2231/AWftF: A War of Kings

AWftF: A War of Kings
Date of Scene:	13 May 2015
Location:	Reptilon <Rep>
Synopsis:	Vegeta and Kakarot meet in the Serpent's Spine to discuss their differences... And similarities. And the way Saiyans communicate best is a horribly destructive, planet-rocking battle.
Cast of Characters:	37, 180, 663, 696, 723, 768
Tinyplot:	A Wish for the Future

---

Kakarot (723) has posed:
SERPENT'S SPINE, REPTILON

The world of Reptilon is in upheaval. Not literally. Not yet. But metaphorically. Kakarot has been striking at critical infrastructure all over the planet in order to force Reptilon and their supporters to commit more and more forces to the field, all while attempting to inflict rampant destruction and horror without regard for any rules of 'civilized' combat.

The Multiverse demanded that a King become a Monster. And so Kakarot obliged them.

One of the outposts in the Serpent's Spine juts high into the air, the area cleansed of occupants by his lieutenants. They are no longer with him, having spread elsewhere to handle the next stage of his plan, leaving him alone, sitting lotus-style on the snow-covered roof of the outpost and meditating. The King of the Saiyans very much resembles a beast at rest, especially in the way that one can move from rest to instant destruction and horror.

It is only a matter of time before someone inevitably tests this.

Vegeta (663) has posed:
There are no words, no particular signs or warnings that one could look out for. Who would expect Vegeta to come back for another fight so soon? Why would he fight Kakarot again when the man has already apparently proven that he seems to want victory so much more, to the point of overcoming Vegeta's rage?

There isn't much time for any of these questions, as the first thing that Kakarot will note is the spike in power. From completely and utterly hidden, to immediately jumping to the first stage of Super Saiyan.

The next thing he'll notice, immediately after the power spike, is the sound of whistling. First a little whistle, and then another, and another...

The sound of whistling continues to increase until there are a good one-hundred small balls of energy descending from the sky, all of them dropping down around the area that Kakarot rests, carpet bombing absolutely all of it.

Soon after, Vegeta himself arrives, arms crossed in the air, peering down with a dead serious gaze. "Today is the end of this. I will not allow you to spill another drop of blood beyond my own. Not in the name of our people. I've scraped, struggled, and clawed my way out of being an absolute tyrant. They don't know I'm here, that I've come to do this. They cannot -be- here when this happens."

Of course, anyone who -wanted- to be here, could easily find them.

Taylita (180) has posed:
     One such person who wanted to be here is Taylita. She has been staying close to Reptilon, trying to be available if they needed an armed response. Even after she was nearly killed by Kakarot, she didn't stay away for long. So, when the reports come in of the lieutenants clearing this area, she heads this way. When the energy level spikes, she heads this way even faster.

     When she arrives, she hears Vegeta's speech. Since she wouldn't want to insult his honor by interfering, so she instead finds a spot within a safe distance and lands, watching for now. She has to fight pretty hard not to jump in. She really wants all of this to be over, and for Kakarot to be no more.

Cell (696) has posed:
     The Red Ribbon Regiment's Commander Green hasn't missed much of what's going on on Reptilon. The murder-machine Cell has kept a close, horrible compound eye on the situation, carefully watching the ebb and flow of the scenario. He's looking for something, of course: Cell always has an angle of some sort. It's possible that he can't exist without looking for an angle, given his ambush monster nature and his stealthy squad tactics.

     But today he's brought a friend.

     That friend is Android Sixteen. The tall, red-haired robot, who happens to be the only person Cell considers family at this exact moment (for a given definition of /person/), stands beside the Commander of the Red Ribbon Regiment, dressed in his usual armor. As a completely mechanical Android, he radiates no power whatsoever - and, for the moment, neither does Cell.

     Cell, as usual, stands with his cigar and tuxedo, as well as a bottle of some top-shelf wine and a glass.

     "One way or another," Cell informs Sixteen, "We're going to need to /celebrate/ tonight."

     "I cannot drink."

     "Law's the law, buddy. You have to be twenty-one to drink."

     Android Sixteen chuckles mechanically. Cell chuckles like a horrible buzzing insect thing.

     The joke is that Cell is Android 21.

Serori (37) has posed:
Elsewhere on Reptilon, Serori oversees the Confederacy's support operations. Troops are in place to provide medical aid, to clear rubble, to rescue the wounded, and to monitor for Neo Saiyan activities. Though all are operating under Genghis Rex's command, and working alongside what serves as Reptilon's other functional leadership, she's still got too vested of an interest in the planet to let its care be left to any incompetence. Rex has her trust and respect; everyone else involved, however, has yet to earn it. Besides, keeping in the trenches is a good way to get to know the Confederacy's varied members. It also promotes the image that the Confederacy /cares/.

She's in a good place to sense and recognize Vegeta's flare to Super Saiyan. She's also in range to pinpoint its exact location, and to come to his immediate aid. Of course, he claims not to be in any trouble, and as she soon learns, his actions are a /deliberate/ provocation aimed at Kakarot, but neither truth does anything to alleviate her immediate anxiety.

What does he think he's doing?

Why is /Cell/ there? And why does he know more about what's happening tonight than she does?

