energy surrounding his entire body. With the discs inches away, Cooler extended out his arms and legs with a sphere of destructive energy circling him. The density of the blast wiped out all four ki attacks, clearing the sky of danger.
Redirecting his focus, Cooler shot out and landed in front of the monk. His larger form cast a shadow that swallowed up Krillin as his voice rumbled out.
"Clever."
Strengthening his barrier and sending a jolt through it still wasn't enough to stop Cooler from breaking it apart with a single swing of his fist. The follow-through sent the small human hurling into a mountain, his tiny body only crunching through half of it before coming to stop.
Noticing a tickle, the alien looked over his hand curiously while noticing a streak of lighting running through it.
"Nearly numb, so you can pass the electricity off even when on the defense. How interesting."
The technique held Cooler's attention long enough for Vegeta to close to the gap and rush down the alien. Starting with a vicious kick to the side of his head.
Only for it to bounce off as if he hadn't attacked at all.
"Ah, the prince."
With one smooth motion, Cooler wrapped his tail around the saiyan, pinning down his arms and holding him still.
"According to the reports, you've never been much of a team player," Cooler said as his tail began to crush Vegeta. "Why has that changed?"
The prince grunted as he tried to fight against the pressure. Only for the hold to tighten.
"I'm not sure what orders you have been given, but you are clearly following someone's lead. This begs the question, who brought the mighty prince to heel?"
"None!" Vegeta spat, still struggling for freedom, his aura flaring out as he did.
"Truly? You do seem out of step with the others. Are you not as determined to save this planet? Your world was destroyed long ago, so I assumed you found a new home here. Is this partnership born only out of necessity?"
"I fight… for myself!" Vegeta screamed, his aura deepening in color and strength.
"Very well, then you shall die alone."
With a sudden surge of power, Vegeta's arms and chest splintered as they were crushed inward. The prince cried out as his aura faded out, feeling his bones cutting into his organs.
Had Cooler's tail held for a moment longer, it would have ground the prince's bones into dust, but a red blur caught his eye. Striking out with a finger filled with energy, Cooler fired out a dense beam that pierced through the charging warrior.
It had been Yajirobi wielding Trunks's sword with two hands, looking to strike out at the alien's unprotected neck. The blast cut a perfect hole in the middle of Yajirobi's chest, which left alone would have been fatal had the swordsman been there.
The afterimage faded away, leaving Cooler confused and his tail wide open. With a hard swing, Yajirobi found his opening and took full advantage, slashing off the appendage with one clean cut.
"Augh!" Cooler shouted as both tail and prince fell onto the ground.
"Hey ugly!" Yajirobi said, trying to mask his nerves as best he could. "Hands off my buffet buddy!"
Cooler whirled around the playful persona he had maintained slipping for just a second. Sending out a pulse of power sent Yajirobi a full step backward. He took a moment to scan for any nearby allies but could not save the prince shattered on the ground. Steeling himself, the samurai took a step forward.
Feeding his energy into the sword had it glowing the same color as Yajirobi's red aura. His stance was a little awkward as the size and shape of the blade were different from what he was used to.
Miss my katana. The wide warrior thought to himself as Cooler brought down his full attention onto his shoulders.
Striking out first, Yajirobi moved with practiced precision, driving a thrust at Cooler's chest. Angry as he was, Cooler still held enough sense to recognize the danger of the sword. Avoiding the first thrust and the second, Cooler noticed the shift in Yajirobi's stance, the unfamiliar weight of this new sword throwing him off just an inch.
The massive tyrant moved faster than Yajirobi could react, ramming his foot into the samurai and breaking his stance. The kick pushed Yajirobi into the ground, his body making a deep indent into the Earth. Rearing back, Cooler came down again smashing into the human, his foot the same size as Yajirobi's entire torso.
The repeated blows to his body had Yajirobi's bones scraping against each other. The barrier he had formed broke as easily as his body as Cooler brought down all his power and weight into another Earth-shaking kick.
"It was a well-placed strike earthling," Cooler said, pulling the battered Yajirobi from the crater he had created. "A hand is one thing, but losing my tail as well… This planet is something special."
Casually tossing Yajirobi with the fallen prince, Cooler looked to his left and found a towering pillar of stone. Firing a burst of energy at the pillar's base, the alien watched the stone wobble, then topple over, smashing onto the two warriors at its bottom. The landing kicked up a large amount of dust as the stone hit the ground, crunching into the ground as if it took a deep bite.
Once the dust had settled, Cooler scanned the rocks and saw no movement. Yet that was not enough for him.
"Just to be sure," Cooler said, aiming his only hand and drenching it in energy.
Before he could fire, a golden aura lit up his view.
"Dammit!" Yamcha cursed as he cut across the sea, still chasing down the giant burst of energy.
Again, he fired a ki blast of his own aimed at the burst hoping to destroy it before it could get any closer to land. Yet the burst was greater than anything he could produce without stopping or slowing, so again Yamcha's ki attack bounced off harmlessly and into the ocean. Flying through the geyser of water, his ki blast produced Yamcha clenched his teeth trying to come up with a solid plan.
