He was a tyrant. He had power unimaginable. None but his kin had the power to touch him. He ruled entire systems at a time. All under a cold-iron fist. He was an Ician. A race with natural potential. A race who developed naturally the fighting prowess that any other race had to train decades to achieve. His name was Frieza. He lived for not even a millennia. He was considered young for his race who could live as long as tens of thousands of years. He lived what days of life he had under the shadow of his father and the envy of his brother. He was raised to rule, to torment, to kill. As were all of his race who spread themselves throughout the universe. All just to rule. They saw themselves as a higher race. Only for the fact they were chosen to possess natural incredible fighting power. Frieza both lived and died as a tyrant. And into the void of Hell he was sent. He grew to regret his past decisions. Trapped for decades in such an underworld of darkness often did this. He realized he never really had a choice. Had he decided to act his father would either have killed him or exiled him. Neither alternative attractive.
"What stupidity! Arrrgh! I'm so mad I can't stand it! All my power and still I died! Damn monkey!" Frieza roared. He pulled his tail around and lashed the ground causing a crater after impact. He lashed out again and again.
"Oh what is it now, Frieza? You've been like this for years now," Cell said. The ultimate android of Dr. Gero. Killed by Gohan long before.
"Nothing of your concern. And for the last time STAY OUT of my SIGHT!" Frieza roared. He turned and walked away at that. Cell couldn't have cared less. The fool had been acting this way for years now. How were they to escape Hell and enact any kind of revenge if the fool refused to concentrate? But Frieza was elsewhere. Contemplating a plan. He had his own agenda. His own goals to achieve. He shared only one aim with Cell. He wanted to be restored to mortality. To be free from this void. He needed to exist along the living. But revenge was not on his mind. He would go far from the Saiyans. They would only kill him again. Or so he suspected. He had no real way of knowing. True he had trained hard these past years and exceeded even Cell in power. But he knew Goku or Gohan would have improved as well. And Gohan alone was far more powerful than Cell after he ascended all those years ago. Saiyans usually inclined in power. As long as he lived he never heard of a Saiyan growing weak from laziness.
"Haaaaaaaaahhhh!" the Ician roared. He gathered his ki and powered up to his maximum. His muscles bulged and his veins pulsated. He drew in hard breaths from exhaustion. Gathering that much power wasn't easy. Frieza long realized his limits. In Hell his body would not age. So he remained in his prime forever. Yet for the last few years his progress was slow. If he made any at all. Though he was several times more powerful than Cell or Bojack it wasn't enough. The last 6 years he had struggled, and 6 years he grew evermore impatient.
"Frieza! Is that all the power the greatest tyrant the universe has ever known has come to possess? It's pitiful," a new squeaky voice said.
"Bibidi. I am at least 500,000 times your strength. Shut your mouth if you don't wish to tortured for eternity!" Frieza barked with a growl.
"You mistake my intentions, Frieza. I too burn with the desire of revenge! What if I told you there was way to escape this void and return to the Mortal Cosmos with far more power than you possess now?" Bibidi said with a laugh. That got Freiza's attention.
"What in the Plane of Darkness are you babbling about!" Frieza demanded.
"I am a great wizard, Ician. I have many resourceful powers the likes of you could never come to understand. I posses the power to heighten your strength far beyond their limits. Much like I did Vegeta's not long ago," Bibidi went on. He knew he had the tyrant under his sway now. He was hanging loosely on every word.
"What do I have to do?" Frieza demanded.
"Just stand there and open your mind, Frieza," Bibidi laughed. Frieza closed his eyes reluctantly. Why not trust the little imp? Here his body could not be broken nor his spirit shattered. He had nothing to hear. He did not know what was about to occur.
"Be done with it then!" he roared.
