Dragon Ball Z: Paradise Found

Bardock's Mistake

Goku and Piccolo took off at Bardock at the same time. For someone that started out as mortal enemies, the two seemed to work off of one another without any amateur flaws. Their movement and positioning perfectly balanced and complementing that of the other. Bardock's crystalline aura burst into motion. Goku's spirit faltered for just a second with the young Saiyan not being used to the enemy's Ki skyrocketing like that. Piccolo, meanwhile, was much more used to that already so he ended up being the one to press on the attack.

A furious flurry of strikes all of which Bardock had evaded with proper space control, bobbing and weaving aside and powering through the burning sensation in the Saiyan's ribs. Once Bardock moved outside of Piccolo's reach, the Namekian lengthened his limbs and began lashing them at his enemy though Bardock once again maneuvered around them. He possessed some semblance of skill in this manner of evasive action to the point where it seemed like he'd have been doing it often before. The sort of familiarity with evasiveness while using aerial agility that didn't require Bardock's full focus nor for his body to be intact.

Goku joined into the fray, flying in over Piccolo's head with a knee strike which Bardock felt forced to block. A grunt soaked with pain left Bardock's chest and the few trickles of blood running from his mouth intensified as this relentless brawl put the greatest strain on Bardock's damaged innards yet. Goku's father blocked both Goku's vaulting ax kick as well as his many attempts to jab at his father's openings. This was a different type of martial artist from those Goku had fought earlier.

Bardock hadn't been tutored in any sorts of martial arts but he knew how to fight. Not as well as Piccolo and Goku did but the vast practical experience in inflicting pain and practicing physical violence made Bardock so experienced in the ways of bruising and fisticuffs that the difference between the skill of a hardened martial artist that honed his skill his entire life and a would-be Demon King that inherited almost divine skill though still lacked a layer of cement over it and a seasoned warrior who had built his scrapping up from scratch was not great enough for it to decide the battle.

The Saiyan warrior let out a deafening roar, augmented by the Ki that formed a devastating bubble of destruction around him which expanded in a concussive shockwave which blasted both Goku and Piccolo apart and left them reeling to recover from the overwhelming blast of Bardock's rising power.

"What the heck's going on?" Goku grunted. "It's like he's growing stronger while fighting... It's just like Chayote said that one time."

"No. This isn't the first time he's done this. It never lasts long and it strains his own body because he's not used to wielding so much power. He's drawing power from desperation, he feels his comrades are in danger and that's what's letting him tap into all that power but it isn't his power, it doesn't last. Just weather it and press on when he's weakening again..." Piccolo scolded his temporary ally.

"Celipa, Tora, Borgos, Shugesh, Taro, and Leek... You guys are relying on me to pull you out and bring you home and that's exactly what I'm gonna do. And... Gine, I'll make sure to knock some sense into our boy and return home to you too," Bardock raised his bloody arm up and formed a blinding Ki blast that kept on growing in size and power with each name that Bardock had uttered. "It's been a blast, you Namekian fiend, but this is between me and Kakarot!"

The speed of Bardock's hearty attack seemed to skip beats and moments in time as the next thing anyone knew Bardock had enclosed his fist with his nurturing Ki blast still inside and socked Piccolo in the jaw having closed the distance between them in an instant. Rising over his head, Bardock shot his hand out and unleashed all of the fighting spirit he's been accumulating in the shape of a single, focused Ki wave that blinded and pushed Goku away with its intensity alone as Goku couldn't try and intercept it despite his intention of doing so.