601Beta'd by Priapus and Old Man of the Mountain
It had been a long time since he had met an opponent this strong, one that constantly had him on the backfoot the entire fight. Last time he felt this rush was when he fought Raditz, his self-proclaimed older brother, however, this was different.
Unlike Raditz, Slug was far more of an intimidating enemy, not just in his stature, but in his demeanor and fighting style as well. In his fight with Raditz, he had noticed that the older Saiyan was far more likely to make mistakes and wasted movements, due to his arrogance and cockiness, which resulted in his death.
But this guy was different. It was clear who was ultimately stronger, and while there was a sense of a superiority complex from Slug, he never let that affect his fighting skill. He wasted no movement– such fluidity and skill were something Goku had never seen before in his life. It was incredible.
Goku struggled, even with his times eight Kaioken. Sure, he was actually keeping up with his opponent, but it was very clear that the Namekian's age was catching up to him, giving the Saiyan more of a chance to keep fighting and land solid hits against him.
Slug's arm extended as he tried to grab Goku by the head, who only barely ducked to evade his hand. Goku grunted and tightly gripped the outstretched arm before spinning him around, throwing him to a valley down below. He quickly followed up with a Kamehameha, the blue beam creating a huge explosion that wiped out several mountains in an instant.
He knew that this wasn't enough to put the Namekian down, so he charged forward, crimson aura flaring brighter once he threw his punch, only for it to be blocked by the enemy. Slug smirked and wiped some blood from his mouth, slapping Goku's fist away before burying his own deep in the Saiyan's gut.
Goku's eyes widened as he spat blood, but wasn't even given a moment to recover as his enemy opened his fist and unleashed a giant ball of ki that launched the Saiyan far above into the skies. The searing heat of the ki sphere made Goku scream in pain, knowing full well that this attack could very well kill him in an instant if it exploded.
So he did what he could, and roared.
"TIMES NINE!"
His blood-red aura darkened in color and increased in size, giving Goku just enough power to deflect the ball and throw it away. The Saiyan gasped once he saw his enemy only a few feet away from him, unable to defend against the flurry of punches and kicks thrown at him.
And to make matters worse, Goku struggled to keep his Kaioken activated, his power dropping rapidly from the onslaught. He was kicked through a mountain and into a forest, making him cough up his own blood as he dropped out of the double-edged technique.
Goku grunted and slowly got up back on his feet, every muscle in his body screaming in agony as his legs shook uncontrollably. "Damn it…"
"I don't understand," Remiel stated, sounding genuinely bewildered. "He shouldn't be this strong. His ki isn't that much higher than yours."
"Y-yeah…" Goku panted. "Something's odd about his energy. It has some weird… I dunno, weight to it."
"Yes, I've noticed that myself." He agreed. "But I'm not quite sure what it is. Perhaps it's magic?"
"Whatever it is– Ow!" Goku flinched as his injuries flared. "W-whatever it is, it kinda reminds of Kami's ki."
"...I see," Remiel muttered. "At the very least, his age seems to be catching up to him. He's skilled at hiding it, but I can tell that he's struggling even more than you are."
Goku frowned slightly at that, bothered by the unfair advantage, but understood that now's not the time to be annoyed about such a thing.
"Keep at it. He's tiring quite fast."
"Right."
Goku ignored the pain in his body and straightened his posture, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He clenched his fists and unleashed his ki once more, activating the Kaioken before rushing forward.
He quickly threw a feint, ducking under Slug's fist and landing a powerful uppercut that sent the ancient Namekian above the clouds. Goku flew over him and kicked him in the head, speeding past Slug while charging a Kamehameha wave, releasing the blast at point-blank.
From the cloud of smoke, Slug's arm stretched at Goku, who only barely avoided by moving his head to the side, however, he couldn't dodge the other arm. The Namekian's hand tightly gripped the Saiyan's neck, choking the life out of him as he was brought closer to the older warrior.