Serori's anger snaps her tablet in half. Of all the stupid, /prideful/ actions to take --

In the next instant, she appears in a blur not too far from Taylita. Cell's signature is too hidden for her to get a bead on, or she might have gotten in his buggy face right away. Serori perches on the ridge's edge, crouches low, and waits to see what happens between Vegeta and Kakarot.

"Vegeta..."

Kakarot (723) has posed:
The power spike enters his consciousness. The whistling noise is heard. One hundred spheres of devastating force rain down, shattering stone, crumbling masonry, obliterating glacial snowdrifts that have been untouched for untold ages. The land rumbles as landslides and rock falls in response to the rage of the Super Saiyan.

And as the smoke clears, Kakarot hangs in the air, armor shattered, clothing torn and blood running from the corner of his mouth as he sits above what is now a shattered mountain peak.

Kakarot smiles. "I knew you would return, Vegeta." His eyes open, and his unfolds himself, looking up and rising in the air to meet the King of Saiyans. "It still burns in your mind. You still need to prove yourself, even after all this. You can't just accept what you are and what you have become."

He pauses, looking away. "You're one of the reasons I'm still here, you know. Partly because I knew wherever I went, you would chase me. Your hunger would accept no less." He looks back to Vegeta, and smiles even more widely, wiping the blood from his face. "And because I /want/ you to find me. I want you to break yourself on these hands, /over and over/ unttil you understand what you have lost and forgotten! Or did you ever know it in the first place?"

He laughs as his own aura flares, his hair flaring golden as he looks up into the sky. Taylita and Cell's presences are noted, but he is not worried.

"You want an end to this, Vegeta... Then WE WILL HAVE AN END!" There is a burning wash of ki around Kakarot, as he thrusts his hands outwards. "TODAY YOU WILL REMEMBER WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SAIYAN!" With a scream of rage, Kakarot explodes forward with meteoric force, slamming towards Vegeta with a murderous gutpunch. But notjust one. His hands blur as he strikes over and over and over with hands that strike with insane speed and fury, attempting to begin flurrying his way through Vegeta's guard... And then he suddenly swivels and drops an axe-kick as a changeup.

Vegeta (663) has posed:
"You fool, this battle won't be like the last. I realized... the reason you defeated me was because I fought you as if I were fighting -my- Kakarot. I fought you as if you were a bumbling fool who thinks everything is a game. But no, you aren't. I won't be clouded by nostalgia." Vegeta crouches slightly in the air, preparing for the inevitable.

"Today, I want this as much as you. I won't fight you simply for myself. I will fight with the one thing that was missing from me, the one thing that I keep forgetting." He charges for Kakarot as well, meeting punch with punch, the shockwaves likely reaching some of the distant bystanders. "I will fight you for the sake of my people, and give absolutely everything for them!"

He aims punches at Kakarot's gut and face himself, while at the same time finding Kakarot's fist buried deep into Vegeta's -own- gut every few seconds. Soon he finds the armor protecting his stomach has cracked clean off.

The axe kick sends him spiraling into the ground, kicking up rocks and debris. But rather than waste time immediately standing up, he rolls over and starts to repeatedly thrust his fingers forward, firing thin yellow concentrated finger lasers, no greater than the width of a bullet. "Heh, I never told you, or anyone else for that matter. This is the attack that killed my Kakarot. Shot right through the heart! Is there some reason that your family seems to have such weak hearts?"

Cell (696) has posed:
     Cell knows more about what's going on for the very simple reason that Cell understands the people who make him up very, very, very, very well. It's sort of an accidental element of being a bio-monster; he's got a very, very deep insight of the psychology of every person whose DNA went into him. He knows how to provoke Vegeta. He knows how to freak out Krillin. He knows how to get in Frieza's head. He knows how to make Yamcha really uncomfortable.

     He's still confused as to why Gero felt that was necessary, but whatever.

     Meanwhile, Sixteen sets down some automated cameras out of some bootlegged, presumably hijacked or reproduced, capsules with the Red Ribbon logo on them. The cameras whirr, click, and start hovering - simple little automated robots that stay way outside the area of effect and get the best shots possible.

     Then Sixteen and Cell start backing off, as Cell pops open a smartphone.

     "Just in case Vegeta decides to take a 'stray' shot at you to piss me off," Cell observes to himself and Sixteen.

     "Affirmative," Sixteen replies.

     Cell pats him on the shoulder.

     "I'd be obligated to murder him."

     "Affirmative."

     Cell sighs and whacks him on the shoulder again. "Good talk."

     "Affirmative."

Taylita (180) has posed:
     Taylita notices Cell in the area, she floats over in his direction and lands beside him. "What are you doing here, other than mocking what little honor the saiyan race has left?" she says to him as she stands there. Even if she didn't start out thinking highly of the saiyan race, Cell's constant insults have gotten to her. Especially since Vegeta and Serori have shown actual growth potential toward being a truly honorable pair.

Cell (696) has posed:
     "Celebrating the death of somebody I hate with wine and a smoke," Cell replies, "If you want to make something of it, we can add a meal to my list of activities tonight, but I think you'd rather just go line up with everybody else."