"Paparapa!" Bibidi squeaked. Suddenly Frieza jerked and writhed in agony and his aura stormed ever more violently. Ruby red and lavender lightning sputtered through the flames of cold fire. Then Frieza felt something expand against a concrete wall which shattered within him. The deepest agony he ever felt came blasting through him before everything went black all together…
Chapter One - "Faster Goten!" Gohan yelled. The young Saiyan lunged and kicked. Gohan dodged easily and swatted the younger one in the back of his head. Goten hit the ground and skidded. He forced himself back up though he was exhausted to no end.
"No far, Gohan! No matter how hard I try I just can't hit you!" Goten whined. He wiped dirt from his face and sucked his left thumb.
"Goten don't get upset. I've been doing this years before you were born, little bro," Gohan replied, patting his kid brother on the head.
"I guess so. But when can I learn to fly and shoot energy blasts?" Goten wondered.
"You can transform but you can't fire energy blasts yet? Or fly?" Gohan asked in surprise.
"No I can't! Why do you think you keep beating me so easily?" Goten shot back. Gohan laughed.
"You're just super fast and super strong then. I knew how to use my energy naturally after Piccolo got done with me," he said. Then he scratched his head.
"What is it?" Goten demanded,
"Tell you what, Goten. Wait a week and I'll teach you everything I know. Deal?" Gohan wondered.
"Yeah! Then I'll be able to beat Trunks!" Goten laughed.
"Can Trunks turn into a Super Saiyan too, Goten?" Gohan asked, fearing the answer.
"Yeah! He's way faster than me though and he already knows how to fly and do all that energy stuff," Goten nodded.
"Man you both can do it? You're only 6 and 7 and already changing? Man Vegeta and I got our work cut out for us!" Gohan laughed wearily.
"Hah-hah-hah-hah-hah! Haaaah-haaaaaaahhh!" Trunks cried. He and Vegeta exchanged punches back and forth for hours at a time. Trunsk ducked a forward thrust and landed on all fours. He whipped his right leg around too fast for his father to react. Vegeta fell to the deck as Trunks shot upward. The younger Saiyan bombed the floor where his father laid with everything he had. The smoke cleared and Vegeta was no where to be seen. Suddenly Trunks sensed a disturbance in the air to his left. He spun just in time to block a kick. Vegeta compensated by spinning into a another. Trunks was hammered hard in the chest and skidded across the floor.
"Not bad, Trunks. You're already learning how to sense for your opponent," Vegeta said.
"A lot of good it did me," Trunks complained.
"You just haven't master it yet. Wait until you get faster with it. Once you master the skill you'll use it more than your eyesight in battle," Vegeta promised. He grabbed a white towel and wiped the sweat from his brow and neck.
"Arrgh! Too tired to even stand in this stupid gravity!" Trunks whined.
"It's set at 350 times average gravity, Trunks. I'm amazed you could stand for even as long at you did," Vegeta laughed.
"Stupid machine…" Trunks growled.
"So what are you going to do about it?" Vegeta wondered with a smirk.
"I guess I'll go super!" Trunks laughed. Vegeta jumped back after a golden flash erupted from where his son stood only a moment before. Trunks hovered now a foot off the floor, golden flames of a Super Saiyan flaming upward around him.
"Trunks! When…? How…?" Vegeta stammered.
"What?" trunks asked innocently.
"How long have you been able to… To do that?" Vegeta demanded, still looking shocked.
"A couple months I think. I don't really remember. Me and Goten were fighting in the hills by his house out in the middle of nowhere when it happened. I usually beat Goten but for some reason he kept getting at me that day. I couldn't hit him! It made me so mad and it just happened. I changed. Suddenly I was beating up Goten easy! He pointed at my hair looking all shocked and stupid. I looked in the water and saw the changes," Trunks explained.
"Great the legendary transformation of the Saiyan race has beenr educed to little more than a child's plaything," Vegeta grunted.
"Are you mad?" Trunks wondered.
"No. Quite the opposite. Trunks hit me. Don't look at me like that! You heard what I said! If you can land a single blow I'll take you to the park for a whole day," Vegeta promised.