"Yamcha!"
The Wolf recognized Bulma's voice and touched the communicator in his ear. "What is it!?"
"You're coming up on a small town!"
"A town!? How many peo-"
"The population is about three thousand!"
Yamcha's blood froze his eye, trying to scan ahead. Sure enough, far in the distance, he could see a small mountain town completely unaware of the danger fast approaching.
"I can't stop it from here!" Yamcha shouted, his composure slipping and panic slowly setting.
"Then redirect it!"
"Where!?"
"Go up! SPHERE is still operational. It should cancel it out!"
"SHOULD!?"
"It's your best bet! Now do it!"
Fueled by desperation and strength that surprised him, Yamcha pushed forward. His speed crafting waves that split the sea completely overtook the burst. With just a few miles between him and the mountain town, the Wolf reached out with both arms. He gathered his strength, ki, and will. His only eye burned with a fierce determination to save the lives of the people behind him.
"Alright then!" Yamcha screamed, his aura blazing out. "HIT ME!"
The collision rattled him to his core. The burst did not slow down or move from its directed course, yet Yamcha hung onto it with both hands burning against the malicious beam of energy.
Come on Yamcha push! The Wolf told himself as he tried to ignore the sizzle of his palms. Push!
Grunting and heaving upward, Yamcha tried to move the energy burst up into the blue sky. Yet it did not budge.
Out of everyone, he picked you to deal with this! So if there was ever a moment for you to put 100% into something, it's this and it's now!
Closer and closer the beam and the man attached burned across the sea and toward the town. Taking a second to look behind him, Yamcha was horrified to see the outline of numerous people already gathered outside their homes. Unable to make out the details, every resident could see a strange beam of light, heading straight for them.
Don't think about it! Yamcha said to no one, redirecting his focus on the energy burst.
The burst quivered but remained steadfast in its approach, still single-mindedly set on destroying the town just beyond the wolf's reach.
"He's counting on you! They're all counting on you!" Yamcha screamed. "SO PUSH!"
This time, his search for more power amplified by the kaio-ken dug into his very life source. That collection of strength that kept Yamcha alive and standing. He took out a fistful.
The kaio-ken's aura scorched his skin and burned away his eyepatch as he lifted the blast up. With shaking arms and a breaking back the Wolf tilted the energy up and over the town. He was moving too fast to keep track of the onlookers, but with a new direction, the burst soon carried Yamcha out of the town's sight.
Higher and higher they climbed as Yamcha struggled to separate himself. With another surge of power, he rolled off the blast just as it hit the cusp of SPHERE. As the two sources of energy collided, it produced an explosion visible from the ground bathing Yamcha in the blast. The force of the eruption knocked the Wolf out of the sky, sending him into freefall until he landed just on the edge of the mountain he had just saved. A minute passed and then another, but the Wolf did not rise.
Cooler was on the defensive. For the first time since he had gotten to this planet, Cooler found himself pushed back by a single warrior. The child.
His hair shining gold and eyes burning green, Gohan pushed the offensive against the one-armed alien. Every punch or kick from Cooler was dodged and smoothly countered by the half-saiyan. Keeping his breathing measured and his focus grounded, Gohan began to push back.
"Guh!" the alien sputtered out as Gohan ducked under a heavy punch and let loose two quick jabs into his stomach.
Digging in his heels, Cooler barred down on the child by a full-force energy blast. Gohan, with an aura cloaking him, leaned into a kick that sent the blast upward as his own hands glowed with ki. Placing both hands above his head with one palm facing out, Gohan cried out.
"Masenko!"
Suspecting an opening, Cooler leaned into another punch hoping to catch the half-saiyan off guard. Instead, Gohan dropped his stance and let Cooler overreach with his attack. Parrying the strike at the last second lodged the giant fist deep into a mountain Gohan had purposely bumped up against.
"What!?"
Taking advantage of the confusion, Gohan returned to gathering his ki and fired it point-blank.
"HA!"
An outpouring of power exploded out of Gohan's hands, vaporizing the mountain and overwhelming Cooler with concentrated ki. The eruption was enough to blast the alien back into the sky, his entire body sizzling with pain.
The half-saiyan smiled for a minute, but it quickly faded as his strength started to exhaust him. His hair lost its luster for a second while his eyes dimmed to their natural color.
N-no I can't stop now!
Gohan gathered himself, and with a large shout, reignited his transformation. Yet the momentary stumble did not go unnoticed.
"I applaud your spirit, child," Cooler said as he touched down on Earth's ground. "I could see how my baby brother would have trouble with you if you were on Namek. However, so much power in one so young cannot be easy to wield. Perhaps rest is in order. I could make it swift for you."
"No!" Gohan shouted, his aura doubling in size. "I-I won't let you hurt anyone!"
"I already have boy. Have not found your companions buried under the rubble yet? I'll do far worse soon enough."
"No! I'll stop you!"