Taylita (180) has posed:
     Taylita raises an eyebrow. "Don't you hate both of them?" she asks, then shakes her head. "I guess that means whoever wins, you can still celebrate." she adds before crossing her arms over her chest. Her tail twitches energetically as she watches. Not so much nervousness as intensity. She is watching the battle, trying to see every movement. Trying to gauge if or when she should jump in. "...did you just threaten to eat me?" she asks Cell after a moment.

Cell (696) has posed:
     "No, I told you I would eat you if you decided to make me kill you tonight. A threat is something you do to make people do what you want. I'm stating a fact."

     Cell swirls his smoke. "But you are correct that no matter who dies, I win. It's the best kind of bet."

Serori (37) has posed:
Serori's eyes flick toward Taylita's movement; that's the only reason why she notices Cell's location. The sight of him briefly curls her upper lip, though her tense frown returns as her focus is dragged back to the two royal combatants.

This duel is stupid.

Her tail lashes behind her crouched form, expressing all the anxiety her stormy glare keeps hidden.

Kakarot (723) has posed:
The impact is collosal. The shockwaves from their flurry shake the earth and send echoes rippling through the Serpent's Spine, announcing across the world that here and now, titans duel.

And these aren't even their final forms.

Kakarot doesn't even have armor now. But then, most of the time he only wears it for dignity's sake anyway. With the hits he takes, material science tends to have a hard time keeping up. Vegeta slips a few strikes in, smashing into Kakarot and giving as good as he gets. "You still don't get it, do you Vegeta?" Kakarot roars as Vegeta is sent cratering. "You /can't/ give everything!"

Vegeta's ki beams streak upwards, incredibly fast and deadly, as Kakarot crosses his arms in front of him. A ki shield flares, and the first couple blasts bounce off of it, punching through walls and thin rock shelves. A couple more crack into the shield, and then punch through, shearing against flesh as she blurs to one side, finally dodging. "I guess it's just becuase they're /so big/." He says with a smile. "But you have to realize, this is why immortality is the coward's way out. It is selfish. It is a refusal to accept the way the unvierse was meant to be. It prevents you from giving your life /meaning/." His ki shield becomes a roaring shround as he drops like a meteor straight for the prone Vegeta, releasing a ki blast on impact. "WHAT DOES YOUR LIFE MEAN, VEGETA? SHOW ME! EMPEROR... COMET... DESCENDING!"

Vegeta (663) has posed:
"Hah! And what do you know, Kakarot? I understand ki in ways that I'm sure you, just like my Kakarot, can probably only imagine! What can you do other than learn from other people?!" Vegeta asks, just as -that- comes down.

He's buried deep into the ground, crossing his own arms in front of his face until he's planted -far- more feet into the earth than perhaps he was prepared for.

He lays prone for longer than intended, his armor completely gone at this point as well, leaving him in nothing but his tattered blue jumpsuit, which is thankfully still mostly together somehow.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" he yells, causing a full blown earthquake. Landslides, a thunderstorm, floating rocks... all of this madness fills the area as he ascends to his final level.

Apparently he's gotten tired of taking a beating, and -explodes- up at Kakarot, trying to get a few attacks in -before- he transforms.

Why? Because he wants Kakarot to know what all of the other Saiyans have felt. Serori, Taylita, anyone who fought Kakarot and perhaps had to feel the hopelessness of fighting him. Vegeta throws punch after punch after punch, just trying to bury his fists deep into the man's gut. "What do you know?! WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! HOW MUCH ARE YOUR LIFE ARE YOU WILLING TO BET ON YOUR ASSUMPTIONS?!"

Taylita (180) has posed:
     Taylita eyerolls lightly. "Right." she says to that first comment. Since Cell's company is not exactly one she values, Taylita floats away again. This time over to Serori as Vegeta is blasted into the ground. "So...is he going to win this time?" she asks Serori as fists fly.

Serori (37) has posed:
The battle's ebb and flow lures Serori off her feet. Drawn up from her crouch and higher, the Colonel takes a new position above the rumbling ridge, and just in time -- as Taylita drifts over, the ridge starts to crumble, shaken apart by all those not-so-far-away explosions and shockwaves.

"He will," Serori answers the red-head. "He won't disappoint me today. Not whenever he's fighting like /this/."

She squints into the next blinding blast, and folds her arms over her chest.

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Kakarot answers Vegeta in a pretty direct fashion. The impact shudders the area, landslides rolling in and being held back from the deepening crater by the force of the counter-pressure from the amount of ki being expended here. Kakarot hangs over Vegeta, continuing to drive overwhelming ki towards the Super Saiyan as he prepares another punishing assault, when Vegeta digs into his own reserves. The blast of the transformation blasts apart Kakarot's wall of ki and sends him reeling, the King of Neo-Saiyans getting smashed repeatedly. The fists crush deep, smashing into joints, blasting into the side of Kakarot's face and sending a spout of blood to one side. When the transformation completes, Kakarot begins taking devastating hit after hit to his gut, the King folding over from the impacts as Vegeta calls out, questions what he is willing to bet.

With a scream, Kakarot grabs onto the transformed Vegeta, forcing his hands through the aura of raw Power flowing around him to lay his hands on the King. "My life?" Kakarot asks, coughing up blood for a moment. "You are going to insult me by asking how much of my /life/ am I going to /bet/?"

