The Light to my Darkness

Chapter 26: Vegeta vs. Frieza Round 2

Frieza had begun hacking away at Piccolo bit by bit, only for a rage-beset and power-ridden Gohan, to rescue him in the nick of time. Nonetheless, his mentor was injured gravely, clothes rugged and severe burns and lacerations covering his striated, sinewy frame.

"Hey, cueball!" Vegeta abruptly grabbed Krillin by the shoulders. "We have only one shot at this! You must blast me within an inch of my life!"

"W-What?!" The human was completely baffled. "W-W-Why?!"

"Listen carefully." Vegeta began explaining. "The boy's abilities have increased greatly because he suffered a near death experience! If he can achieve such power, just imagine what I could do!"

"Err-"

"Killing you vermin in my current form seems simple enough, however, since you have surprised me greatly with your incredible displays of talent, consider this my final gift to you." Frieza spread his arms out, palms facing upwards. "My Ultimate form."

With that, his power began climbing at a much quicker pace than before. Vegeta gnashed his teeth at the lizard, letting out a vexed huff, before turning his attention back to the bald warrior before him.

"My defenses are down to the bare minimum!" The Prince informed, as he began instructing. "Blast me and I'll get that Namekian kid to heal me! It's our only option or we're dead meat, understand?!"

"I- I can't do that!" Krillin scowled. "As irritating as you can be, you did save our lives, more than once! It wouldn't be right!"

"This is no time for your sentimental garbage!" Vegeta snarled. "Frieza's transforming and that means his power will multiply again! There's no way I can hold him off right now, but if I can recover from another mortal injury, that may change!"

"But-"

"But nothing!" Vegeta interjected and backhanded the bald warrior hard across the face. Krillin was stunned at first, but soon felt indignation bubble through his skin. The Prince took notice of his ire and used immediately seized the moment. "What, you don't like it when I hit you, you hairless, spineless coward?!" He struck him even harder and the human looked uncharacteristically enraged. "Well then, do something about it, you little yellow-bellied bitch!"

Strike 3 was all the thoroughly pissed off Krillin could take, as he fired his intensest Ki blast through the Saiyan's midsection, creating a gaping hole the size of a softball.

Gohan and Piccolo witnessed the scene in complete shock and disbelief.

"VEGETA! NO!" The boy yelled, flying towards the falling Prince. Frieza was too preoccupied with his transformation to take notice, as Gohan caught Vegeta mid-way.

"Let go of me- you brat!" The older man coughed out blood.

"Hold on, Dende can heal you!" The half-Saiyan promptly rushed the Prince over to the Namekian child and Krillin descended to the ground along with him.

"Gohan, don't worry about Vegeta!" Krillin exclaimed. The demi-Saiyan turned towards him, with an angry snarl that made his baldheaded companion tremble fearfully. "L-L-Look, I know what you're thinking, but he asked me to attack him! It's part of his plan!" Gohan's expression went blank and he cocked his head sideways in confusion. "Go get Dende to heal him immediately! Piccolo's starting to lose consciousness, I need to get him over here!" Krillin promptly took to the air, headed the beaten Namekian's way.

Gohan frowned in confusion barely registering a word his comrade had spit out. He shook his head and sensing Dende in a cave nearby, made a beeline towards him, grabbing the child's hand thereafter and rushing him over to a now unconscious Saiyan Prince.

"Dende, you need to heal Vegeta, now."

"What?!" The little Namekian grit his teeth. "I can't heal him! He's evil! Plus he insulted Guru! We should just let him die!"

"He's not as bad as you think, Dende, believe me." Gohan gripped his friend's hands, looking at him pleadingly. "Please, do it for me. We need his help or Frieza will destroy us all."

"Alright!" After a brief pause, the younger child relented. "For you, Gohan." He placed his hands over Vegeta's bleeding form and began concentrating his power.

"Thanks Dende!" Gohan smiled.

Right on cue, Krillin had brought Piccolo over and lay him on the ground, as the Namekian warrior too, slipped into unconsciousness.

Unfortunately for the gang, Frieza was settled on the neighbouring island as he underwent his final transformation, whilst carefully observing what his adversaries were up to. By now, Vegeta had already been healed, but the lizard surveyed closely, as the little child worked his mojo on Piccolo and his eyes bulged, upon seeing the big Namekian warrior sit up, not a scratch on him!