"Is that so? I was under the impression that's not why you're here. I was told that killing me wasn't up to you," Cooler said, letting his power grow as he walked toward Gohan. "Unfortunately, little one, if you truly want to stop me, you'll have to hit harder than that."
Gohan flinched but deepened into his stance, trying not to give away any of his inner conflict.
"Now then," Cooler said with a chuckle. "Shall we continue?"
Denying the child a second to answer, Cooler, rushed forward letting his passion for the fight take him. Taking the initiative proved to be the right move, as Gohan wasn't ready for the fight, his heart uncertain. Grabbing a fistful of golden hair, the alien whipped the half-saiyan off his feet and slammed him against the side of a sizable mountain. Gohan cried out but was quieted as Cooler took to the sky, jamming and dragging the super saiyan into the stone as he flew. Flying high above the mountain, his grip on Gohan's shining locks holding fast, Cooler turned and dove downward holding the child out in front. The dive tore apart the giant structure from top to bottom.
As the dust settled, the alien held up the boy, who groaned weakly. Releasing his grip and letting Gohan fall onto his heads and knees, Cooler lifted his foot and held it just above his enemy's head. At that moment, the gold faded from Gohan's hair and his eyes dimmed to their natural color.
"Finished already?" Cooler asked holding his foot in place. "How boring. Your allies have provided a much better fight."
"Don't… don't hurt them," Gohan gasped sweat rolling off of him.
"I intend to do far more than just hurt them," the tyrant laughed. "They will die, a worthy death for certain, but as this marks the beginning of my reign as the strongest. Examples are necessary."
"I said… don't hurt them," Gohan repeated, his fingers digging into the ground.
"Is that an order? You are in no posti-"
A wave of power boiled out from the half-saiyan, stifling the air itself. The display of strength was enough to knock Cooler back and plant both feet back onto the ground.
"I SAID!"
Gohan's hair sharped and glowed, the transformation process violent and swift. Folding his hands into fists and gritting his teeth, Gohan let his instincts take over, his training momentarily forgotten.
"DON'T HURT THEM!"
"Oh?" Cooler said, chuckling at the struggle. "And how do you intend to stop me?"
"I!"
Drawing power from his rage, Gohan felt his compassion and empathy start to slip. More and more of his saiyan heritage answered his call for strength. The desire for battle overriding his gentle nature.
"I'LL!"
Gohan's eyes, now shifted green, faded from view. His ki output bled into his stare, the white of his eyes blocking out the green as his hair straightened even more.
"I'LL KILL Y-"
"Solar flare!"
A burst of light doused Cooler and Gohan, blinding them both.
"What!?"
It took Cooler two full seconds to regain his vision, and when he did, Gohan had vanished. Replaced with Piccolo and Tien, already charging him down, ready to fight.
Okay, here should be good. Krillin thought to himself as he tried to catch his breath. He had hidden them away from the fighting, but close enough where he could still see it. Tien and Piccolo were doing their best but even without a tail, a second hand, and sustained damage, there seemed to be little they do against Cooler.
He should be distracted enough by now.
He looked over at Gohan, who was panting heavily. His hair seemed to flash between gold and black as he struggled to get ahold of his power.
"Gohan. Are you alright?"
"… I want to kill him. He hurt… he hurt everyone."
"I know, Gohan, but I need you to calm down now. We have a plan, but we need you focused if it's going to work."
"M-Mr. Yajirobi… he-"
"He can take care of himself," Krillin said, trying to hold his tone steady. "Vegeta too. We'll do what we can for them soon, but we need to finish this first. Are you ready?"
Gohan tensed instead of answering the question, his breathing becoming erratic and stressed. Lowering his head again as battled against his very nature, he could feel his concentration waning. His anger taking control. He flinched as he felt a calm hand on his shoulder and his head snapped up with eyes that shifted from green to white.
He met Krillin's gaze and felt his tension lessen. In the soft gaze of the monk, Gohan felt at peace. Soothed by the care planted deep in them and the gentle tide that lay beyond.
"In."
The super saiyan inhaled and let the knots in his body begin to unravel.
"Out."
On the exhale, the golden glow fade from Gohan's hair. The rush that had swallowed him up began to recede.
"Better?"
"Y-yeah."
"Good, you're doing fine, Gohan. Use your senzu if you need to."
Gohan nodded and pressed into his ear, muttered the keyword, and let his body relax.
"What happened to the stranger from earlier?" Krillin asked.
"I healed him… but he wouldn't wake up."
"Was he breathing when you left?"
Gohan nodded again.
"That'll have to do for now. Do you have my communicator?"
Reaching into his pocket, the half-saiyan gave over the small communicator. Wasting no time, Krillin placed it in his ear and turned it on.
"Bulma, can you hear me? What happened with Yamcha?"
"He… he stopped the blast, but he's…"
"Stay focused, Bulma," Krillin said, swallowing the break in his voice. "Is he still alive?"
"Y-yeah. He pushed the blast into SPHERE canceling it out, but it's at 23% now... and he might have been seen."
"We'll have to worry about that later. We'll get to him and the others when we can. In the meantime, I came up with a plan that I'll share with everyone still standing."