"Really! A whole day! Wow! Okay! Here I come!" Trunks yelled excitedly. Vegeta blocked very blow at first but with increasing difficulty. He found that he had to become a Super Saiyan himself to keep up. But it wasn't too long before his speed and strength greatly outweighed his son's. He was shocked after Trunks deliberately knocked his right arma side and punched him dead in the face. Vegeta reacted on impulse and struck Trunks back in the face as well. The little warrior skidded across the floor. He forced himself up, holding his nose.
"Well I didn't say I wouldn't hit you back now did I? Now dry you tears, we're going to the park!" Vegeta said. Trunks did just that and followed his father from the room.
"Faster Krillin! The World Tournament is less than a couple of months away! At this rate you'll be out in the first round!" 18 yelled. Krillin ducked her kicked and dropped to all fours. He tripped her by knocking her feet out from under her and rose to try and hit her with a few punches of his own. She rose her barrier, one of her innate android abilities. Krillin hammered the barrier repeatedly. Android 18 noted how much energy she was expending just to hold the human back. She dropped the shield in time to dodge another blast. Krillin followed her into the air quickly as he dared.
"YAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAH!" 18 cried and fired energy blast after blast. Krillin smacked most aside and dodged the rest all together. He came in fast and hard and they clashed yet again in hand to hand combat.
Damn he's gotten stronger and faster from just these last few months of training! He's already caught up to me in hand to hand fighting,"18 thought. She launched herself backward suddenly and stopped as soon as she reached a good hundred feet distance. She launched a massive ki strike from both hands. Krillin brought his hands together at his side.
"KAMEHAMEHAAAA!" he yelled and launched a ki wave of his own. The monstrous waves clashes and sent shockwaves and lightning crashing and sputtering in all directions. The waves of the water surrounding Master Roshi's island receded a good few hundred feet from the ki pressing against it alone.
"Look at those 2 go," Roshi said.
"Yes they're really something," Turtle said.
"I remember when I was able to move like that in my younger days," Roshi sighed.
"Master you were never quite that fast," Turtle laughed.
"Oh quiet you!" Roshi said and threatened with his staff.
"HHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" both combatants roared. The ki waves exploded where they met. Both fighters were knocked back from the sheer force of the shockwave alone. Android 18 recovered faster and drop kicked his husband into the water far below. And landed back on the main island and waited. Suddenly a pillar of water rose and from the top emerged Krillin. The little warrior launched several Destructo Disks simultaneously. Android 18 ducked and dodged and took back to the air as Krillin directed them toward her.
"What are you trying to do, kill me!" she demanded.
"Haaahhhh!" Krillin replied and suddenly the number of Disks tripled.
Damn he's gotten way better at this! she thought. She twisted through the air and whirled wildly to avoid the strikes. She formed several energy disks of her own and sent them clashing into Krillin's. A screeching sound rocked the area as the blades ground each the other out of existence. 18 came in at her husband fast and hard. They clashed in hand to hand yet again. Krillin flared his silver-white aura and 18 summoned her own orange-gold aura of flames. They power levels rose higher and higher as they attacked and counter attacked. Krillin broke through and landed a hard blow to her gut, sending her sliding across the sand. She rose and nodded.
"You got me," she admitted.
"Let's go get some breakfast," Krillin suggested as he kissed her lips. She pulled back and nodded. But as she followed him away she swore to train even harder to increase her own power.
"Way too slow, Piccolo!" Tein laughed. He ducked another thrust and whirled wildly. He fired off a chain of ki bolts at his opponent. Piccolo smacked each one aside but noticed their sting.
What is it with these humans? First Krillin and Yamcha and now Tein. All three of them are rising to new heights of power. I'm actually struggling to hold Tein back, Piccolo thought.