'So that's why they wouldn't stay down!' He thought, overcome with glee, as he figured it out. 'If I remember correctly, isn't that little cretin the same one those two brats rescued from the village?! But where did he come from?! I didn't see him before.' Frieza cackled malevolently. 'At least now I know those twerps didn't wish for immortality! It's time I exterminate this nuisance once and for all!'

Vegeta was scrutinizing his figure, feeling an enormous rush of power surging through him.

'Amazing!' He thought inwardly. 'My abilities have risen exponentially!'

A sudden explosion promptly shook the entire planet and Frieza's gleaming silhouette could be made out on the island.

XXXX

Bulma barely managed to hold still as the ship trembled violently. The heiress leaned against the regeneration tank to keep herself from falling. In the eerie silence that followed, she could only clutch her heart and pray that her companions would make it out alive in one piece. She turned to face her rejuvenating friend, eyebrows knit and arms akimbo.

"You know Goku, I wish you'd hurry up about this!" She chided. "I don't know what's going on out there, but they probably need your help!" Bulma sighed in defeat. "Oh, who am I kidding? You can't even hear me, can you? Unless you're ignoring me." She then frowned peevishly. "Hey, are you ignoring me?!"

Goku's eyes suddenly snapped open, the young Saiyan none too pleased at his blue-haired friend, for breaking his concentration. Bulma screeched in surprise and fell on her rear. The Saiyan was hardly able to stifle a laugh within the confines of the regeneration tank, at her silly antics. After all these years, she hadn't changed one bit, much to his delight!

"Jerk!" Bulma stood up and glared daggers at her best friend. Goku laughed inwardly and managed a mirthful smile behind his mask, before closing his eyes in concentration once again, as he felt Frieza's power undergo yet another dramatic increase.

XXXX

"His power's far greater than before!" Piccolo observed, completely deluged with dread upon sensing Frieza's Ki. "Is there no end to this monster?!"

"As a matter of fact there is!" Gloated Vegeta, standing pompously, with his arms folded and an arrogant smirk on his face.

"This is no time for games Vegeta!" Piccolo replied, turning towards him for a moment, before facing Frieza once again. "I don't know what we're gonna do!"

"You're going to do nothing!" The Prince stated. "Just sit back and let me handle this! It shouldn't be long before Kakarot recovers, but I highly doubt I'll even need his help now!"

Just then the smoke had cleared and everyone turned to face Frieza in his true form, not bothering to pay any attention to the Prince. All his previous forms were horrid and repulsive by comparison. He now truly looked like a work of art, only slightly taller than his first form. He'd shed his outer skin, taking on a more humanoid appearance, his body was completely bare, apart from a pair of shin guards and forearm guards and his skin now was mostly white with a few glossy purple patches, here and there.

"Dammit, we should've hidden while we had the chance!" Krillin clenched his teeth in regret.

"It wouldn't have made a difference." Piccolo argued. "Frieza would've just destroyed the planet. With the dragon balls gone, this place is no longer of any use to him."

The tyrant smirked evilly, as he lifted up a finger and fired a swift Ki beam straight towards the crew of five, aiming for none other Dende.

"NOOOO!" Screamed the boy, as the blast hit head on, killing him instantly.

"DENDE!" Gohan and Krillin cried out in unison.

"I didn't even see that attack!" Piccolo exclaimed, trembling in horror and disbelief. "He just lifted his hand up and there was a flash. How can he be so fast?!"

"Shit!" Vegeta exclaimed, as he looked at Dende's corpse. He should've stopped that attack, but he'd been too busy relishing his new power! Just great! "That bastard must've seen the kid's healing power, so he took him out first!"

Moving quicker than the eye could see, Frieza suddenly appeared before the others, smiling evilly.

"Now that the brat is gone, none of you can be revived, which means game over!" His voice was syrupy and high-pitched like that of his first form.

"YOU MONSTER!" Piccolo yelled and began attacking without volition. Gohan and Krillin soon joined in, throwing in everything they had, only for the monster to evade with minimal effort. Frieza took to the air and his trio of opponents fired Ki blasts his way, only for him to vanish at that same blinding speed.