"… do you think it'll work?"
"I do," Krillin said, looking back over at the fighting. "We're ending this now."
"Die!" Piccolo shouted, cleaving the air with a swift chop connecting with Cooler's neck.
Unsurprisingly, the alien didn't seem affected and retaliated with a heavy punch. Reduced to just one arm and without a tail, the namekian could see the shift in Cooler's weight as he tried to throw the punch. That was enough of a warning to narrowly dodge the strike, yet the speed and strength were enough to a knuckle to cut through Piccolo's barrier and mark his cheek.
Flipping backward to disengage, Tien took his place. Having regrown his fourth arm, he began bombarding the tyrant with dodons rays with every limb looking just to stall Cooler for a second longer. Pressing forward, Tien doused Cooler with as much energy as he could spare kicking up dust, dirt, and rock clouding the battlefield.
Suddenly, as fast as he had started, Tien stopped but not by his own volition. He was held in place by an overwhelming force, his muscles shaking from his attempts to move. In an instant, he recognized this power.
"Telekinesis?" Tien coughed as the pressure dug into his back.
"You are correct earthling," Cooler said stepping forward, his hand reaching out. "Tis not a power I use often as it takes the sport from the hunt. To be pushed far enough to reach this point is just another testament to your strength."
Piccolo charged at Cooler's unprotected side, looking to carve out something important. Instead, Cooler saw his charge and fired twin beams of energy out of his glowing red eyes. Caught off guard, the energy beams slid in and out of Piccolo's chest, burning two holes through his body.
"Guh!" Piccolo coughed purple blood from his mouth as it leaked out of his body. Yet still, he charged. Cooler retaliated and leaned into a kick while still holding Tien down.
Again, Piccolo saw the shift in weight and was able to guess the trajectory of the strike. Dodging the alien's heel, Piccolo shoved a ki blast into Cooler's knee. Not enough to pierce but singed the skin and rattle the bone.
"You namekians are as sturdy as your file suggests!" Cooler shouted as he stepped back on the wounded leg and threw Tien into Piccolo with the power of his mind.
The two warriors collapsed in a heap, and both became subject to Cooler's telekinesis. His strength was vast enough to hold them down with just one arm. They struggled to stand as more and more pressure pushed them down into the Earth's crust. Neither one of them could fight or even crawl towards the alien tyrant standing tall above them.
Yet together, they had given Krillin just enough time.
Coming up from behind, the monk grabbed Cooler by the side of his head and discharged all his ki right into the alien's skull.
"Aaagh!" Cooler cried out, his vision blurring as more and more electricity burned itself into his brain.
Dropping the hold he held on Piccolo and Tien, the alien lashed out with his only arm trying to get Krillin off his back. Avoiding the grab, Krillin pumped even more lethal voltage into the invader's body. Strands of lighting began to bounce off the two craving into the ground and mountains surrounding them. It wasn't until the monk saw Cooler's body start to lock up from the amount of static coursing through him, did he reach out with his mind.
"Now Gohan!"
With a flash of golden light lighting up the battlefield, the legend returned. To his side, he held a tight fist that he didn't unleash until he was inches from Cooler's face. Concentrating all his power, focus, speed, strength, rage, and hope, Gohan threw out a punch. Leading the strike with his index and middle knuckle, just as he had been taught.
The blow connected with Cooler's visor covering his mouth and cracked it wide open. Shards of white carapace shattered, cutting into both Gohan's hand and Cooler's face. The velocity and ferociousness of the punched knocked Krillin clean off the alien's back. Landing on his feet, the monk watched as the half-saiyan began to thrash the invader, much to Cooler's delight.
"YES!" Cooler shouted, his eyes wide with joy.
The clash between the two powers had the North Mountains quaking as the mighty rock formations trembled and fall in face of the struggle. Again, Cooler was on the defensive, reduced to one arm facing a fully rejuvenated super saiyan had him quickly losing ground.
"MORE!" He roared, reaching out with telekinesis and pressing down with all he had.
Gohan's feet cracked the Earth as he took the push in stride and whipped out a fierce disc of ki. Cooler dodged and fired two beams of energy from his eyes only for the child to backhand them and close the distance between them.
Flowing past another punch, Gohan found an opening in Cooler's defense and leaned into a devastating punch. The child's fist landed in the alien's stomach, bending his spine and bubbling out blue blood from his throat. Cooler grinned, reveling in the moment before reaching Gohan and grabbing him by his gi.
With his adrenalin pumping and his thirst for battle finding its height, Cooler slammed the young boy against his head, breaking his nose. Gohan cried out in pain giving Cooler enough time to move his hold to the boy's neck. His one hand was enough to completely engulf Gohan's windpipe. Gohan gagged and tried to fire multiple ki blasts with one hand while also trying to escape, but Cooler's grip held firm.
"DON'T DIE YET! Cooler screamed, "GIVE ME MO-"
"EVIL CONTAINMENT WAVE!"
Cooler turned to see Tien bloodied by his early fight but standing tall with four arms reaching out at him. A small jar marked with a symbol and a lid next to it lay just a few feet in front of him.