There is a crackle in his aura as Kakarot's muscles creak, bulking up slightly as he suddenly yells, "KAIO-KEN TIMES TEN!"

A crimson flare streaks through his aura as he rears his head back and suddely headbutts Vegeta, screaming wordlessly as he uses the powerup to countermove and strike back with overwhelming force, aiming Vegeta at the next mountain over.

And then he hangs there in the air, his aura crackling as he, too, powers up.

"I know more than you, Vegeta. Because superiority is a path that never ends. I will teach you, Vegeta. CALL IT A GIFT FROM THE HANDS OF A MAN WHO IS ALREADY DEAD!"

There is a soundless scream as Kakarot, too, powers up to his next level, his energy wracking the area around him as his power level /just keeps going up/.

Vegeta (663) has posed:
"What the hell?!" Vegeta wasn't expecting him to have picked -that- up. But the headbutt sends him flying into the side of the mountain like a missile, his body smashing clean into it like a projectile. He's embedded, but he can hear the talking.

It's not until kakarot powers up that he finally shakes the shock of the impact off. Things really -are- harder in other worlds...

He bursts from the side of the mountain, then starts heading closer and closer, stopping a good fifty feet away. He watches, then he's surrounded by his -own- crackling aura, his power beginning to climb with Kakarot's, as if he wants to see who can hit the ceiling first. "THAT is your problem, Kakarot! You want to teach, you always want to teach, but you never want to LEARN! Today you will LEARN!"

His power keeps climbing, until suddenly it just stops... and he begins thrusting his hands in Kakarot's direction. He launches ball after ball, though they appear to be very poorly aimed, easily dodged or deflected. But the vast majority of them, dozens upon dozens of beam, miss.

But anyone watching, and Kakarot himself if he looks back, will note that the area is -full- of those balls, all standing still in the air. "I hope you're ready."

He begins to swing his hands repeatedly in Kakarot's direction, pulling random spheres of energy down at him, each exploding either on impact or when they get close if they miss. He's trying to offer an absolutely relentless assault, using the most weak and basic attack that they have.

Serori (37) has posed:
Serori pulls off her scouter, crushes it in her hand, and drops the shrapnel as she turns a savage glare on Taylita.

"I refuse to hear out any more of your stupidity."

Her arms fold over her chest again afterward, and she turns her eyes back to the fight.

Taylita (180) has posed:
     Taylita blinks at Serori. She is quiet for several moments, then she just turns back to watching the fight as well, though her experssion is more one of introspection than actually watching. Yeah...she might have phrased that wrong. She sighs heavily, then returns more of her attention to the fight. "Come on, Vegeta...you have to win this."

Cory (768) has posed:
    WHOOOOOOOOOOOSH! With all the powerful presences already there, Chikorri is like a candle next to a forestfire. But she still swoops in and hovers down near the other observers, taking a place several yards away from Serori. Her face is fraught with worry and uncertainty and fists are clenched, but the white aura that carried here disperses smoothly.

Kakarot (723) has posed:
The Kaio-Ken is absolute gold for springing a surprise power spike on someone. It's costly but it will help in a pinch. And as loath as Kakarot would be to admit it, Vegeta actually had him on a barrel for a minute there.

He's not going to make the same mistake twice.

"You've taught me... plenty." Kakarot says, his voice resonating through the mountains. Super Saiyan Level Two. the pure, refined, deadly efficency afforded by this level of power is amazing... But like anything else, he is burning himself down over time.

The time for grandstanding is over. Kakarot simply vanishes, appearing behind Vegeta with his arms crossed... And then he lashes out, a dull pulse of kit washing out and ripping apart air, stone, and flesh on contact. The impact sends vegeta flying.

Kakarot does not stop there. He dives forward, burning with ki as he drill kicks into Vegeta's back, propelling him back into the very ki balls he began to throw at Kakarot. "The difference is obvious, Vegeta!"

And then he vanishes, smashing into Vegeta's kidney as he sends the King spinning through another one of the balls. "Do you think you can match me with SUCH WEAK INTENTIONS? YOUR WILL ISN'T FOCUSED! IT IS WEAK BECAUSE YOU FEEL NO DANGER! YOU ARE NOT DEDICATED BECAUSE YOU CAN FEEL NO LOSS! YOU HAVE TRADED SUPERIORITY FOR SECURITY! EXCELLENCE FOR IMMORTALITY! GROWTH FOR STASIS!"

This happens over and over, Kakarot tracing a complex, gleaming line in the air connected by detonations as Kakarot manhandled vegeta through every single one of the spheres he had created.

Eventually, it ends, Kakarot holding Vegeta by the throat. "Until you transcend that weakness, I have /nothing to learn from you/."

Then he whips the King of Saiyans around, not even sparing time to gloat as he mercilessly grabs him by the back of the neck with one hand and his tail by the other.

Just as mercilessly, he slams his foot into Vegeta's back, pulling him backwards with insane force until he's stretched backwards like a bow...

And then he drives downwards at high speed, slamming Vegeta straight into the growing crater in the ground at top speed with his foot right in Vegeta's back.