"Where did he go?!" Krillin grit his teeth.

"Behind you!" Vegeta yelled, being the only one able to follow Frieza's swift movement.

The tyrant grinned evilly, as he fired two Ki beams, in close succession to one-another, both targeting Gohan. Vegeta moved in and kicked the boy away, before deflecting Frieza's attacks elsewhere. The lizard goggled at his ex-subordinate. He hadn't only seen, but had redirected his attack at an alarming speed. Okay, the Vegeta he'd fought earlier would definitely not have been able to do that! Just what was going on?!

"Thanks Vegeta!" Gohan smiled. "You saved me!"

"Don't get the wrong idea." The Prince snorted. "I only did that because I may need your help later, but then- maybe I won't!" He smirked at Frieza.

"You sure seem confident Vegeta." The lizard remarked. "But now you'll have to back up your foolish words."

"How did Vegeta see that attack?!" Piccolo scowled. "It doesn't make sense! He wasn't this strong before!"

Krillin explained what had transpired to his Namekian ally, who then nodded in understanding, before turning in the Saiyan's direction, eyes narrowed.

"Clear out!" Vegeta ordered right away and Piccolo and Krillin immediately shot up into the air, though Gohan stood his ground.

"Gohan, move!" The Namekian yelled at his pupil.

"But Vegeta might need my help!"

The Prince let out an exasperated growl, before grabbing the demi-Saiyan by the scruff of the neck and tossing him over to Piccolo, who caught him like a football. Gohan had never felt more humiliated all his life.

"Now then, here I come." Frieza lunged at Vegeta, throwing a powerful fist in his direction, only for the Prince to grab it.

"What?!" Frieza exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes widening. He cursed the Saiyan and shot eye-lasers aimed for his face, only for the Prince to nimbly move his head out the way. Frieza retracted his hand and jumped back a step or two.

"My God!" Krillin exclaimed. "I didn't even see either of them move, but Vegeta just blocked his attack!"

"Yeah, he did!" Piccolo concurred, completely at a loss for words. How did Vegeta become so powerful?! It was unrealistic! He had to have been at least ten times stronger than he was before, to be able to pull of such incredible feats!

"I don't think we'll even need my dad's help this time!" Gohan smiled at the thought.

"Maybe." Piccolo wrinkled his eyes in close scrutiny of the battle about to unfold.

"So it seems you've improved yet again Vegeta." Frieza commended. "I'm about to find out just how much."

"Yes you are." The Saiyan frowned, before boldly exclaiming. "The hard way!"

The Prince charged without warning. The onlookers were unable to follow the brisk movements of the two monumental powers, as they went head to head once again.

Frieza landed a hard knee to Vegeta's stomach, making him keel over. He was about to follow up with an elbow him behind the neck, only for the Prince to disappear and attack with a shuto from behind. The lizard dodged that attack, reappearing above his adversary and firing a Ki blast his way. Vegeta launched his own blast and the two continued trying to gain leverage over one-another. After a while the intensity became so great that a huge explosion blew the super powers in opposite directions, Vegeta plunging right into the sea below and Frieza shooting upwards into the air.

'Dammit, I'm giving it everything I've got and Frieza clearly just toying with me!' The Prince thought furiously, whilst underwater. 'I guess it's back to square one then! I need to hold him off until Kakarot recovers!'

Frieza snarled furiously. Damn that monkey! He was more trouble than he was worth! Perhaps it was time to stop playing games! No, not yet! He decided to wait it out a little and if Vegeta continued proving to be too stubborn an insect, he'd summon a decent portion of his true power and grind him into the dirt.

"I know you're still here Saiyan!" He yelled lividly. "You'd better come out now, before I blast you out!"

'What should I do?' Vegeta pondered for a moment and not a moment later, an idea struck him. 'I've got it!' He formed a ball of Ki underwater, directly beneath where he sensed out Frieza, before stepping back and flinging it upwards!

"There you are!" Frieza observed the water begin to rattle directly below him, but his smug expression transformed into incredulity as he saw not Vegeta, but a sphere of Ki flying right towards him. He barely managed to dodge. The Saiyan had used the attack as a diversion to launch himself above Frieza at dazzling speeds, taking advantage of his opponent's inability to sense Ki. "Show yourself, vermin!"