"You already tried that human!" Cooler said, his eyes glowing with energy, ready to stop the seal.
"Solar flare!"
Light burst from Gohan like an open dam and with no way to cover his face, Cooler was once again subject to the complete loss of sight. So, he could only hear the moment the vortex took hold of him.
Once he could see again, Cooler found himself held aloft with a green wind wiping around him. Despite tumbling through the air, he had a clear view of Tien trying his best to gain a foothold on the tornado. As well as the boy, he still held by the throat.
"Your allies acted too soon, boy!" Cooler said to Gohan, who continued to try and free himself. "Whatever this vortex is, it cannot hold two people at once. Once they realize their error, this battle shall continue until this planet is nothing but rubble!"
"N-no," Gohan wheezed, staring at Cooler with eyes that could burn. "We… we stopped you."
"Stopped me!? How naïve are you, boy!? You have onl-"
"We stopped you."
It was the last thing Gohan said before his body seemed to fade out of existence. Cooler's grip holding nothing but air.
"WHAT!?"
Cooler's eyes darted around, searching for an answer. It took only a moment to find another Gohan on the ground below. His hair was now back to its original color, gasping for air as Krillin helped him to his feet.
"The boy is there!?" Cooler asked himself in disbelief. "Then what was I fighting!?"
The question would go unanswered as Tien threw his arms downward at the open bottle with a shout. Cooler's body morphed into a dense beam of light that dove right into the jar's center. As the light became increasingly contained, the jar shook widely. Moving quickly, Piccolo placed the lid firmly on top, sealing away the only exit. Slowly but surely, the light faded away, and the shaking stopped.
A tense silence covered the battlefield as the warriors slowly slid off their feet and sat down. The moments of peace felt unreal as they tried to gain hold of themselves. It wasn't until a roar from Tien through the few mountains that remained did the battle's end sink in. Krillin watched as Tien cried out, not with a scream of grief, but a shout of victory.
The battle had wiped away a vast amount of the North Mountains. Where once stood stone monuments that touched the sky now lay low. The warriors stood tall amongst the rubble, with Tien screaming to the heavens above. There was no voice in the shout, just a pure release as the year of training, of fear, of grief, undid itself.
At the shout's end, he looked toward his leader with a heavy heart. "Do… do you think he saw?"
"I know he did."
Tien nodded and stood back up and looked over to Gohan and Piccolo who stood by his side as well. A genuine smile marked his face. "Is everyone alright?"
"I'm okay," Gohan gasped. "Just a little hungry."
"I'll live," Piccolo said, pressing his finger into his ear and saying the keyword aloud. "It'll take more than that to kill me."
"Then the plan worked," Tien breathed out. "I didn't know you knew the multi-form technique, Gohan."
"Mr. Krillin taught me," the half-saiyan said with a smile.
"Yes, but you were the one to act on it," Krillin said, joining the others and patting his student on the back. "Good job Gohan."
The young boy beamed.
"I'm glad we're all safe, but we'll have to celebrate and mourn later," Krillin said quickly. "Yajirobi, Vegeta, and Yamcha are down, and we need to make sure they're okay. Bulma told me that Vegeta still has his senzu available. We can use it on whoever needs it the most and then get the others back to capsule corp."
"You're right," Tien said, wiping his eyes. "We need to make sure we all get home."
"Yeah, we're not out of this yet," Krillin said, trying to keep a straight face despite his exhaustion. "Gohan, stay with Piccolo and pick up Yamcha. Tien and I will get Vegeta and Yajirobi. Bulma can direct you if you can't find the-"
A blast of energy struck the jar and shattered it open.
The warriors stood in horror as the tiny shards of the jar sealing Cooler away scattered across the broken ground. Turning to find where the beam had come from, they were all stunned to see Salza standing tall on what remained of a mountain. His body was barely holding itself together. The wrist Trunks had shattered was smoking from where he fired his energy blast. The alien was more dead than alive, but he smiled all the same.
"All hail… Lord Cool-"
Piccolo struck out, his special beam cannon digging a hole through the alien's heart in an instant. Salza's life ended before he hit the ground, but there was no time to think about the kill. Light began to pour out from the remains of the jar, blinding the group, but that didn't stop Krillin from shouting.
"ATTACK!"
The group moved to the order, but a pulse of power sent them all flying backward and scattering them.
"You nearly had me."
Cooler's voice bounced off the battlefield, sending a chill up the spine of every warrior. The last member of the Cold family had lost his arm, tail, visor, and was openly trailing blood from his wounds, but he smiled all the same.
"It was a valiant attempt for certain," Cooler said, scanning and enjoying the terror on every face. "Though it seems you could not contain my po-"
Cooler stopped as he spied the remains of Salza dead among the rocks. The sight changed Cooler's demeanor and his joy slipped away.
"Ah, I think I see now. You were a good soldier, Salza."
Krillin, Tien, Gohan, and Piccolo all rushed at the alien, only to strike at nothing as Cooler flew upward into the blue sky.
