The artificial moon blazed to life in the sky like a second sun.
Vegeta's bloodied finger pressed the device's activation button, and instantly a sphere of concentrated Blutz waves erupted into the darkness above. The false moon hung there, pulsing with unnatural light that bathed the entire battlefield in an eerie silver glow.
"What is that?" Krillin gasped, shielding his eyes from the sudden brightness.
Sage's blood turned to ice. His hand instinctively moved to his waist, where his tail had been wrapped and hidden beneath his torn clothing for so long he'd almost forgotten it was there.
"No," he whispered, horror creeping into his voice. "He wouldn't dare."
But Vegeta was already changing.
High above them, the Prince of all Saiyans threw back his head and screamed—not in pain, but in savage triumph. His battered body began to convulse and grow, muscles expanding at an impossible rate. His skeleton cracked and reformed, stretching longer, growing larger.
His power level was skyrocketing.
"Everyone get back!" Sage shouted, unwrapping his brown tail from around his waist with desperate urgency. "Don't look at the moon! Whatever you do, don't—"
But it was too late for warnings.
Little Gohan's eyes had already found the artificial moon, drawn by its hypnotic glow. His pupils dilated instantly, becoming bloodshot and wild. The five-year-old's small body began to tremble, then convulse.
"Gohan!" Goku screamed, but his son was already transforming.
The child's power erupted outward like a dam bursting. His tiny frame expanded rapidly, growing from a small boy into a towering beast in seconds. Brown fur sprouted across his enlarging body as his face elongated into a massive snout filled with razor-sharp fangs.
Within moments, a forty-foot-tall Great Ape stood where little Gohan had been, its red eyes blazing with mindless fury.
"My God," Piccolo breathed, staring up at the transformed child. "The power coming from him—it's incredible."
But Gohan wasn't the only one changing.
Sage felt the transformation taking hold of him as well, the Blutz waves from the artificial moon triggering something primal in his Saiyan DNA. His violet energy from before was nothing compared to this—this was raw, unfiltered power multiplied tenfold.
His body began to grow.
"Sage!" Goku called out in alarm. "Fight it! You have to fight the transformation!"
"Can't," Sage grunted through gritted teeth as his skeleton began stretching and reforming. His muscles swelled to impossible proportions, and thick brown fur erupted across his expanding frame. "Too strong. The moon—can't look away."
Within seconds, a third Great Ape stood on the battlefield, this one forty-five feet tall and radiating violet-tinged energy that made the air itself shimmer with power.
Three monsters now faced each other under the artificial moon's glow.
Vegeta had completed his transformation first, and his Great Ape form was a sight of absolute terror. Standing nearly fifty feet tall, his massive frame was covered in dark fur and corded muscle. His eyes burned like crimson coals in a face that had become a twisted mockery of his human features.
But worse than his size was his mind—unlike the mindless fury that consumed most Saiyans in Great Ape form, Vegeta retained his intelligence, his tactical thinking, his cruel cunning.
"BEHOLD!" the giant prince roared, his voice like thunder rolling across the landscape. "THE TRUE POWER OF THE SAIYAN ELITE!"
His massive fist slammed into the ground, creating a crater fifty feet wide and sending shockwaves that knocked the remaining Z-fighters off their feet. The very earth trembled under his weight as he turned his burning gaze toward the other two Great Apes.
Young Gohan's transformed state was pure instinct and rage. The child's consciousness was completely submerged beneath the Great Ape's primitive fury. He beat his chest and roared at the sky, then turned his attention to the nearest threat—Vegeta.
The two massive apes crashed together with the force of colliding mountains.
Gohan's smaller but incredibly dense form drove into Vegeta's midsection like a cannonball, his enhanced strength allowing him to actually stagger the larger ape. Vegeta's roar of surprise and pain echoed across the battlefield as Gohan's razor-sharp claws raked across his chest, drawing rivers of blood.
But Vegeta's experience and retained intelligence gave him a massive advantage. His counterattack was swift and brutal—a devastating uppercut that caught Gohan under the chin and sent the young ape flying backward to crash into a mountain.
The impact was cataclysmic. The entire mountainside collapsed in an avalanche of stone and dust, burying Gohan under thousands of tons of debris.
"GOHAN!" Goku screamed, but before he could move to help his son, Sage's Great Ape form entered the battle.
Unlike the others, Sage was fighting a war within himself. Part of him—the primal Saiyan part—wanted nothing more than to give in to the mindless fury, to lose himself in the pure joy of destruction. But his human-raised conscience, strengthened by months of bonding with the Z-fighters, fought desperately to maintain some level of control.
The result was terrifying.
Sage's Great Ape form moved with purpose rather than blind rage. His violet energy, amplified tenfold by the transformation, crackled around his massive frame like living lightning. When he struck, it was with tactical precision rather than wild flailing.
His first blow caught Vegeta completely off-guard—a calculated strike to the kidney that would have killed a normal opponent. The prince's roar of agony shook the very air as he doubled over, clutching his side.