Serori (37) has posed:
'Til now, Serori's been able to keep up an angry form of stoicism. The furious veneer had been doing its work to keep her true emotions at bay. Snapping at Taylita had been but one consequence of depending on anger to keep those present from figuring out exactly how Serori feels about all...this. Vegeta's showing-off. Kakarot's rage. Their clashing egos, and clashing wills. All the back-and-forth assessments -- the explosive tempers, and explosive attacks -- the cutting words. None of it's been able to make Serori flinch.

She's flinching now. Watching Kakarot manhandle Vegeta, yet being unable to do anything about it -- it's more than just frustrating, it's frightening. Vegeta's supposed to be helping her build an empire. What if he doesn't win? His immortality should protect him against a total loss, but what'll it do to his pride? His dedication? What will happen if Kakarot smashes him -- will his focus change? Will his plans change? Will his obsession overtake his other desires?

What will happen to his people?

All these thoughts circle around the deeper source of Serori's fear, but while she understands more is driving her emotions, she chooses not to pay it any mind. Instead, flinching and furious, she calls out to him in desperate encouragement:

"VEGETA! YOU ARE THE KING I CHOSE FOR OUR PEOPLE! YOU ARE MORE THAN THIS BARBARIAN BELIEVES -- SHOW HIM!!"

Vegeta (663) has posed:
It's difficult, that's the thought that goes through Vegeta's head during this beating, during all of his pained screams, the breaking and cracking of bones and the bruising of organs.

When he's finally slammed further into that crater, his body bloody and beaten, he starts to laugh. "It's funny... I started to think I could simply beat you in a normal fight, that this could be a simple battle between warriors. But we aren't simply warriors, we're kings."

His power flares up, a -lot-. More than should be normal after he's taken this beating. It's as if he's drawing on every ounce of energy stored within him, even the basic energy required to keep someone like him alive.

He reaches back and suddenly fires a solid energy ring at Kakarot's neck, forcing it to slam him into the ground and hold him there. Then he stands up straight, through all that pain, and aims his index and middle fingers down at him.

He fires ring after ring, covering his arms, legs, and torso, then fires even -more- on top of those. They constrict -impossiblly- tightly, and he just smiles in that sinister way that only Vegeta is capable of. "It's ironic, the technique that I'm using uses the same two fingers that you use to instant transmission."

His power continues to grow, -dangerously- so, in the way that Serori or Taylita may have felt when he was charging a ridiculous Final Flash. Far more than he should be able to contain in a single body.

"I've mauled it over in my head for days. Is there a difference between death and oblivion? I've wondered if my wish truly differentiated between the two."

Then he shakes his head, standing over Kakarot. "But it doesn't really matter now, does it? Because this is the end of your life. Serori is my Queen, and I trust her to rule our people just as well as I could. I trust Taylita to impart her knowledge onto the youth of our people, and Chikkori and all of her wide-eyed naivity to perhaps spread what my Kakarot never got the chance to. I trust all of them to carry on the legacy of our people, even Raditz and Gohan."

"This is the resolve of the King of All Saiyans!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

His fists are balled, head turned up, mouth wide as he unleashes that deafening yell. Then there's just a gigantic bright flash of yellow energy, which quickly turns to a bright white, causing the entire area of Vegeta and Kakarot's battle to go up like a nuclear blast. Anyone watching is at a safe distance away, but the shockwave will push with the strength of a hurricane.

When it's finally passed, all that will remain are a few twinkling sparkles of energy floating around the area, until they quickly fade, leaving nothing but the completely stone form of Vegeta, still in the position of a shouting warrior, standing proudly, with no life energy to be sensed anywhere.

He's entirely obliterated every ounce of his life force.

Cell (696) has posed:
     Between Serori's inspiring speech, Taylita's depression, and Vegeta self-imploding, it's probably about time for Cell to pop up and say something unpleasant.

     ...he does not.

     In fact, Cell appears to not be there anymore.

     ...Android Sixeen, too, has vanished. At some point, either during Vegeta's explosive display when all eyes were locked on him, or during Kakarot grabbing Vegeta by the tail, Cell seems to have slipped away. He's really good at that. Maybe he just got tired of watching the fight? Or maybe he got a call?

     Sixteen's cameras are still there, though. They're still floating around, taking video. So he probably hasn't left the planet.

     ELSEWHERE ON REPTILON
     VEGETA'S SHIP

     The ground under Androids Seventeen and Eighteen explodes open.

     Android Sixteen's hand goes to Eighteen's neck as Cell's tail wraps around Seventeen's throat.

     "Hey," Cell hisses in Seventeen's ear, "You guys didn't invite us to the reunion."

     "Affirmative," Sixteen confirms as he moves to grapple Eighteen with his overwhelming physical size, "I am not aware of any invitation to any reunion."

     "You've got to stop taking things so literally," Cell tells Sixteen, then turns his attention back to Seventeen, his arms moving to lock the other android's arms together. "So. Road trip?"

     "Road trip."

     "Objection: there are no roads in space."

     "Seriously?"

     "Rejection: No. I am messing with you."

     Cell blinks at him.

     "Ha. Ha. Ha." Comes Sixteen's robotic laghter.