"As much as I have enjoyed this contest of strength to continue it any further would be in poor taste," Cooler said as he held up his arm over his head. "Salza believed in my rule, and it falls to me to prove to this universe that his devotion was correct." A sphere of energy appeared above Cooler's reach. One of sun-like energy that grew at a frightening rate. "It has been a pleasure, warriors. Out of all my hunts, you have no equal."
The sphere seemed to have no limit, as its size doubled than tripled in a matter of seconds. It was as if Cooler held a star in the palm of his hand. One with the potential to destroy them all.
A heavy storm of dirt and rock washed over the team as the nova pulsed with energy. The massive sphere radiated with barely contained power in its overwhelming size. The scale of it felt impossible, but as Cooler's voice cut clean through the chaos of the storm, the danger became very real.
"I shall remember your spirit and tenacity for as long as I breathe," Cooler said, bowing his head. "This battle is mine. Die with pride."
With a swing of his arm, the nova descended upon the warriors. There was no time for words, plans, or even regret. Only action.
"KamehameHA!"
Krillin went first, a wave of blue shooting upward and smashing against the gigantic orb.
"MasenkoHA!"
Gohan went next, joining the monk, his beam colliding against Cooler's attack. His hair turning gold for a brief second before fading then surging back as he tried digging for every scrap of strength.
Piccolo unfurled both hands alight with crackling ki and threw up his energy into the sky. The blast slammed against the nova as he dug his heels into the ground and pushed.
The nova barely slowed and did not stop even as they unloaded all that they had.
Tien stepped up, his four arms shaking with what energy he had left. Forming two different triangles braced himself to fire off two blasts hoping to help his friends.
"Twin! Tri-be-"
"Stop Tien! I need you to do something else!"
Krillin's voice froze Tien in place, his energy fading as he waited for his order.
"If this hits the ground, we're dead! Even with your help, we aren't going to push this thing back!" Krillin shared as the nova sank another inch. "I need to know if you can contain it!"
"Contain it?" Tien answered as another pulse of destructive power burned the surrounding air. "I… I don't know. It's bigger than anything I've tried before. Even at full power… I-"
"Tell me now, Tien!" Krillin screamed, gritting his teeth as he felt the sphere fall ever closer.
"… I can try, but I need a jar with a li-"
"Piccolo! Make one now!"
The namekian understood instantly and dropped his portion of the push. As he did, one of Krillin's knees buckled. Despite his body twisting at an awkward angle, his focus remained on holding the orb back.
Using the same power, he had to make Gohan's old gi and sword Piccolo shaped his energy and crafted a small jar with a lid next to it. Another rumble nearly knocked it over as Krillin and Gohan lost even more ground.
"M-Mr. Krillin I…" Gohan gasped, unable able to maintain his transformation any longer.
"Piccolo!"
The namekian responded to the monk's cry and re-added his power back to the struggle. Yet even with the three beams pushing back, the nova's plunge had put it dangerously close to consuming them all.
"We need you now, Tien!" Krillin screamed out in his mind, his bones shaking from the weight.
"I have to make the symbol myself, but I have nothing to write wi-"
"USE YOUR BLOOD!"
Realizing the monk was right, Tien bit into his thumb hard enough to break the skin. Red oozed out of the minor cut and Tien immediately got to work drawing out the needed symbol. Every second he spent, the nova plummeted deeper towards the Earth. The terrible heat from the sphere had every member panting and sweating with their ki reserves dwindling. Fear would have taken the team, but even now, at the edge of destruction, one man held them together.
"WE'RE NOT DYING HERE DO YOU HEAR ME!" Krillin cried, his voice rallying those that still stood. "WE'VE COME TOO FAR TO FAIL!"
The cry unified the half-saiyan and namekian for another surge, but against the towering sphere it did little to stop it, but that was enough.
"Done!"
Tien placed the jar down as the ground crackled and caved. Centering and gathering himself, Tien calmed his energy and tried to quiet the surrounding noise. Closing his eyes, the warrior prepared his body to go further than ever before.
I can do this. I must do this. He told himself as he felt the well of power deep within bubble with purpose. Chiaotzu, I'll make you proud.
Ripping his eyes wide open, Tien beheld his task. The sphere already eating away bits and pieces of the planet, he reached out with all four arms and screamed.
"EVIL!"
Already the wisps and whispers of a vortex-colored green formed around the nova, tugging it even closer towards the ground.
"CONTAINMENT!"
The winds picked up, spinning faster now as the tug became a pull. The others dropped their blasts in a gasp, allowing the sphere to drop even closer to them. As they did, Tien brought all his strength, power, training, and heart to their absolute limit as he cried out.
"WAVE!"
The tornado opened like a mouth, trying to inhale the massive amount of deadly energy. Further and further, it inched it's way up and under the nova, sucking it down towards the small jar. Yet even this was no small feat.
Clenching his jaw so tightly, his teeth cracked. Blood began to run out of Tien's nostrils as the process chewed through his mind and body. The winds were enough to send the others scattering to the side, unable to help for the moment. Holding the massive vortex in place had Tien's arms rattling with every turn of the twister.