Goku tried to pull his hand away, but Slug remained unmoving. The Namekian smirked viciously and used his free hand to charge up a condensed ki ball, aiming it at Goku's heart. The Saiyan panicked, desperate in finding a way out of his grip, and his friend's scream in his head had the right idea.
"Bite!"
Goku did not argue or question, quickly biting Slug's hand hard. Hard enough to draw blood, prompting Slug to let go and scream in pain, shock, and rage. With his Ki flaring in his fist, Goku used the chance to land a powerful jab in the Namekian's face, sending him down to the ground and creating a large crater.
With an ample opportunity to deal more damage, Goku charged at the downed Slug with a roar, throwing his strongest punch yet, only for it to get caught with ease. The Saiyan's eyes widened as Slug wiped the blood off his mouth, his smirk returning quickly.
"You're strong, Saiyan." Slug complimented. "Skilled and disciplined to boot, ignoring the cheap trick you just pulled. Warriors like you are quite rare in this day and age."
"Nghh..?!" Goku's eyes widened once his red aura suddenly vanished, his body no longer able to keep it up anymore. He was forced to his knees as Slug twisted his arm painfully. "Argh!"
"When most of the universe's denizens rely on power alone, it's quite the pleasant surprise to see someone like yourself." He continued, tightening his grip. "However, you are young, inexperienced. Admittedly, I do not want to see talent such as yours go to waste, so I shall give you one last chance to join me."
The Saiyan could feel his body giving out. He didn't have a lot of power left, and while he looked quite tired as well, Slug could easily win this battle of attrition. However, Goku had just enough for one last desperate assault. If he couldn't beat him, then he'd weaken him enough for the others to take him out.
"Over my dead body." Goku gritted out.
"Hm, I see." Slug's smile dropped, aiming his other hand at the Saiyan. "Very well. I respect your willpower. Staring death in the face takes quite the courage. I will remember you, Son Goku."
The ki within Slug's palm crackled, power condensed to a tennis ball-sized sphere formed in it, and he stared directly at Goku's black eyes as he uttered one more sentence. "Any last words?"
Goku grinned.
"Just two."
"Goku, no," Remiel warned. "Your body will be torn apart."
"I don't have any other choice."
Slug raised a brow, however his confusion turned into shock as Goku's ki exploded once again with a roar.
"TIMES TWELVE!"
The strike that followed those two words knocked the wind out of Slug's lungs, making his eyes almost bulge out of his skull as Goku's fist went deeper into his stomach. The Saiyan launched Slug above the clouds and even out of the stratosphere.
Goku's body was breaking down fast under the pressure of the technique, but he was just tough enough to continue his assault, following Slug's soaring body to deliver blows heavy enough to unleash shockwaves that split the clouds apart.
Goku kicked Slug's body even higher, flying upwards and cupping his hands together. His entire body felt like it was on fire- he was bleeding from every orifice on his head, but with a mix of his unbelievable willpower and Saiyan physiology, he resisted the pain and forced himself to charge the blast.
"Kame…"
Slug seemingly recovered as he gasped for air, looking at Goku's figure with shock and rage. As the Saiyan approached with a blue ki orb charging in his hands, Slug acted quickly and released two ki beams from his eyes.
"–hame…"
Goku only barely evaded a lethal blow by tilting his head to the side, prompting the eye beams to pierce his shoulders instead. He grunted in pain but didn't lose focus, his eyes burning fiercely as he let out a mighty roar, followed by a blinding blue light.
"HAAA!"
The ki wave enveloped the skies of Earth, acting as a brilliant second sun. Such power and spectacle stopped everyone and drew their attention, prompting every conscious warrior to look at the light that pierced the stratosphere in awe.
The energy of the blast even surpassed Goku's and Slug's current power levels– Such a thing made the Tyrant's loyalists drop to their knees in despair as they saw their leader seemingly incinerated by the blast, his ki nowhere to be sensed. Was he hiding his energy, or was he killed?