Taylita (180) has posed:
     Taylita feels almost as excited and fearful as Serori, and for much the same reason. If Vegeta is defeated, then Kakarot becomes ruler of both empires. She and Serori do not have the strength to overcome him yet. All the progress that she -has- made with Vegeta and Serori and their people could be lost. Not to mention the danger to Reptilon that would still exist.

     So, when Serori shouts out to Vegeta, Taylita joins in. "Vegetaaaa! You can beat Kakarot! Show him what the new saiyan empire is capable of!!"

Cory (768) has posed:
    "HYEEEEK!" What a show it takes to make Chikorri actual squeal in fright. She's so rarely that 'girly.' But shriek she does, her whole body going stiff and straight at the ridiculous power Vegeta's pumping out.

    But not just that.

    Did he just invest trust in her, when they haven't even met?%R    This gets her blinking and yes, indeed, wide-eyed in a naive-looking fashion.

    But then the blast is over... Vegeta seems to be dead... "What did he... DO?"

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Kakarot didn't think be'd actually break from that. It would be DISAPPOINTING. And he's been disappointed a /lot/ lately.

He steps back, letting Vegeta say what he is going to say, as he crosses his arms and waits to see what he's going to respond with this time.

What he responds with... is actually unexpected. His eyes open wide as the constricting ring grabs him by the neck, pinning him to the ground. Immediately, he roars, his hands going up to the ring and wrenching at it. He's about to break it when Vegeta throws more of them, pinning his body to the ground. "You think this is going to stop me, Vegeta!?" His eyes widen as he feels that power level grow, and he, too, gathers power, his aura surging as he gathers his own ki. "VEGETA! YOU FOOL!" He screams.

And then the blast fires, Kakarot's scream ripping through the air, "VEGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

And then there is no noise, as the overwhelmin blast rolls outwards, blowing apart the landscape in a paroxysm of annihilating force.

The light, eventually faded... And Kakarot lies there, blood dripping from his savaged body as gleaming, crackling fragments of ki dissolve off of him, comsumed in the effort to survive. He is no longer Super Saiyan, his body trembling as his power levels have dropped back to normal levels. Even his aura has dimmed, sputtering with a faint, subdued blue as he breathes, attempting to regain some energy, some scrap of power as he staggers forward towards that statue, his teeth clenched as he prepares to crush that statue. "Hahaha... Is that.... hahahaa. The end... of an immortal? Hahahhaa..."

Taylita (180) has posed:
     When the smoke and winds clear, Taylita...can't feel Vegeta anymore. She floats to the edge of the crater and looks down. And...Kakarot is there. Still alive. Next to the apparently lifeless statue that used to be Vegeta. And for a moment, Taylita actually considers taking advantage of the situation. Kakarot is obviously weakened. She might be able to finish him off.

     But, she would never forgive herself if she did. Her honor would mean nothing. "It was a far more honorable death than you will ever have!" she shouts at Kakarot!

Vegeta (663) has posed:
In a deep, black void of apparent nothingness, all that exists is a massive, muscular dragon, arms crossed as wish granting entities are wont to do. "Wake up, Saiyan."

Vegeta groans, waking up in the same void, staring down at himself as he seems to wear nothing but his own body. "Where am I?"

"You are in the domain of your wish's power. The domain of my power. You have broken the limits of your wish through absolute obliteration. It is beyond the power of your wish to maintain your immortality beyond this point."

"Porunga..." he mutters, looking around the void, considering. "So, I'm dead? What now?"

"No." Porunga says, in that deep, bass-filled voice of his. "There is just enough power left in your wish to restore your body whole, with a minimum amount of power. That is all that I can do. Beyond that, you will be mortal."

"Heh..." He crosses his arms and legs, then just sort of laughs. "It figures. There's always a catch with a wish like this."

"Now, I will return you, as my ability to restore you is in danger of becoming entirely impossible." Porunga simply stares, then, Vegeta's eyes fill with light.

Back in the battlefield, the stone begins to crack, little by little, until Vegeta, in his tattered jumpsuit, breaks through like a chick just hatching, falling to his hands and knees as he sucks in a breath. "Heh... That damned dragon said I'm mortal now. I broke the wish."

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Kakarot does not respond to Taylita's taunting. Either he's too tired, too focused, or doesn't want to bother. It's up to the reader's mind on which it might be. He is about to punch that statue and shatter it when it cracks, disgorging... vegeta again.

"You..." Kakarot says, staring down at the King of Saiyans.

And then the laughs, a happy, almost unhinged sound that reverbrates off of the devastated area. "You're alive... And mortal now. All right, Vegeta."

This time, he actually steps back and crosses his arms. "This was the best fight I've had in ages. Are you willing to actually put it all on the line, or are you going to fall back now that you have just as much to lose as I do?"

Cory (768) has posed:
    Feeling Vegeta's power returning and seeing the cracks appear in the statue he'd become, Chikorri again is on the verge of freaking out. "HE lived too?!" What MONSTERS these two are. In a way, Cell's kinda right. What other word for this is there?

Taylita (180) has posed:
     Taylita is...pretty much ignored by Kakarot. Which might be alright, because Vegeta breaks out of the stone form of himself, causing Taylita to stare, wide-eyed. "Wh-what just happened?" she asks, still a good distance away from the other two thanks to being on the edge of the crater.

