Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Chosen One ❯ Chapter Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )

The Chosen One

Chapter 13

Gohan and his friends were escorted out of the arena and into Raphael Castle. They were led up a flight of stairs and through a set of wooden oak doors.

Suddenly, Gohan became conscious of his appearance. He had dried blood on his face from where a gash had been on his forehead, and dirt was smudged all over on his face and his outfit. His body suit had tears in it in various places, and there was a giant hole in his armor. He wished that the Gabrians had at least let him bathe before taking them to the king.

The guard ahead of them stopped in front of the throne and kneeled on his right knee, his head inclined toward the carpet. Gohan and the others followed suit.

"Sire, these are the warriors that won the tournament," the guard said. "They even managed to defeat a team of Roxians and put on an incredible display of speed, power, and technique."

"You may rise," the king said. The guard and the travelers from Earth rose.

"First of all, as I can see you are aliens, welcome to Gabria. From where do you hail?"

"We come from the planet Earth, sire," Gohan answered.

"Earth?" The king repeated, surprised. "How could a group of Earthlings kill a pair of Roxians?"

"Not all of us are native Earthlings," Piccolo answered.

"So I see. You and the one in the vest are Nameks, are you not?"

"Yes, sire," Piccolo answered. "I was born on Earth, but I am a Namek."

The king shifted his gaze to Siber. "You are a member of Frieza's species, correct?"

"Yes," Siber answered, "but my people prefer not to be identified with that despicable tyrant."

"But the rest of you are Earth humans, are you not?"

"There are three humans here," Krillin said. "Tien - the one with three eyes - Yamcha - the one with long hair and wearing a red and blue gi - and myself are the only pure-blood humans."

"I am an android," Android 16 said, "comprised of purely mechanical components."

"My brother and I are also androids," Android 18 continued, "only we are mixtures of mechanical components and human DNA."

"So, there are two Nameks, a member of Frieza's species, three humans, and three androids," the king counted off. He then looked at Raditz, Vegeta, and Gohan. "If you three are not humans, then what are you?"

"This man is Raditz, a Saiyan warrior," Vegeta said. In response, the king dropped his jaw. Murmurs began to arise from the nobles around him. The king hushed them, prompting Vegeta to continue. "However, he is not the only Saiyan to escape the destruction of his home world, for I, too, am a Saiyan, but I'm no ordinary Saiyan. I am Vegeta, the prince of all Saiyans!"

This time, a dead silence fell across the room. Obviously, they had all heard of Vegeta. The king then looked at Gohan. "And you?"

"My name is Gohan, and I am half Saiyan and half human," Gohan responded. "In fact, Raditz is my uncle."

"How can that be?" the king asked. "Saiyans usually do not take kindly to aliens."

"My father had an accident as a baby," Gohan said. "He fell into a ravine and landed on his head, so he forgot he was a Saiyan."

The king cleared his throat. "What I fail to understand," he said, "is how all of you could have the power necessary to kill two Roxians!"

"We're not your average bunch of aliens," Piccolo said. "We are all incredibly strong. We have all undertaken major training. Even the weakest of us -" Yamcha shifted uncomfortably and looked at the ground - "is stronger than even Captain Ginyu. I myself have fused with Earth's former guardian, who was also a Namek."

"Our creator worked for years on us, constantly upgrading us," Android 17 stated. "His only mistake was giving us free will, so we destroyed the evil fool when we had our chance."

"When I was five, a group of Roxians enslaved me," Siber explained. "I had to undergo rigorous training to the point where I am even stronger than Frieza was."

"My father was the man who defeated Frieza on the planet Namek," Gohan said. "Also, have you ever heard of the legend of the Super Saiyan?"

"Yes," the king answered, "but I cannot see . . . are you saying that you are the legendary Super Saiyan?"

"It's not just a legend, it's true!" Vegeta answered. "Any Saiyan who becomes strong enough and finds the urgent need for the power - usually anger or frustration - can attain it!" Motioning to Gohan, he said, "And though I hate to admit it, this kid is the strongest of all of us! He has tapped into a second level of Super Saiyan!"

"However, strength is only half the story," Gohan explained. "We came across a prophecy of a Roxian conquest of the entire universe, and that only the Chosen One can stop them. Seeing as I'm the only one who can wield the sword Testament, I am probably the Chosen One. Also, this sword is made of iron, and a cut from an iron blade is fatal to a Roxian."

"Hmm . . . I see," said the king. "And what brings you to our humble planet?"

"Our spaceship was wrecked in an asteroid field and we had to crash-land here," Krillin said. "We entered the tournament so we could pay for replacement parts."

The king lowered his eyes. "Ah, yes, the prize. I'm terribly sorry, but it was a ploy. If we lured fighters to a tournament with the false pretense of being financially set for life, we could see the strongest fighters on our planet."

"Why are you looking for the strongest fighters?" Gohan asked.

"I need to ask you a favor," the king said. "My daughter, the princess Sephra, has been taken prisoner by the Roxians. They are just too powerful for my men to handle. I need you to go and rescue her from their clutches. As a reward, my technicians will fix your spaceship. However, not all of you can go. With so many people, there is a greater possibility of getting caught. I must ask that only four of you can go."

"Well, let's see," Gohan began. "I should go, because I have Testament. Who else?"

"Gohan, let me go with you," Siber interrupted. "My knowledge of the Roxians should come in handy."

"All right, that makes two," Gohan said.

"I'll go too," Android 17 stated. He then turned to the king. "Your Majesty, can you have your men create iron bullets for my handgun?"

"I guess so," the king said. "We will need one of the bullets you currently have to use for a mold." Android 17 opened his hip pocket and pulled out a case of bullets.

"I'm going," Raditz interrupted. "I don't care what anybody else says, because I gave Kakarot my honor that I would protect his son, and that fight in the tournament was too much of a close call."

Gohan looked surprised, but said, "Well, I guess it's settled. Tomorrow morning, Siber, Android 17, Raditz, and I will set out to save Princess Sephra from the Roxians."