Even Goku wasn't sure if he won or not, unable to sense Slug anywhere as the smoke left by the ki wave covered large portions of the sky. His eyes darted around before his crimson aura vanished, causing the Saiyan to hack and cough violently. His throat was burning up, his ear was ringing, and his vision was hazy. He barely has enough energy to stay conscious.
His right leg suddenly flared in unbearable agony as two small beams went through it. Goku screamed in pain as more and more tiny ki beams penetrated different parts of his body while leaving the vitals– Shoulders, knees, thighs, and arms. He struggled to move to even be able to dodge, blood pouring from every hole his enemy made.
The smoke cleared and revealed a heavily injured Slug, but one that obviously had far more energy than Goku. A deep scowl marred the face of the old, hardened Namekian, eyes glowing purple as he stared at the Saiyan hatefully.
"I'll make you beg for mercy, Saiyan." He swore, extending an arm. "Die."
Goku only barely managed to put both arms in front of him before the blast reached him, successfully defending against a killing blow. He was sent through several pillars of stone, Slug's ship, and back to where the big battle first took place.
Barely holding on to his consciousness, Goku used all his remaining power to stand up again. He couldn't see what was directly in front of him, his sight darkened and blurry from exhaustion, but his spirit was still willing to defend his home planet.
Slug stood atop a rock pillar as he narrowed his eyes at him. He must say, as annoying as this Saiyan was, he was a respectable warrior indeed. That technique of his, the 'Kaioken', was clearly a double-edged sword. It damaged him and hurt him immensely, yet he still stood up to continue fighting, no matter how painful it was for him. Such agony could put even the fiercest in the universe to their knees.
Could it be that this Saiyan– this Son Goku, was the legendary Super Saiyan? He certainly reminded Slug of the legend, only lacking in some aspects. He did not show the explosive golden power foretold in that ancient story.
Regardless, it was clear that he needed to end the fight right now. He was losing too much energy, and his fragile body couldn't take any more damage.
Had he regained his youth, this would not have been that much of an issue.
– A few moments earlier –
Piccolo had to admit that this was the most infuriating fight he had ever been in his short life. The size of his enemy was already annoying, but adding his animalistic unpredictability, ki draining and little clones made a very frustrating skillset.
Piccolo was losing his breath, and in turn, losing his cool, which only gave his opponent more opportunities to hurt him. Originally, he'd be able to last for far more time, but once again, having his ki drained every time Medamatcha landed a hit made sure that it wasn't the case.
At the very least he wasn't the only one tired. His abilities might be unorthodox, but his opponent didn't hit as hard as Piccolo because of his lack of training. His nonexistent martial arts skill was starting to bite him in the ass.
Piccolo grabbed his arm as he charged for a punch, then swung him around and around, smashing him against trees, rocks, and mountains before finally throwing him down at a nearby lake. With a roar, the Namekian followed up with a purple ki wave, turning the water into vapor instantly.
It wasn't enough to put Medamatcha down, though, as he rushed back up with an angry scowl as more of his copies followed him closely. Piccolo growled and rained down a volley of ki blasts, taking out a few of the clones but missing the main one.
Piccolo tried to dodge, but a fist connected with his stomach, making his eyes bulge out as he gasped. Without a chance to retaliate, the Namekian was held in a full nelson by his enemy, who giggled maniacally.
"I'll turn you into a shriveled-up husk of a Namekian!" He announced as copies hugged Piccolo's arms and legs. "Feast on him!"
Having been drained throughout the battle, Piccolo wasn't able to summon enough ki to push the incoming copies. In that short moment, the Namekian tried to come up with a way to get out of his enemy's hold, which he wasn't strong enough to break away from.
So he grabbed Medamatcha and did the only thing he could, expelling ki from the palms of his hand to burn the arms of the smaller warrior. It worked, singing the lieutenant's skin, but wasn't enough to force him to let go.