The nova sunk lower and was swallowed whole by the tornado, condensing it the best it could. That push of power snapped one of Tien's arms in half the bone, having reached its limit. Still, with three arms left, Tien heaved the storm upward. The vortex encased sphere followed the wind as it was carried upward, its heat diminishing as it was taken further and further away.
With a heavy grunt, Tien slammed his remaining arms towards the ground. The command shifted the vortex as it started the herculean task of suppressing the nova, but it did not start its descent. So again, Tien lifted his arms as he grabbed hold of the twister and again brought them down toward the jar. The shift became a movement but was still not enough to tip the tornado downward.
Once more Tien commanded his body to move but found his strength spent. The attempt had him hurling up blood, his stance nearly breaking as well. With red running from his nose and mouth, Tien reached for his source of strength buried in his memories.
Chiaotzu! Help me!
Yet the power his friend's memory had always granted him felt distant and clouded by time. Had it been more than a year since they had been together? What did Chiaotzu look like? What did he sound like? Tien could feel the vortex weaken as he searched himself desperately for answers.
Why!? Why can't I remember you!?
The winds slowed, and the nova seemed to grow even larger in the face of his heartbreak. For a brief horrible moment, Tien questioned everything. Could he do this? What if he couldn't? Why had he fought so hard only to fail now? What was he fighting fo-
"Hey, don't die, okay?"
He could see her.
With blond hair hiding her eyes, a hand rubbing her shoulder nervously, and a hint of pink coloring her cheeks, in his mind he could see her so clearly.
"If I hear from the others that you sacrificed yourself or did something stupid again, I'll-"
Her voice grew sharp, and her hair parted as she looked at him, not in anger as she had before, but with an emotion, he had never seen from her.
"Just don't die, okay!"
Her plea echoed in his head and in that instant, he could feel the twister's weight lessen. The strength his memories of a lost friend gave him were still present but suddenly amplified by a new power. By an emotion, he had never felt before.
His aura erupted with crimson. The heat of the kaio-ken shredding bits of his gi away as his focus and purpose returned to him a hundredfold. With three arms, he seized the storm and raised it to new heights. A shout heard by all shot out of him as he threw his arms downward and wind buckled under his command. The nova, along with the vortex, changed into a dense beam of light. It nosedived and sunk deep into the jar marked with his symbol. It stayed there nearly sealed, tilting back and forth.
Krillin was the first on it, taking the lid and covering it as quickly as he could. Once the lid was in place, he held the jar tightly and looked at his friend.
Swaying where he stood, Tien's face was drenched in sweat, blood, and tears. "That's… all I've got," He coughed already falling backward. "You'll have… to do… the rest."
Krillin watched his friend fall but saw his chest rising as his body did its best to take in air.
"Thank you, Tien."
A smaller thud came to Krillin's left, and he turned to see Gohan on his stomach, breathing heavily. The monk was by his side in an instant.
"Mr… Krillin… I," the half-saiyan started before he was quieted with a smile.
"Don't worry, Gohan, we've got it from here. You can rest."
"B-but…"
"It's alright," Krillin said, placing a soft hand on his student's head. "You did great Gohan. I am so, so proud of you."
The boy looked at his godfather with eyes half-closed, unable to summon the strength to keep them open. Yet that didn't stop the boy from forming a small smile of his own before falling into unconsciousness.
Slowly, the monk turned his godson onto his back and studied the boy carefully.
"With these two down, we're out of options," Piccolo asked, taking his place by Krillin's side. "Unless you have another plan you didn't tell us about."
"… only a bad one."
"How much time do you need?"
"More than we have."
"Humph," Piccolo snorted. "Looks like our backs are up against the wall."
"As usual," Krillin said, getting back onto his feet. "Let's move him a little further away so Tien and Gohan can rest. We'll stall until the others can rejoin, or until I'm ready."
"If he tries a move like that again, we might not be able to stop it."
"I'm sure you'll surprise me."
The comment got a pause from the namekian before he chuckled.
"Alright then," Piccolo said, smashing his two fists together. "Let's show him something new."
Cooler was frozen in place.
He had seen the wind blare out from the ground and consume his nova. The sheer power of the process kept him away from interfering. As the light dimmed, his instincts told him he should press the attack now, but he could not. Staring down at the two warriors among a blanket of dust and ash, his mind continued to race.
This fight had amused him, excited him, even surprised him at one point. Only now was he shocked into silence.
The last remaining member of the Cold family watched as Piccolo grew to triple his size. The monk leaped onto the giant's shoulder, all while maintaining eye contact with the invader. Placing a hand onto the side of his ally's head, Krillin sent a fierce current that spread throughout Piccolo's gigantic body. Their auras merged as one as they roared in unison. Their shout shook what remained of the North Mountains as the massive namkian leaped into the air.
They were battered, bloodied, and beaten. Exhaustion covered them, and it looked as if the slightest breeze would send them on their sides. Yet that spirit and tenacity Cooler had complimented, had underestimated, burned brightly.