     She isn't sure what to do. What she should do. If she should even do anything. So...she just stares.

Vegeta (663) has posed:
"I saw Porunga, the Namekian Eternal Dragon. He said I broke beyond the boundaries of my wish by completely obliterating myself, but he could use the last bit of power to restore me one last time. Get some distance." Vegeta stares up to Kakarot now, an aura of blue energy surrounding him, about as much as Kakarot has left.

There are no Super Saiyans here, only Saiyans.

"I've never needed immortality to do something stupid." He bursts forward, then aims one, solid punch at Kakarot's face. "NOW let's see you throw immortality in my face as an excuse!!!"

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Were Kakarot still capable of transforming into his Super Saiyan form. If he still had the inconcievable energy reserves he possessed, this might have been completely unfair for Vegeta. He would have lost his immortality only to truly die.

But now, Kakarot and Vegeta stand, Saiyan versus Saiyan, with no tricks left. Only their titanic wills between their broken, battered bodies remain.

And Kakarot still smiles. As Vegets punches him across the face, Kakarot smiles, continuing to laugh. "FINALLY! THIS IS THE WAY IT WAS MEANT TO BE!" Kakarot spits out a tooth, and then lunges for Vegeta, grappling with him to drop him into a massive suplex.

Even as just Saiyans, without the world-sundering power levels they displayed before, what's about to come is probably going to still hurt. A lot.

Taylita (180) has posed:
     Taylita stays at the edge of the crater as Kakarot and Vegeta continue to fight even after it seems they have exhausted all of their strength. She grits her teeth as their blows ring in the air again, but this time it just seems more...damaging. "Take him out, Vegeta!" she cheers, giving a fist pump.

Vegeta (663) has posed:
Vegeta finds his face slammed into the ground, yelling in pain as he feels -something- crack. But as he lays prone on the ground, he thrusts both fists up, trying to slam them into Kakarot's back in his arched suplex position, then draws his hands back and fists a simple blue beam to try and launch him off of him.

"It's no where near the power they were flinging around earlier. This is no greater than the power of two average Saiyan grunts.

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Vegeta proves he's still got some moves, and Kakarot arches his back as Vegeta uses a stunning reversal. The blue beam, by their advanced standards, might be weak, but here? It's enough to launch Kakarot and send him flying into a mountain wall, cracking the stone as he flops back to the ground. Steam rises off of him as he breathes, still marshalling his power as he grits his teeth. "For everything, Vegeta. Kill me here and by the law you get /everything/. Lose here... And everything you have belongs to me." He leaps forward, twisting to land in a spinning knee drop on Vegeta's position before propelling himself backwards with a white beam of ki, blasting himself back to his feet as he adds to it. "You're so close, Vegeta! Can't you taste victory? Are you still hungry to win!? Where is that high-class royal pride and training now?"

Cory (768) has posed:
    "ooooorghh..." Grumps Cory, arms folded under her chest as she looks on at the battle that's simultaneously become more interesting and yet... almost sad in another way. "Dunno who to even root for."

    Yeah that's totally under her breath.

Vegeta (663) has posed:
Vegeta holds holds his arms up and digs his feet into the ground, the knee sending him sliding dozens of -yards-"This is just like when I fought -him-. If all I do is boast superiority without showing you, you'll -win-!"

He stops, breathing heavily, then digs his feet into the ground even more, crouching and holding his arms to his side. "Let's end this here, Kakarot. Let's show our people who is truly the ruler of the Saiyan race!"

He begins to charge purple energy inbetween his hands, sparking almost like electricity. He digs deep, as deep as he possibly can. "Prepare yourself, Kakarot!"

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Kakarot grins, sliding backwards with a swaying gait. "I admit, Vegeta. When I heard the tales about how my father took over the rulership of the Neo-Saiyans, I had always wondered if it was like this. When I heard you were alive, I was excited. I wanted to know what it was like. What you were like, Vegeta. How you thought. What you believed."

He nods. "Now I know... and I can say... Thank you, Vegeta. For this chance to truly battle! Now, you are ready! And I am /happy/."

Laughing, he brings his hands back as he gathers his own power. "I was /born/ ready... AS WERE YOU! WE FINISH THIS NOW, VEGETA!"

Ki gathers in his hands as he digs into his own reserves, the energy seething there like a blue-white star. Perhaps some might find it nostalgic. But that smile is still on his face. "KAME... HAME..."

Vegeta (663) has posed:
"It's funny, I kept thinking, deep down, that I thought you were still -him- at your core. I know that you're different, I know that you have your own ways, that you reinterpret the savagery of our past and try to use it in your own way." Vegeta's attack charges even larger, digging even into the well of what he'd need to continue physically fighting.

"I know that I would have felt similar to you, in a time before Frieza, before I truly realized that Frieza could kill my father. I know that I would have believed the Confederacy or the Union would subjugate me, that I would have so much pride in my race that I would not align with -anyone-. But there is something I've learned from Kakarot..." Rocks begin to rise around him, and the ground does begin to shake slightly, though not the earthquakes of earlier.

"I cannot rule alone, and I am not always right... GALICK GUN!!!" he shouts, and thrusts his hands forward, releasing an energy beam about the width of his upper body.