However, in the midst of the charge of the clones, they froze suddenly, and even the ones stuck to his legs were dragged away by an invisible force. Both Piccolo and Medamatcha were confused for a moment before a powerful wave of ki incinerated all the copies at once.
Piccolo glanced to the side and saw both Chiaotzu and Tien standing side by side, arms outstretched and faces smirking. Piccolo couldn't help but grin back at them, and with nothing draining his ki, he exploded his aura with a roar, pushing back his enemy.
Medamatcha panicked as he realized that most of the army had been absolutely decimated by the earthlings, but still tried to attack Piccolo as a desperate last attempt. However, a foot struck his cheek, interrupting his charge.
Medamatcha couldn't see who was responsible as Yamcha unleashed his Wolf Fang Fist, kicking him back to Tien, who slammed him to the ground, creating a large crater. Piccolo glared at the struggling form of his enemy, rolling his neck and arms.
"You alright, Piccolo?" Krillin asked as he floated next to the Namekian.
"I'm fine." He responded gruffly. "Bastard drains energy fast, but it always leaves him open."
"Yeah, we noticed." Tien nodded as he approached the two, looking down at Medamatcha. "You were damaging him faster than he was stealing your ki."
"He's a fool. As useful that ability of his is, he'd never get far with it alone." Piccolo scoffed.
"Look out!" Chiaotzu suddenly yelled, before quickly outstretching both arms at an incoming attack.
The group turned to see a clone charging at Piccolo, and the shortest fighter's telekinesis thankfully stopped it. However, unexpectedly, the clone's tiny body, still frozen in the air, inflated to twice its size before blinding the warriors by blowing itself up, separating them with the force of the explosion.
It didn't severely damage any of them, but it was clearly a distraction, Piccolo thought. He'd be correct as Medamatcha charged at the Namekian one last time. As he got close, he screamed at the top of his lungs with a manic look on his face.
"I'M TAKING YOU DOWN WITH ME YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A NAMEKIAN!"
Piccolo clicked his tongue and stretched his arm at the incoming Medamatacha, though, he knew that whatever he could conjure wouldn't be enough to stop someone as suicidal as him. He didn't have enough ki.
As the manic alien approached Piccolo, a disk of ki came flying at the former, slicing him in half from the midsection. The two halves of Medamatcha simply plummeted to the ground as the life in his eyes vanished after a second, painting the ground beneath red as blood and organs spilled out.
Piccolo blinked twice and turned to look at Krillin, who sighed in relief. "That was close."
"That was brutal," Yamcha said, looking at his bald friend in astonishment. "What the hell was that?"
"Oh you know, a technique I've been working on." Krillin shrugged, acting bashful. "I wanted to show it off against the Saiyans, but, well, I couldn't."
"It's a lethal one. It's best that you didn't." Tien nodded. "Accidentally hitting one of us wouldn't be pretty."
"I was worried about that, yeah," Krilin admitted with a sheepish chuckle. "I haven't fully got the hang of it, so it's kind of a last resort thing."
"Regardless, it's useful," Piccolo said approvingly. "Good job."
The humans all looked at him funny, making him frown in confusion. "What?"
"Heh, it's nothing," Krillin smirked and took off the bag stuck on his hip, taking something out of it. "Anyway, you're pretty drained from that fight. Here."
Piccolo caught what he threw, inspecting the tiny green bean in his hand before eating it. In an instant, the Namekian felt all the power he lost in that fight return immediately, as all wounds he suffered simply vanished. Piccolo clenched his hand and smiled.
"Much better." He said, meeting the short human's gaze. "...Thanks."
"Any time!"
Piccolo suddenly flinched as he sensed something in the distance– back at capsule corps, Gohan's ki spiked for a second before it nearly vanished, making him gasp. The boy was very hurt, on the verge of death from what he could sense, and for some incomprehensible reason, the Namekian felt the urge to rush to where Goku's brat was.
