The prince let out a scream of effort and ecstasy as his aura exploded around him, wind whipping up in every direction. "Now that Frieza's dead, no one in the universe will be able to stand against me!" he shouted, his voice full of triumph.
The sheer force of Vegeta's energy made the ground tremble. Krillin and Yamcha, hiding nearby, struggled to stay on their feet as his power skyrocketed.
Meanwhile, Yajirobe, who had been lying low, was knocked off balance by the gusts of wind and went tumbling into a boulder behind which the others were hiding. He jolted awake with a yelp as he crashed into the rock.
Vegeta's eyes flicked toward Yajirobe, watching him closely even as his power surged. If the coward tried to make a run for it, Vegeta would make sure he didn't get far.
Krillin and Yamcha wanted to call out to Yajirobe, to let him know they were nearby, but they dared not speak. Vegeta's gaze was too sharp, too dangerous.
With a loud screech, Zarbon and Dodoria's scouters overheated and exploded.
Finally, Vegeta's aura settled, and he lowered his hands, having completed his dramatic display of power. His smirk remained, full of cruel satisfaction.
Dodoria's eyes widened in disbelief, fear creeping into his voice as he began to back away. "Twenty-four thousand?! No! You were never above sixteen thousand! How is this possible?!"
Vegeta snickered, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "While you and Zarbon were sitting on your behinds, growing soft, I was fighting on the frontlines! Constantly battling, constantly pushing myself to the brink of death and back again. What did you expect?"
Zarbon's expression hardened, his brows furrowing. "Dodoria, calm down," he said evenly. "Together, we can still beat this monkey."
Vegeta threw his head back and laughed. "Hahaha! Someone's got high hopes."
Dodoria looked at Zarbon in shock. "Are you out of your mind? Twenty-four thousand! We can't compete with that!"
"Stop being a coward, Dodoria," Zarbon snapped before launching himself at Vegeta, kicking up a cloud of dust in his wake.
Vegeta's smirk deepened as Zarbon closed in. With a yell, Zarbon unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks. Vegeta easily dodged and blocked the blows before going on the offensive.
Zarbon barely avoided a punch, the force of it skimming over his shoulder, but he wasn't quick enough to evade the knee that slammed into his abdomen. Doubling over in pain, Zarbon managed a retaliatory punch to Vegeta's jaw, sending him flying back.
DISHOO!
A beam of energy struck where Vegeta had landed, and a thick cloud of smoke rose from the impact. Dodoria, hovering above, laughed loudly, satisfied with his surprise attack. He unleashed a barrage of ki blasts into the smoke, grinning wildly as the cloud grew larger.
But a sudden throat-clearing behind him made Dodoria freeze, eyes wide in disbelief.
Before he could react, a pair of strong hands clamped onto his arms, pulling them painfully behind his back. Vegeta's voice was low and mocking as he hovered behind Dodoria, restraining him with ease. "You never did fight like a man," he said, twisting Dodoria's arms even further.
Dodoria let out a pained shriek.
Vegeta's sharp eyes caught sight of Zarbon rushing toward him. Without hesitation, the prince spun and hurled Dodoria into his oncoming ally.
Meanwhile, Krillin, hiding nearby, picked up a small pebble and tossed it at Yajirobe, hitting him squarely on the head.
Yajirobe grabbed his head in shock, turning around angrily. His scowl quickly faded when he spotted Krillin peeking from behind the boulder. "Krillin?" he muttered.
Krillin motioned for Yajirobe to join him.
Yajirobe laughed to himself and started toward him, but before he could take a few steps, a blast exploded in front of him, knocking him off his feet.
"Didn't I warn you not to leave without permission?!" Vegeta's voice thundered as he hovered in the air, one hand still outstretched.
Yajirobe, trembling, gulped in fear.
By now, Zarbon and Dodoria had recovered, rising to Vegeta's level in the sky.
Zarbon turned to his partner. "Dodoria, let me handle this from here."
Dodoria blinked, surprised. "Huh?"
Vegeta stood with his arms crossed, a smug grin on his face. From what he had seen so far, he was confident this fight wouldn't last much longer.
Zarbon smiled wickedly. "Vegeta, what you've seen of me so far... was nothing but a facade."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow, curious.
Zarbon chuckled. "What you've witnessed was the beauty... but now, you're going to see the beast."
For a brief moment, Vegeta's expression grew serious, but he quickly burst into laughter. "Hahaha! What, are you going to make faces at me and hope I run away? I knew you weren't the brightest, Zarbon, but this is a new low! Bwahaha!"
Zarbon grinned darkly. "Oh, I hate using this form, but sometimes it's necessary."
Dodoria looked stunned. He had been by Zarbon's side for years and had no idea what he was talking about. Was Zarbon bluffing? He hoped not.
Zarbon glanced at Dodoria. "Go deal with that fat friend of Vegeta's."
Dodoria nodded, grinning widely. Zarbon's confidence had returned, and whatever was coming next, Dodoria was eager to get back to his favorite pastime; crushing the weak.