Sage's follow-up was immediate and devastating. His massive fist drove into Vegeta's exposed face with the force of a meteor strike, sending the elite-class ape stumbling backward, blood streaming from his shattered nose.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Vegeta bellowed, his tactical mind reeling from the assault. "You're maintaining consciousness! How are you controlling the transformation?"
Sage didn't answer—couldn't answer. All his energy was focused on the internal battle between his rational mind and the Great Ape's primitive fury. Every second of maintained control was a victory won through sheer force of will.
But the strain was enormous.
That's when Gohan erupted from the collapsed mountain like a furious god of destruction.
Tons of rock and debris flew in all directions as the young Great Ape burst free, his red eyes blazing with enhanced fury. The partial burial had only made him angrier, more savage. His roar split the night air as he charged back into battle with renewed vengeance.
This time, his target wasn't Vegeta—it was Sage.
The collision between the two Earth-raised Great Apes was like watching continents crash together. Gohan's charge drove both of them through a series of rock formations, reducing ancient stone pillars to powder in seconds. They rolled across the landscape, trading devastating blows that carved new valleys in the earth.
Sage's retained intelligence gave him an advantage in technique, but Gohan's raw fury made him incredibly dangerous. The child's claws left deep gouges in Sage's thick hide, while his fangs sought vulnerable spots with animalistic cunning.
"Stop!" Goku shouted from below, his voice barely audible over the sounds of their battle. "You're both on the same side!"
But neither Great Ape could hear him over the roar of their own transformed fury.
Meanwhile, Vegeta had recovered from Sage's assault and was preparing his own devastating attack. His massive hands came together as purple energy began building between them—a Galick Gun amplified by his Great Ape transformation.
The energy ball that formed was the size of a building, crackling with enough power to wipe out entire cities.
"GALICK GUN!" Vegeta roared, launching the massive energy blast toward the fighting pair of Great Apes.
The attack struck both Sage and Gohan simultaneously, engulfing them in a sphere of purple destruction that lit up the night sky. The explosion was visible from orbit, a mushroom cloud of devastation that vaporized everything within miles.
When the smoke cleared, both Great Apes were down but not out. Sage's violet-tinged fur was singed and smoking, while Gohan's smaller form was covered in burns. But their Saiyan resilience kept them fighting.
They rose together, and for a moment, some spark of recognition passed between them. They were both Earth's defenders, both fighting to protect the same people.
Both turned toward Vegeta.
The prince's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. "No! You're mindless beasts! You can't coordinate!"
But they could.
Sage retained enough control to direct their attacks, while Gohan's pure fury provided the raw power needed to match Vegeta's elite-class strength. They moved as one—Sage going high while Gohan went low, their combined assault overwhelming even Vegeta's tactical brilliance.
Gohan's charge took out Vegeta's legs, sending the massive ape toppling forward. Sage was waiting, his violet-enhanced fist driving into the prince's face with enough force to create a sonic boom. The impact sent Vegeta crashing backward, his massive form carving a trench through the landscape.
"This is impossible!" Vegeta roared, struggling to his feet. "I'm elite-class! I'm royalty!"
But royal blood meant nothing when facing two Great Apes working in perfect harmony.
From the sidelines, Goku watched the battle with growing desperation. His friends were holding their own, but barely. The strain of maintaining the Great Ape transformation while fighting was taking its toll on both Sage and Gohan. He could see them beginning to slow, their movements becoming less coordinated.
Vegeta, meanwhile, was drawing on his deep reserves of power and experience. Each time he was knocked down, he came back stronger, more vicious.
Something had to be done.
"Kaioken," Goku whispered, his crimson aura beginning to flicker around his exhausted form.
"Goku, no!" Krillin called out. "Your body can't take another transformation!"
"Times two," Goku continued, his power beginning to double despite his injuries.
"You'll kill yourself!" Piccolo warned, genuine concern in his gruff voice.
But Goku wasn't listening. His friends needed him. Gohan needed him.
"Times three!"
His crimson aura exploded outward, the sudden spike in power making the air itself scream. His muscles bulged as they strained to contain the multiplied energy, and blood began trickling from his eyes and nose.
But it wasn't enough. Even at Kaioken times three, he was still dwarfed by the Great Apes' massive power levels.
"Times four!"
Now his body was actively protesting, bones creaking under the strain and internal organs beginning to hemorrhage from the pressure. His crimson aura flickered unstably, threatening to collapse at any moment.
Still not enough.
Vegeta had recovered and was now systematically dismantling Sage and Gohan's coordination. His elite-class training showed as he used their own teamwork against them, maneuvering so that their attacks interfered with each other.
Goku made his choice.
"KAIOKEN TIMES FIVE!"
The explosion of crimson energy was like a nuclear detonation in reverse—instead of destroying everything around him, it seemed to pull reality itself into his blazing aura. His power multiplied five times over, instantly putting him on par with the Great Apes.
But the cost was horrific.
Blood poured from every orifice as his body began tearing itself apart at the cellular level. His bones cracked, his muscles shredded, and his nervous system screamed in agony. The Kaioken times five was beyond what any mortal body could handle.
But for a few precious moments, he was a god among monsters.