Focusing on his senses more, Piccolo spotted two other ki signatures next to Gohan. One belonged to that Saiyan brute, and the other was one of the lieutenants or captains who had a power level near Vegeta, although lowered significantly.
What the hell was going on there?
Piccolo and the other Earthlings were about to rush, but then a brilliant blue light tore their attention away from Gohan and his predicament. It was Goku, who unleashed an immensely powerful wave of ki that had them all frozen in place. This was far more powerful than anything they sensed before, even more so than the leader of this invasion.
And in the next few moments, after the blue glow disappeared, they saw a figure crash into Slug's spaceship, being dragged through the ground by the sheer momentum until he stopped. Goku, severely hurt, barely managed to stand back up on his feet.
He was battered and bruised, bleeding from his forehead, nose, and mouth with his gi half torn. The Saiyan was breathing heavily, chest heaving as he glared at his opponent. He has already taken a beating worse than the one he had suffered from the earlier battle with the Saiyans, and his enemy, while hurting quite a bit himself, wasn't damaged as much.
Yes, the Earthlings and piccolo all backed down a bit as they saw the state of the ancient Namekian. His strange alien robes were ripped, with scratches and wounds around his body and face. He looked tired, his energy wasn't anywhere near as strong as it was before.
Goku roared and forcefully let his ki explode, preparing for another bout with his opponent, but everyone seeing this knew the Saiyan would not stand a chance. He'd more likely collapse and pass out before he landed another attack.
Goku was getting desperate. He needed help- this wasn't an opponent he could beat by himself.
"Krillin! Go back and help out Gohan, then come back once you're done!" Piccolo barked. "The rest are with me. We'll take Goku's place and take down that Namekian ourselves!"
"G-got it!" Krillin nodded as his aura flared white, heading to West City.
"Let's go!"
Everyone followed the Namekian's orders and followed to where the two ki signatures were with varying degrees of nervousness and worry. It frustrated him to admit it, but they were going to need to work together to beat this guy into submission, and even then he still wasn't sure if they could win.
His idiot of a rival was going to have to take the backseat for this one.
– West City –
Fighting in the middle of a city wasn't the most optimal choice, Gohan thought, but he knew he didn't really have a choice at the moment. He wished he'd thought more and lured the enemy away from capsule corp and to a nearby unpopulated wasteland, but he was too nervous to think about that.
And now he was paying the price for it.
Having to retreat back down every once in a while to deflect a ki blast before it wiped the city off the map was exhausting, especially seeing how much stronger the enemy was compared to him. Sure, he was tired, but so was Gohan.
His current ally wasn't making it easier for him either, fighting without a care in the world. In all honesty, seeing Nappa recklessly throw ki blasts all over the place began to frustrate the younger Saiyan. Gohan couldn't participate in this battle if he had to protect the city under them.
And fighting Angela on his own wasn't yielding good results. He kept getting dominated in close-quarters combat, and he'd barely evade or block the energy blasts coming his way. The occasional lucky shot here and there wasn't enough to defeat him.
Gohan rushed back down, flexing his aura and kicking the incoming blast away from Bulma's place. He growled and clenched his fist before charging at the two warriors, flying past Nappa to punch Angela in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
Nappa followed it by slamming the alien invader down towards the ground, prompting Gohan to bolt down past the enemy in a hurry, unleashing a Masenko directly upwards at Angela. The enemy screamed in anger as he was launched to the skies, escaping the blast and blocking the incoming punch from Nappa.
He countered by elbowing the older Saiyan in the face, delivered a gut punch that forced the Saiyan to back away, then locked him in a flurry of punches and kicks before finally sending him back down with an axe kick.
Gohan gasped as he saw Nappa's body being thrown at Bulma's place, rushing towards him quickly and kicking him away before he made contact with the building. Nappa scowled at the boy as he got a hold of his balance, floating in the air.
"What the hell is the matter with you, runt!?" Nappa growled. "Are you with or against me?!"
Gohan, barely managing to keep his cool, responded calmly.
