Over Nine Thousand

Goku stood at the center of the battlefield, his eyes locked onto Vegeta's. Vegeta stood calmly, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Gohan," Goku addressed his son without looking at him, "you've grown big and strong. Your mother would be proud."

Gohan nodded happily. "Mr. Piccolo trained me. He was awesome!"

Piccolo, who had now stood up, turned to his former enemy. "What took you so long, Goku?"

"Well, I guess I had my reasons. For one thing, I never expected the Saiyans to arrive so soon," replied Goku, surveying the area around him. "Where's Chiaotzu?" he asked.

Krillin looked towards his toes, unable to say anything. "G-Goku, he-he..."

Meanwhile, Nappa slowly crawled out of the boulder he had crashed into, rubbing the place where Goku's attack had landed, growling with anger.

Goku continued to look around. Suddenly, his eyes met with what looked like... "Is that...? Oh no!"

Tien gritted his teeth. "Yes. Chiaotzu's gone." He clenched his fists with anger and regret, feeling the weight of his failure to protect his friend.

Goku stared with his mouth agape at what remained of Chiaotzu. Krillin and Yamcha both looked down in solemn silence.

Krillin finally spoke, his voice heavy with sorrow. "It was the big bald Saiyan. Chiaotzu did something that really ticked him off, and then in a fit of rage—"

Goku raised a hand. "Say no more, Krillin. Say no more."

Nappa chuckled. "Aww... did the little guy happen to be a friend of yours, Kakarot? I am truly sorry."

Goku gnashed his teeth and turned towards Nappa, his anger palpable.

Vegeta crossed his arms, observing. "Let's see what Kakarot can really do."

Nappa grinned. "The sound of his tiny little head popping out of his body was so satisfying. You really should have heard it, Kakarot. Maybe it would have gotten your Saiyan blood boiling."

Tien growled. "Why you?!" He began to charge energy in his hand.

Both Krillin and Yamcha quickly appeared beside Tien, each grabbing an arm. The three-eyed fighter growled, struggling to break free.

Yamcha looked at Tien, exasperated. "Come on! You know you can't hurt him, not in your current condition. You'll just end up putting yourself in danger."

Krillin agreed. "He's right, you know."

"What's the use of just standing around?" Tien demanded. "I'd rather die than hear his trash-talk anymore."

Krillin furrowed his brows, looking angry. "Come on, Tien. Chiaotzu died to save you! You wouldn't want his sacrifice to be in vain."

Tien scowled but didn't reply. He knew Krillin was telling the truth.

Nappa chuckled. "Did I hit a nerve, three-eyes? How touching."

Krillin and Yamcha barely managed to contain Tien as he struggled to break loose, glaring furiously at Nappa.

Goku clenched his fists and began to power up. "HAAAAAA!" The ground beneath him trembled as rocks broke away and began to rise. An intense wind swirled around him, whipping through the battlefield as his energy escalated.

Vegeta eyed the rising reading on his scouter, his mouth hanging open. "6,500... 7,000... 7,500..."

Nappa's grin widened as he watched Goku power up. "Impressive," he muttered, eyes gleaming with excitement.

Piccolo jumped and landed beside Gohan, wisely retreating from the area around Goku's increasing energy. The ground cracked and split under the immense pressure.

Goku's hair shook as the wind around him grew into a roaring tempest.

Gohan clenched his fists excitedly. "Yes, Dad! Show them what you can do!"

Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien watched in awe, their eyes wide at the display of power.

Goku stood tensed, still increasing his energy. The air around him shimmered.

"Ha!" With a final, powerful yell, Goku's aura dissipated. The tiny pieces of rock that floated in the air fell around him like raindrops.

Nappa chuckled, a hint of unease creeping into his voice. "Done powering up? It's time to put you in your place once and for all, you low-class scum." He then turned to his partner. "Hey, Vegeta! What does the scouter say about his power level?"