The battle for Earth was not yet over.
Vegeta awoke buried in the rubble.
The fallen mountain blocked his vision and would have completely doused him in darkness, save for the soft glow of a barrier holding back the massive stones that lay above his head.
"Hey… you're finally awake."
The prince tilted his head to see Yajirobi holding his hands up and using his ki to hold back the heavy stones.
"D-did you have a nice nap, princy?" The samurai joked, but the words came out haggard and worn.
"What… what happened? Where's Cooler?" Vegeta growled, his anger growing sharp.
"Well, in a nutshell, he beat the snot out of us, more you than me," Yajirobi laughed. "You shouldn't have t-tried to fight him alone."
"I had him before," the prince snapped. "But that human interfered."
"If Krillin stopped you, then that just means you probably didn't," Yajirobi said before grunting from the weight of the mountain. "But enough w-whining princy you've still got your senzu, right? Just use it and we can get out of this mess."
A tense silence answered the samurai.
"Uh, princy? I can't hold this forever. Why don't you get a move o-"
"I shouldn't have to."
"What?"
"I shouldn't have to!" Vegeta shouted. "Royalty should not be reduced to this! Using crutches, it's beneath me! As the prince of all saiyans, I should hold a strength beyond any other!"
"Well…. ya don't," Yajirobi said as if it was obvious. "You got your teeth kicked in by a crazy alien and now you're buried under a mountain with me. R-real sorry, but royal status don't matter much here. So less whining more senzu juice please, my arms are getting tired."
"Quiet human!" The prince spat. "This fight should be mine to win! I should be the one to end Frieza's bloodline!"
"Man, you were a lot better at working with us back on Namek," the samurai grunted as the mountain's weight continued to press on him. "What happened to that guy? W-why are you so obsessed with this, anyway? Frieza's the one who you hated right, and he's dead and gone, so why does it matter?"
"Why does it matter!?" Vegeta screamed. "For years the saiyans lived under the boot of that tyrant and for years I was told I'd be the one to kill him, to be the one to realize the legend of the super saiyan! To prove that the saiyans are the mightiest race and that I stand at the top, it is the only thing that matters to me!"
"Really?" Yajirobi said. "Got to admit that's a little hard to believe."
"What!?"
"If killing Frieza and getting stronger was the only thing you cared about, why did you save me on Namek?"
"That… that has nothing to do with anything!" Vegeta fired back.
"Well, it has a lot to do with me," Yajirobi said, his arms starting to shake. "Way I see it, I'm here because of you. You stepped on me when you were a big, hairy monkey and killed me. Then you pulled me out of the ocean on an alien planet before I drowned. If not for those two things, I'd probably be just sitting around waiting for the end of the world like a normal person. O-or dead." Taking a breath to push back against the rocks, Yajirobi grunted out. "A big reason I can help the others at all is because I met you princy. So, like it or not, you matter to me."
"I…that doesn't concern me!" Vegeta spat back.
"Alright, guess that's what I get for pouring my heart out," Yajirobi said, his arms starting to fail. "Looks we'll j-just stay here then."
Vegeta paused, his hands digging into the Earth before he spoke again. "… I froze."
"Froze? What?"
"On Namek," Vegeta said quietly. "After Kakarot's brat changed into a super saiyan before me and fought Frieza, I had the chance to join the fight and kill him, but I froze."
"Uh, okay… and?"
"The prince of all saiyans should fear nothing! It should have been me in that fight!"
"I mean… sure we could have used your help, but what's done is done. You can't k-keep beating yourself up about it."
"You know nothing human! Years of waiting for an opportunity to kill that monster and I let it slip through my fingers!"
"That's rough buddy," Yajirobi said as the rocks inched themselves even closer.
"… why?" the prince asked softly. "Why was the human able to fight when I couldn't? Why were you!?"
"Me?"
"You were there as well! I sensed you during that last battle against Frieza!"
"Well yeah, couldn't let m-my friends fight alone."
"You… couldn't?"
"Course not," Yajirobi grunted. "… I… wasn't good enough to stop Chiaotzu from going, but that's why I'm here now. So, something like that doesn't happen again. T-that's why I tried saving your sorry butt too. Bulma's buffet was good, but it didn't have half the stuff I think you'd like. You c-can't die before you try some good s-sushi."
"Have you ever cared for someone other than yourself? Fought for something bigger than just your pride?" Krillin's voice said as it softly carried itself through the prince's mind. "What would cause you enough grief that you would do anything to stop it?"
The ground beneath the two warriors rumbled as the battle kicked up once more. Yajirobi coughed in pain as his barrier weakened even more.
"A-alright, d-don't want to r-rush you, but I really don't want to go out l-like this."
Looking over at the samurai again, Vegeta realized how injured the human was. Blood oozed out from a wound on his head, and he could see the Yajirobi's chest seemed to have been crushed inward. Yet his small barrier continued to hold back the mighty mountain. He was trying his best to shield them both from harm.
"So, what's it g-going.. to be princy? F-feel like saving me again?"