"I-I can't fight when I have to protect the city from everything coming it's way." He said, feeling his rage boiling. "W-we have to take this somewhere else."
"Tsk, who cares about the weaklings down there?" Nappa scoffed.
Gohan balled his fist in rage, scowling back at the older Saiyan, and spoke through gritted teeth.
"I do."
Nappa paused and blinked as he saw the boy's eyes turning golden for a split second, but wasn't able to comprehend what he saw as a blast coming from the corner of his eye. Nappa grunted as he stopped the ball of energy with his hands, and was assisted by Gohan, who punched it away.
"Alright…" Nappa muttered to himself. "So you wanna take it somewhere else, I'm guessin'? Heh, fine. If it'll stop you from whinin' about it."
Gohan's scowl dropped and looked confused for a moment, not expecting the older Saiyan to comply so quickly. Nappa rolled his neck and exploded his aura, charging at the alien invader with a roar.
"With me, runt!"
Gohan acted, following after Nappa who tackled Angela mid-flight. The invader's scowl deepened as he began hitting the Saiyan's back to get him off, but Nappa held on well right until they smashed into a mountain far away from the city.
Nappa backed off and released a ki wave from his mouth, completely vaporizing the mountain range in less than a second. Gohan could still sense the enemy's ki in the smoke created by the explosion and got in front of his ally to block a punch with both of his hands.
Even when surprised, it didn't stop the Saiyan veteran from supporting the boy by releasing another ki wave with his hands right above his ally's head, catching the enemy by surprise. Angela, damaged by the blast, let go and backed away a few meters, but Gohan was right after him, punching and kicking him in the stomach before slamming him back to the mountain.
"Haha!" Nappa laughed, genuinely impressed at the kid's skill. "You're not bad, kid! Not bad at all! Aside from the prince, I've never seen a brat as tough as you before!"
"Huh? Erm, w-well, I mean–" Gohan flinched and looked at the older Saiyan in confusion, not knowing how to respond to that. "T-thanks, I guess?"
Their short exchange was cut even shorter as a beam of ki hit Gohan in the chest directly, knocking the wind out of him and leaving a scorch mark. His eyes widened as tears from the pain threatened to spill– he wasn't given a chance to even retaliate as Angela rushed forwards towards them, kicking Nappa right in the face before grabbing Gohan's head.
Gohan gasped as the enemy slammed his head on the ground, dragging his face across dirt and stone before throwing him away, following up with a barrage of blasts. Gohan recovered at the last moment, putting both arms in front of his face to protect himself. His small arms shook in agony, each hit burning parts of his gi and leaving terrible wounds.
Nappa returned to the fray, flying down at Angela and striking his head with both hands. Angela grunted in pain, slightly disoriented from the attack, but managed to block the Saiyan's other blows, countering by burying his fist in Nappa's stomach.
Slug's Lieutenant locked the brute in a combo of earth-shattering punches and kicks, not noticing the small Saiyan recklessly charging at him. Realizing it too late, Angela couldn't block the headbutt from Gohan that had him almost pass out, likely giving him a concussion. Through anger, he managed to stay on his two feet, unleashing a full power blast that sent the Son of Goku skidding along the ground.
Angela kicked the bigger Saiyan away and through multiple trees until he hit the ground, growling as he turned to look at Gohan, who barely stood back up on. He was panting from exhaustion, his ki reserves almost empty.
"You…" Angela's scowl deepened as he met Gohan's gaze. "A Saiyan like you has no right to be so powerful, especially a damned child."
Gohan flinched and got into his stance as Angela slowly walked toward him.
"To think you and that disgusting brute did so much damage to me." He said, prompting Gohan to take a step back. "I'll slaughter you two like the animals you are."
The Saiyan hybrid gasped as his enemy suddenly got in front of him, grabbing the boy by the throat and lifting him up. Angela charged another ki blast with his free hand, watching the kid choke and struggle, trying to get his grip off of him.