"I'm up here freak!" Vegeta announced, swiftly landing both feet on the back of Frieza's head, before the tyrant knew what had happened. The blow propelled him at a downwards angle, smashing him into the ground of a nearby island. The Prince quickly descended towards him.

The lizard was fuming and glowering furiously at a grinning Vegeta, who had his arms folded haughtily, as he stood in front of him.

"My, my." He jeered. "You don't look too happy right about now, my Lord."

The tyrant bared his teeth at his former underling, before taking a breather to cool himself and smirking thereafter.

"You truly amaze me Vegeta." He applauded. "Other than my loving father, no one else has ever truly managed to hurt me while I am in this form. That being said, however, what I have revealed to you is a mere snippet of my ultimate power."

"What?!" Vegeta exclaimed, overwhelmed as a wave of apprehension suddenly coiled through him. "That's impossible! You're lying!"

"Believe as you wish, but either way, I'm going to end this little charade once and for all." Frieza placed his hands by his side, palms facing up, as his power began spiralling.

"N-No, there's n-n-no w-way!" Piccolo lost a good few shades of green, as his overly sensitive hearing picked up on the conversation between the two sworn enemies.

"What is it P-Piccolo?!" Gohan asked, in alarm. The Namekian paused a moment before gritting his teeth and answering.

"Frieza says that he's far stronger than he was letting on."

Gohan and Krillin paled.

"W-W-W-What? Krillin stammered, suddenly blue in the face, every shred of confidence crushed as the horrific news sunk in.

"Do you feel that power?!" Piccolo was terror-stricken.

"No, m-m-mommy." Gohan whimpered.

"I don't know h-how much longer I c-can hold my b-b-bladder." Krillin was jittering like crazy.

'Ahhh that should more than suffice.' Frieza gave himself a once-over. 'Twenty percent of my maximum.'

"Ready?" The lizard's voice now was more like that of his second form, though not quite as low-pitched.

Vegeta was tongue tied, completely petrified, upon sensing the god-like power of his ex-master.

"Oh don't be glum, Vegeta." Frieza smiled in a sickly manner. "You should actually be flattered, for you see, I've never had to summon this much power to defeat an enemy before." His crimson eyes flashed in twisted and murderous derangement. "It was fun while it lasted, my dear Prince."

Frieza launched himself forward and landed a hard elbow right on Vegeta's chin, sending him flying in a perfect horizontal path, past the sea and into a thick rocky pillar on the next island.

"My, my, sometimes I impress even myself." The tyrant thought gleefully.

'Kakarot, you fool!' Vegeta rubbed his aching jaw, as he forced himself to his feet, staggering. 'Hurry up, before he kills us all!'

XXXX

As if on cue, Goku had recovered and the healing chamber started beeping. Bulma made a move to drain the fluid, but the Saiyan instead pressed his palm against the glass and fired a Ki blast right through it, stepping out immediately. The startled heiress fell on her rear, before getting on her feet and glaring heatedly at her childhood friend!

"GOKU!" Bulma screamed to the top of her lungs.

"Bulma, please don't yell at me." The young Saiyan pleaded, wincing and clasping his ears.

"You're such an idiot!"

"Hehehe." Goku grinned goofily, but quickly furrowing his brows solemnly. "Hey, stay inside the ship no matter what!" He instructed, staring at her fixedly.

"Uh- right." She replied, looking at him, in dismay. "Hey, is everything alright?"

"Vegeta's in trouble." He stated. Bulma gasped, clutching her heart, a bitter wave of fear washing though her. "I can sense it."

"I-I-Is h-he alright?"

"For now, yeah." Goku answered. "But I need to get there and lend them all a hand as soon as possible."

"Please hurry, Goku!"

"Of course!" The Saiyan embraced her for a second or two, before withdrawing and firing a hole through the top of the ship. "Take good care of yourself Bulma." He smiled and immediately flew right through the perforation, before making a swift dash towards the battle, at full speed.

Bulma trusted Goku with her life and everyone else's. She always had. In every hopeless situation, he'd literally create hope from thin air and would die many times over, to protect his friends. She knew she could count on him! She just prayed to whoever was listening that Vegeta could make it out of this in one piece! Nothing mattered to her as much as his safety and well-being.