Goku launched himself into the battle with the force of a crimson meteor. His fist, wreathed in times-five Kaioken energy, caught Vegeta in the solar plexus with enough force to double the giant ape over. His follow-up strike—an uppercut to the jaw—sent the prince flying backward to crash into a mountain range, reducing it to rubble.
"Dad!" Gohan's Great Ape form seemed to recognize his father's voice, the child's consciousness briefly surfacing through the transformation's fury.
"That's it, Gohan!" Goku called out, his voice strained but determined. "Remember who you are! You're not a monster—you're my son!"
The words cut through the Great Ape's primitive rage like a blade. For a moment, Gohan's red eyes cleared, becoming more human, more aware.
Sage felt it too—the reminder of what they were fighting for. His own consciousness, which had been slipping deeper into the transformation's fury, suddenly snapped back into focus. His violet energy flared brighter as human determination merged with Saiyan power.
Together, the three Earth defenders faced the Prince of all Saiyans.
Vegeta rose from the rubble, his Great Ape form battered but unbroken. His red eyes burned with fury and something approaching desperation. He was being pushed to his limits by warriors he considered inferior.
"I won't be defeated!" he roared, his massive hands coming together as he prepared another Galick Gun. "I am Prince Vegeta! I am elite-class! I am—"
His words were cut off as all three Earth defenders struck simultaneously.
Goku's Kaioken-enhanced form hit him from the front, fists moving faster than the eye could follow as he pummeled Vegeta's massive chest and face. Sage's Great Ape form attacked from the side, his violet-tinged claws raking across the prince's ribs while his other fist drove into his kidney. And Gohan, his consciousness partially restored, struck from behind, his smaller but incredibly dense form driving his fist into the base of Vegeta's skull.
The combined assault was overwhelming.
Vegeta's Galick Gun discharge went wild, shooting into the sky harmlessly as his concentration was shattered by the three-pronged attack. He staggered under the coordinated assault, his elite-class training useless against such perfect teamwork.
But the effort was taking its toll on all of them.
Goku's Kaioken times five was literally killing him. Blood streamed from every pore, and his crimson aura was beginning to flicker dangerously. His attacks were still devastating, but each one brought him closer to complete physical collapse.
Sage's internal battle between consciousness and Great Ape fury was exhausting his mental reserves. The violet energy that enhanced his attacks was beginning to waver as his concentration slipped.
And Gohan, despite his partially restored consciousness, was still just a five-year-old child in a giant monster's body. The strain of the transformation was enormous for someone so young.
Vegeta sensed their weakening and pressed his advantage.
His massive tail whipped around like a building-sized club, catching Goku across the chest and sending the Kaioken-enhanced Saiyan flying. The impact was so severe that Goku's crimson aura finally collapsed, his body unable to maintain the times-five multiplier any longer.
He hit the ground hard and didn't get up.
"DAD!" Gohan's Great Ape form roared, his partial consciousness completely consumed by rage at seeing his father fall.
But that rage made him sloppy.
Vegeta's claws caught the young Great Ape across the chest, leaving deep gouges that sprayed blood across the battlefield. Gohan's howl of pain echoed across the landscape as he staggered backward, his smaller form no match for Vegeta's size and experience in single combat.
That left Sage alone against the Prince of all Saiyans.
The two Great Apes faced each other in the artificial moonlight, both battered, both bleeding, both pushed to their absolute limits. But where Vegeta fought for pride and superiority, Sage fought for the people who had become his family.
That made all the difference.
Sage's violet energy flared one last time as he threw everything he had into a final assault. His massive fist, wreathed in violet flames, drove toward Vegeta's face with the force of destiny itself.
But Vegeta was ready.
The prince's own fist met Sage's in a collision that shattered the sound barrier and sent shockwaves rippling across the continent. For a moment, they were perfectly matched—elite-class pride against earned determination.
Then Sage's consciousness finally slipped.
The internal battle he'd been fighting throughout the transformation finally ended in defeat. His violet energy flickered and died as the Great Ape's primitive fury consumed his rational mind completely.
Without his human consciousness to guide him, Sage became just another mindless beast.
Vegeta's tactical brilliance immediately seized the advantage. His follow-up strike caught the now-mindless Sage across the jaw, sending the violet-tinged Great Ape crashing to the ground beside the unconscious Goku.
Only young Gohan remained standing, his Great Ape form swaying on its feet, blood streaming from the claw marks across his chest.
"Now," Vegeta rumbled, his red eyes blazing with triumph, "you'll learn what happens to those who dare challenge their betters."
The Prince of all Saiyans raised his massive fist, preparing to end the battle once and for all.
But sometimes, the smallest voices carry the greatest power.
"Gohan," Goku whispered from where he lay broken and bleeding, his voice barely audible over the sound of Vegeta's approaching footsteps. "You're stronger than this. You're stronger than him. You're my son."
The words cut through the Great Ape's fury like a blade of pure love.
Gohan's red eyes began to clear once more, consciousness fighting its way back to the surface. And this time, it brought something with it—not just human awareness, but Saiyan pride awakened by the need to protect.
The young Great Ape's power level began to climb.
The final phase of the battle was about to begin.