"D-dad–" Gohan called for his father as he saw his very life flash before his eyes. "–H-help…"
"Nobody will be coming to help you, boy." Angela said. "You will die here in vain, just like the rest of your friends."
The invader tightened his hold, and he knew anymore could very well break the boy's neck. Unbeknownst to him, mentioning his friends and allies made something in the boy snap. Gohan's grip over Angela's hand tightened as the fury he was pushing to the back of his mind began to seep.
"And once I'm through with you–" Angela growled, a sadistic grin crossing his face. "We'll siphon the life off your planet and leave it to rot."
Gohan gazed at the invader's eyes, his own once filled with fear and terror now filled with righteous fury. His black eyes changed color– turning golden as his hair became spikier. Angela frowned in confusion, noticing how his energy rose up, but something else caught his attention.
The skies suddenly turned bright blue, prompting both Gohan and Angela to gaze at them in awe. The intense power in the distance had them all frozen in shock, and what's more, the young boy could recognize where it came from, and so could his enemy.
"N-no, this can't be." Angela whispered as the glow subsided. "W-was Lord Slug defeated?"
A yellow ball of ki suddenly hit Angela in the side, making him gasp in pain, and Gohan used this moment to copy what he saw from his ally earlier and unleash a wave of ki from his mouth, successfully pulling off the technique and knocking the invader away.
Gohan glanced at where the blast came from, seeing Nappa as tired as he was, but still willing to continue the battle. Angela spotted the brute as well and growled in rage.
"That does it! I don't care anymore!" He screamed, leaping into the skies as he used all his remaining energy for this one attack, hands glowing pink. "I'll wipe your backwater planet out of existence, and you along with it! Consequences be damned!"
"Tsk, what a loser." Nappa scoffed, standing beside Gohan. "Hey, runt. Use everything you got for this, alright? We might not have much, but maybe we can stop 'em if we combine our powers."
Gohan, having calmed down after sensing his father's immense power, nodded, putting both hands over his forehead. "Okay."
The earth beneath the two Saiyans shattered as they charged their attacks, their powerful auras combining into one. The three warriors roared and let their energy loose at the same time, Gohan and Nappa's ki combining into one giant wave.
However, Angela was no slouch either, as his own met and even matched their combined strength. He struggled, of course, gritting his teeth as he pumped more and more energy into his attack, slowly overpowering the Saiyans' power.
He grinned viciously as his enemies' energy began to wane, their stances faltering against his might. He knew he'd win, they were weaker than him, and were more tired than he was anyway. They stood no chance from the beginning.
However, he had forgotten that there were more enemies nearby, and one of them decided to assist his allies. Angela suddenly felt a searing pain in his back– a ki blast going right through his chest while cooking his insides from the heat.
Immediately, his ki fizzled out and disappeared, making the wave he was clashing with swallow him whole, utterly vaporizing him in seconds while he still could not comprehend what had happened.
As the Saiyans finished off their enemy, Gohan fell on his butt, panting heavily as he only barely clung to his consciousness. Nappa sat down next to him, equally exhausted, but joyful as he laughed boisterously.
"Haha! That was a mighty fine battle!" Nappa grinned at Gohan. "Whaddya think, brat? Had your Saiyan blood pumping, didn't it?"
Gohan didn't respond verbally, but he couldn't stop the smile from taking over his face. It wasn't fun per se, but he felt proud that he successfully defended West city, even if he had help from a former enemy.
Gohan turned to look at the one who assisted at the last second, and Krillin grinned back at him. "Good job, buddy. Your dad is gonna be very proud of you when he hears about this."
Krillin then looked at Nappa with a much more guarded expression. "...And thanks for helping out."
"Keep it to yourself, shorty." Nappa's grin turned cocky. "Didn't do it out of the goodness of my heart. I needed to let out some steam after being bedridden for so long, and that idiot volunteered."
"Right…" Krillin muttered, looking at the small bag in his hands. "And what do you plan to do after this?"