Vegeta growled and took off his scouter. "It's over nine thousaaand!" he exclaimed, crushing the scouter in his fist with anger. He couldn't believe it.

"What?! Nine thousand? There's no way that can be right!" exclaimed a bewildered Nappa.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Goku looked on calmly, his eyes burning with determination. "Don't be so sure. I will have you know that I was trained in the way of the Kaioken attack."

Nappa scoffed, dashing towards Goku. "Kayo-whatever. Who cares? I am still gonna rip you apart!" The bald Saiyan threw a punch at Goku with full strength.

However, Goku easily dodged it by disappearing.

"Argh!" Nappa groaned as a kick collided with the back of his neck, causing him to fall down. Goku stood calmly, watching Nappa struggle to stand up.

"You..." said Nappa, his teeth gnashing with anger. "You... I am going to tear you to pieces." With a yell, Nappa threw a punch aimed at Goku's gut, but at the last second, his target disappeared. Nappa frantically looked around. "Where did he go?"

Vegeta growled. "He's to your left..."

Nappa looked to his left, and his jaw dropped open in amazement. Goku was calmly standing there, about two hundred meters away from him. "No, it's a trick. You can never be that fast."

Goku smiled. "You sure about that?"

"Of course, I am sure!" Nappa shouted.

Nappa then zapped out of view to reappear in front of Goku. With a growl, he threw a punch at Goku's face. Goku tilted his head to the side, Nappa's punch going right over his shoulder.

"Damn you!" exclaimed Nappa before showering Goku with a barrage of punches and kicks. To the bald Saiyan's dismay, Goku was effortlessly dodging his blows.

"Rah!" Nappa exclaimed, trying to kick Goku's legs from under him. However, Goku easily hopped above the attack.

With a yell, Nappa threw a punch at Goku's body, but it only passed through his afterimage. Suddenly, Nappa's eyes widened before he growled furiously. He could feel someone standing on his head.

"You low-class dog. How dare you!"

Nappa clapped his hands above his head, but by now, Goku had disappeared.

"Argh!" Nappa's eyes bulged with pain as he felt Goku's fist impact his abdomen.

"That was for Chiaotzu and for all of the people you've hurt," said Goku, standing calmly.

Nappa dropped to his knees, holding onto his gut, his teeth gnashing in a mixture of pain and anger.

Vegeta looked on, holding his chin in thought. 'It's intriguing. A year ago, he couldn't handle Raditz, and now he's making a fool out of Nappa...'

Nappa slowly stood up, trembling with fury. "You! You are nothing to me! I was the general of the whole Saiyan army! You are nothing but a low-class dog! Your only job should be to be on your knees, begging for mercy!" Nappa clenched his fist, crushing the rock he held into pieces. "I HATE YOU!"

With that, the bald Saiyan threw a punch at Goku's chest, but to his dismay, Goku effortlessly caught it in his palm.

Nappa stared daggers at Goku, his fury not allowing him to form any words.

"Ha!" With a yell, Goku punched Nappa at the base of his shoulder, causing him to spin. The Saiyan from Earth then proceeded to kick Nappa in the chest, sending him crashing into a rock formation.

A few seconds passed without anything happening. Goku continued to look where Nappa had crashed.

Krillin and Gohan laughed out loud. This guy was nothing compared to Goku's new power!

Yamcha snickered. "Looks like the 'low-class dog' is proving to be a handful."

Tien looked on, thoughts racing. 'That's the way to go, Goku.'

Piccolo gritted his teeth. He could sense that Nappa was still alive. It wasn't over till it was over. He knew that.

THOOOM!

An explosion erupted where Nappa had been sent, causing the rock formation to shatter into pieces.

Nappa screamed with rage, emerging from the rubble, his body glowing with energy.

"NAPPA! CALM DOWN!" Vegeta's voice cut through the chaos. "How can you expect to hit him when you can't even see!"

Nappa blinked, coming to. Vegeta's words pierced through his blind fury.