Dodoria shot downward toward Yajirobe like a meteor, his aura blazing around him.
"Not on my watch!" Vegeta snarled, launching himself toward the pink blob, aiming to intercept.
But in a split second, Zarbon's muscles swelled, fangs protruded, and his face twisted into a monstrous form. Before Vegeta could react, Zarbon's boot slammed into his cheek, sending him careening through the air.
Meanwhile, Dodoria opened his maw, preparing to fire a blast at Yajirobe.
Just before the attack launched, Krillin swooped in, grabbing Yajirobe and darting to the side. The blast hit the ground with a deafening explosion, obliterating the large boulder behind them into rubble.
Dodoria growled, turning toward the short bald man who had just saved his prey.
Krillin grimaced, his body already battered with cuts and bruises from the blast's shockwave.
Dodoria's grin widened. 'More of Vegeta's friends, huh?' His aura flared as he prepared to charge.
But just as he moved, a sharp slap landed on the back of his head. Dodoria whirled around, seeing nothing. A second slap smacked his right cheek, turning his head to the left, followed by a hit to the chin, and then another to the left cheek.
Dodoria roared in frustration, his eyes darting for the source of the attack. His gaze finally locked onto a small, glowing ki ball darting around him. Snarling, he opened his mouth wide and swallowed it whole. But instead of vanishing, the ball exploded inside his mouth. Dodoria gagged and coughed, spitting in disgust.
Yamcha, standing far off, wiped the sweat from his brow, relieved his attack had worked. But his relief was short-lived. Dodoria spotted him, his eyes narrowing. Yamcha's heart raced as he blasted off at full speed, dodging the furious pink alien.
Krillin, meanwhile, desperately tried to rouse the unconscious Yajirobe, shaking him to no avail. With a deep breath, he stood up, raising his hands and charging his energy as Dodoria turned his focus back toward Yamcha.
Elsewhere, Vegeta had managed to regain his footing, but rage clouded his vision. Before he could act, Zarbon slammed into him again, this time driving a knee deep into his gut. Vegeta's breath left him in a sharp gasp. Zarbon grabbed his head and drove it into the ground, dragging the prince's face through the rocky soil. The force plowed a deep trench as Zarbon sprinted across the battlefield.
Then, with a swift leap, Zarbon launched himself into the air and fired a thick beam of energy straight down. Vegeta, bloodied but quick-thinking, blasted a ki wave beneath him, propelling himself diagonally upward, narrowly dodging the attack. But just as he escaped, Zarbon appeared behind him, driving an elbow into his lower back. Vegeta's scream caught in his throat as another knee crashed into his stomach.
Zarbon grinned savagely as he pummeled Vegeta like a rag doll, delivering crushing blows with each strike. "I used this form to destroy your father, Vegeta! History really does repeat itself, doesn't it?"
"Akgh!" Vegeta managed to grunt, his forehead slamming against Zarbon's. But Zarbon wasn't done. He repeatedly bashed their foreheads together, causing Vegeta to bleed and scream in agony.
At the same time, Dodoria reignited his aura and shot after Yamcha. But before he could reach him, a bright yellow beam of energy overtook him, circling around and coming straight at him. Dodoria smirked at its straight forwardness, but his arrogance vanished when the beam split into multiple smaller streams, attacking from all directions: above, below, and every side.
Dodoria barely had time to throw up a defense as the beams bombarded him, enveloping him in a thick cloud of smoke.
"Now's our chance!" Krillin shouted. Without wasting a second, he grabbed Yajirobe and shot off toward Yamcha's direction.
...
Back in the air, Zarbon pulled back his fist and hammered it into Vegeta's jaw, following it up with a brutal haymaker that sent the prince crashing toward the ground.
KADAAM!
Vegeta slammed into the edge of the island with a thunderous crash, creating a massive crater. As the dust settled, seawater rushed in, filling the crater as the tides crept in, leaving Vegeta bloodied and broken at the bottom.
Zarbon hovered in the air, eyes fixed on the ocean below. Vegeta hadn't resurfaced, and the still waters convinced him further: Vegeta was dead.
A smirk tugged at his lips as he shifted back into his normal form, confident that the threat had been eliminated.
Meanwhile, the smoke around Dodoria had dissipated, revealing the pink brute unharmed and grinning in anticipation. But when he glanced around for a shocked audience, he found no one. His grin vanished.
"They got away!" Dodoria growled.
"Dodoria!" Zarbon called from above. "After them!"
Dodoria grunted in response and shot off in pursuit.
...
Krillin and Yamcha sped through the air, flying side by side. Yajirobe, still unconscious, was slung over Yamcha's shoulder, as Krillin had taken the brunt of Dodoria's earlier assault. Their senses flared; someone was closing in fast.
"Oh, man!" Yamcha cursed. "We've gotta pick up the pace!"
Krillin looked back and saw Dodoria barreling toward them with a sadistic grin. "Why did I even look?" He groaned to himself.
To be continued....