The bright purple beam blows him back slightly, but he gets a good grip, maintaining this beam with all his remaining might, aiming to completely destroy Kakarot, right here and now!

Kakarot (723) has posed:
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Kakarot fires back with that blue-white beam, the pair of blasts exploding into each other with a revitalized shadow of the titanic battle earlier. The churning sphere of ki in the center grows and surges as both of them pour their power into it, committing more and more energy to trying to overpower the other. "I come by... my biases... honestly, Vegeta!" He yells as he struggles, sweat pouring off his brow as he attempts to put an end to his second most persistant (but most fun) adversary. "WE'LL SEE HOW LONG THAT CLAIM OF YOURS LASTS! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Taylita (180) has posed:
     Taylita can hardly believe these two have the energy to produce such attacks at this point. It is amazing! She is truly on the edge of her seat, as Cell said she would be at the start of this. Her hands are clenched tightly as she awaits the outcome of this clash. She is sure Vegeta will come out on top. He has to!

Vegeta (663) has posed:
"Know this, if you believe nothing else in your death. I truly believed what I said that day! I would have let you go for the sake of avoiding this war, and I would have done everything in my power to keep the Confederacy from coming after you! I swear this on my honor as a king and as a Saiyan, I never wanted our people to be at war with each other like this! HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Vegeta pushes even more, tossing everything, -everything-, and that ball where their beams meet become more unstable.

It crackles with electricty, molding and morphing around itself. Then, without any real warning, there's just a -boom-.

The ball in the middle -explodes-, and all of that energy they clashed into each other backfires in a massive chain reaction.

It sends Vegeta flying, the top half of his jumpsuit torn off completely. He goes rolling across the ground, bloody and bruised, then smashes into a massive rock until he's laying there in the rubble, barely conscious.

Cory (768) has posed:
    It's really true. Cory has NO IDEA who to root for, but she's got both fists up in front of her chest, body hunched over. Anxious and frustrated, she watches with a combination of awe and well... a bit of fear.

    If Vegeta wins, there's no telling what will happen to the Neo Saiyans. If Kakarot wins, they'll be down one person who can match him and still need to do so.

    And adding another layer of complexity, Kakarot's raw determination, resolve, and purpose struck a deep chord in her.

Kakarot (723) has posed:
Kakarot has nothing to say about this. This is because when the sphere explodes, the King of the Neo-Saiyans goes flying in the opposite direction, also impacting a rock wall himself, sliding downwards with scars and blood all over his chest.

He's still alive, but it looks like he's in the same condition as Vegeta.

At this point, a green and blue streak descend through the air, dropping next to Kakarot. "KING KAKAROT!" Zuki yells as Gaplan hunches over him, checking his vitals. He nods to her and she looks over to the fallen Vegeta. "Huh. so the Ghost Prince can actually fight. That's new. We'll call this one a draw." She looks over to the others. "Any objections?"

Vegeta (663) has posed:
Vegeta coughs, groaning as blood drips from his mouth. All he can manage is a weak, "Fine." as he just goes back to laying there on his bed of rocks, staring up at the sky with eyes half-lidded. But he has a smile on his face, one he just can't help, one that probably ignores all external worries like the war and the implications of this draw.

That smile is satisfied.

Taylita (180) has posed:
     Taylita is about to object, but when Vegeta says fine, she huffs before backing down. It is his fight, after all. She does fly down quickly to help support Vegeta. "Vegeta! That was amazing!" she says, a grin on her face. "You...well, I think you could have finished him off. But still, he'll think twice before calling you a weakling again." She looks around, then waits for Vegeta's own saiyans to appear. She has no doubt they are nearby.

Kakarot (723) has posed:
The acknowledgement from Vegeta is all Zuki and Gaplan need. The y pick up Kakarot and fly off with him at top speed before people get ideas.

Kakarot, too, is smiling.

Vegeta (663) has posed:
"I don't know what you're looking for..." Vegeta strains, offering her an arm, as if he wants her to lift him up. "My men aren't coming, they're helping Rex's people. -You- are my support, and Serori, and even that new one, Chikkori..." he explains, as if to cast light on what exactly their place is, in the context of Kakarot and -his- men.

Then he just sort of falls unconscious.

Cory (768) has posed:
    "Are you nuts, Taylita? Those two were as even as it gets!" Cory's expression is mixed, to say the least. The awe has dwindled in favor of disbelief, and finally... exhaustion. All that tension, BLOWN. Her tail starts twitching, coming free of its position wrapped around her waist. "hewwwwwwwwww..."

    Flop. All she can do is double over, inhale, then shake her head at the affair. But once her back's turned, she's smiling. "The bar's set really high, but I'm gonna surpass BOTH of 'em..."

    With a *CRACK* white energy engulfs her again, and OFF she goes, rocketing for a warp gate.

Taylita (180) has posed:
     Taylita blinks as Vegeta speaks up, then nods. "It was pretty cool, how you..." And then, he is unconscious. She sighs softly before lifting Vegeta up and carrying him into the sky and toward the nearest Confederate or Reptilon healing station. "...how you included all of us in your little speech." she finishes, even though he is out cold.

     She may not be sure about Vegeta, but he scored some points today.