"You are blinded by your rage, Nappa!" Vegeta shouted. "And he wants you to be blinded by it! You're making a fool of yourself."

Nappa looked down, the truth of Vegeta's words dawning on him. He turned to Goku and snickered. "You're not going to anger me anymore. That's right. I know your strategy. And... I know just the way to deal with you."

With that, Nappa jumped up and flew to the side.

Goku blinked, not understanding what Nappa was trying to do.

Piccolo fell into his battle stance. "Gohan! He's coming for us! Be on your guard!"

Gohan drew his sword and held it firmly.

Goku realized too late where Nappa was heading. "Oh no!"

Nappa approached Gohan and Piccolo with a sinister grin. He was least interested in the Namekian. The Saiyan opened his mouth and fired a beam of energy.

Gohan's jaw dropped, immobilized with terror. However, just as the beam neared him, he was pulled out of harm's way.

The boy looked up—it was Piccolo.

Piccolo growled. "Didn't I teach you how to dodge, Gohan?"

Suddenly, Nappa appeared behind them.

Piccolo's eyes widened. He began to turn.

The Namekian grunted in pain as Nappa struck his neck with a karate chop, causing him to fall.

Goku was flying towards them at top speed.

With a grin, Nappa grabbed Gohan, holding the boy's body tight against his chest with one arm. Gohan struggled with all his strength but couldn't move a muscle. Nappa was just too strong.

Nappa then charged his hand with energy and held it above Gohan's head.

Goku's eyes widened. He was too late.

Nappa snickered. "Stop right there or I'll blast the boy to pieces."

Goku halted in mid-air, descending to land on the ground.

The energy in Nappa's hand dissipated as he saw Goku stop. The former Saiyan general then walked towards Goku, who stood with his teeth gritted.

"Leave my son out of this," Goku pleaded. "It's between you and me." But his plea fell on deaf ears.

Gohan struggled with all his might. The boy rotated his wrist and tried to hit Nappa with the blade of the sword he still held.

Nappa grinned as the boy's attempts to hurt him failed, the sword pushing against his armor feeling like nothing more than a minor itch. With his other hand, Nappa grabbed the blade and shattered it to pieces.

Goku shook with anger.

Nappa walked towards his opponent. "Now, Kakarot. Remember, you are not allowed to move a muscle."

The bald Saiyan continued to walk until he stood just in front of Goku. The two stood staring at each other for a few tense seconds. Goku was contemplating his next move when Nappa pulled back his knee.

Goku's eyes bulged as Nappa's knee struck him below the belt. The orange-clad fighter dropped to his knees, clutching himself in pain.

"Hehehe," Nappa chuckled, watching Goku fall in front of him.

Vegeta scoffed. "Oh come on, Nappa. That was cheap, even by your standards."

Nappa looked towards his partner, a satisfied grin across his face. "He was really starting to tick me off, Vegeta."

Vegeta crossed his arms, chuckling. "Alright. Deal with him as you see fit."

Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien shook with fury. Their friend, their strongest fighter, was on the ground, helpless. The sight of Goku in such a state filled them with a mix of anger and desperation.

"No, Goku's down," said Tien, worry evident on his face.

Yamcha gritted his teeth, fists clenched at his sides. "But what can we do?"

Krillin looked on, conflicted. They knew they couldn't attack Nappa without putting Gohan's life in danger. The situation seemed hopeless, but what difference could he make?

As they watched Nappa toy with Goku, the memories of their past battles flooded their minds. They had faced overwhelming odds before, but this time, it felt different. The stakes were higher, and the enemy more ruthless.

Tien growled, his resolve hardening. "If they defeat Goku, they'll kill all of us along with Gohan anyway." With that, he took off towards Nappa.

"Wait for me," said Yamcha, following his friend.

Nappa snickered, putting his foot on top of Goku's head. "It's time to say good-bye."

To be continued...