"Eh? You mean Kakarot's offer? Well, thinking about it more, I realized an immortal Freeza ain't exactly good for anybody, even his own people." Nappa said truthfully. "So I can stomach a temporary truce with you lot until we get rid of him."
Krillin studied Nappa's face, eyes narrowing as he glanced at Gohan and then back at the older Saiyan. After a few seconds of tense silence, the short human sighed and flicked Senzu Beans at the two warriors.
"Huh? The hell's this?" Nappa raised a brow, inspecting the Senzu closely. "A bean? Well, I'm pretty damn hungry, but this ain't gonna be enough."
Unlike the older warrior, Gohan quickly recognized it and popped it in his mouth, feeling all of his exhaustion and injury simply wash away. Not just that, but he felt his energy skyrocket, making him reach entirely new heights. Even he was shocked at this increase in power.
"Woah…" Gohan breathed in surprise as he flexed his ki.
"What the–?!" Nappa's eyes widened as he saw the boy suddenly back to full health. "How did you–"
"Those are Senzu Beans." Krillin clarified, making Nappa whip his head at him in shock. "Magical beans that heal all wounds and restore stamina instantly."
Seeing it happen right in front of him, Nappa couldn't exactly deny the existence of something this incredible. He knew this planet wasn't exactly up to par with the rest of the civilizations in the galaxy– they only just invented space travel for Beerus' sake– But he never thought they'd be in possession of something so valuable. Those are infinitely better than even the most advanced healing pods in the Freeza Empire.
Nappa tested it out– Swallowing the small bean proved Krillin's words as he felt all the aching around his body disappear in an instant. He felt his power returned, his Saiyan physiology boosting his regular strength even more than usual.
With a grin, Nappa flipped and landed on his feet. "Ha! This is amazing! Never felt this good in years!"
"Woah, you're so much stronger than before too!" Gohan looked at Nappa in amazement, which did surprise the older Saiyan.
"Heh, that's part of who we are, kid," Nappa said. "Each time we recover from a near-death experience, our power increases exponentially."
"Oooh…" Gohan looked intrigued, tilting his head curiously. "Is this why Saiyans are considered a warrior race?"
"Eh? Ain't you a Sai– ah, right. You were raised by an amnesiac." The older Saiyan confirmed. "Yeah, the Saiyans are one of the most powerful races in the universe. Though, not a lot benefited back then. It used to be seen as a miracle. Why back in my day–"
Suddenly, the very planet they stood on shook violently. Krillin and Gohan felt their hearts drop and their blood freeze at the unbelievable power that emanated from the battlefield where Goku and the rest were. Gohan's pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks as he saw the giant pillar of evil ki in the distance, covering the surface of Earth in purple smoke. Even with the recent boost in strength, he couldn't stop shaking in fear.
"What the hell…" Nappa, who couldn't sense it, simply stared at the pillar of purple energy.
If they had thought the previous battles were tough and difficult, this made it clear that they were nothing. Krillin recognized it as the leader's ki signature, but it was so much darker, so heavy it nearly suffocated him.
Krillin took the lead, exploding his ki as he flew over to the battlefield, looking for Goku to give him a Senzu Bean. Gohan and Nappa followed suit, the former in sheer terror as all his allies looked at the massive stature of the evil Namekian, purple energy surrounding him as he smirked at them widely.
It seemed that the battle had only just begun.
I lied. It's gonna take one more chapter to finish this arc.
Writing too much fighting is hard. It's usually the easiest thing to write for me, which is weird.
Also, Backseat Fighter is now the third most followed fic in the fandom. That is a huge milestone for a fic with less than ten chapters. Thank you so much.
Power levels this chapter.
Goku Kx9: 153,000
Goku Kx12: 204,000
Exhausted Goku: 5,000
Gohan post-Zenkai: 19,500
Nappa post-Zenkai: 11,000
Old Slug: 200,000 and steadily decreasing
Exhausted Old Slug: 18,000
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