"Tri-Beam… HAAAAAAA!" Tein erupted. Piccolo thrust both hands forth to catch the massive strike. It hit home and forced him back several steps. Piccolo's arms strained to their limits. He threw his energy back into it and fired his own Special Beam Cannon. The cannon shots clashed as and their power began to built.
"They're going to blow!" Piccolo yelled.
"BARRIER!" Tein yelled. He rose a massive energy shield as the explosion nuked the area. The Lookout was cracked and broken after the smoke cleared. Tein dropped his shield to see Piccolo's wounds. The Namek's right arm was missing and several burn, scrapes, and deep gashes were torn all across the rest of his body. Piccolo gathered energy and fueled one of his Namekian innate abilities. He regenerated from all the damage and rose to his full height. He aimed 2 fingers and launched another cannon shot. Tein smacked it aside with both fists combined and came back in a mightly rush. They clashed harder than even before in hand to hand. Piccolo slipped suddenly and Tein landed a few hundred blows in the space of a second. He jumped and kicked the Namekian across the room. Piccolo climbed to his feet with some effort.
"Damn! That really smarts," Piccolo grunted. He lunged again and Tein struggled this time to block his blows. He hammered the human a few thousand times each passing second until Tein dropped still to the tiles.
Piccolo powered down and took a few exhausted breaths. He turned just in time to see the delayed energy blast hammer in his chest. He blasted a hole clear through which was regenerated instantly. Piccolo fell to his knees.
"A delayed energy shock… The fool actually pulled one over on me…" Piccolo said just before everything went black…
"Mother we're home!" Gohan yelled as he and his little brother entered their small mountain cottage.
"Hey dears. It's obvious you guys have been fighting all day. I can smell you way in here. Gohan go wash up upstairs. Goten can use the hose out back," Chichi said.
"Really? I get to spray myself with the hose!" Goten asked ecstatically. He ran off without another sound. Gohan shrugged. He remembered the days he used to be like that. That was until Radditz first showed. Then his life was nothing but one struggle after another. Fighting for his life after every turn. He was glad all was peaceful now. That his little brother and Trunks have the chance to be raised in a world without all the chaos life and death struggles bring.
"Wait, Gohan. Before you go wash up I have a message for you. A girl named Videl called from school. Asked to know where you was," Chichi said. She had a knowing look on her face.
"What? Um… She actually called…?" Gohan said in shock. His face turned blood red.
"Oh yes. A feisty little thing, she was. Said something about you pomising to teach her how to fight as your first date," Chichi laughed.
"She did what? I never said it was a date! She cornered me in the hall and threatened to tell my secret if I didn't teach her how to use her energy!" Gohan explained, still blushing.
"She blackmailed you? I don't remember girls being that smart when I was your age. Ha! Whatever works I guess. When I was a kid it wasn't too uncommon for a girl to hit the man she loved over the head and drag him home to her father by his hair," she laughed.
"Funny. Bulma said the same thing," Gohan muttered.
"Well she said she would be by tomorrow at 6 early. Make sure to remember to be up because I'll be gone with Bulma. And mind your little brother. You know how he gets," Chichi said. Gohan climbed the stairs and entered his room. He grabbed his night clothes and a new pair of boxers and left for the bathhouse. His father and he made the new bathhouse just before the Cell Games.
Ah, Dad I really miss you. Why did you have to go and get yourself killed like that? I know it was necessary I guess. But man things are never the same without you, he thought. He closed the bathhouse door and bolted it behind him. He turned the knobs and to have warm water spraying into the tub. He dove in after it was halfway filled.
And now Videl's coming over tomorrow. Man, how in the world does anyone handle as girl like her anyway? She wants to learn how to use energy that's all. It'll be easy as pie. And Goten wants to learn anyway so it'll be like killing 2 birds with 1 stone. Yeah I can do this… Gohan thought. She eased backa dn relaxed.
Gohan was laying outside looking up at the stars. He heard a sound come from the bushes nearby. Then he sees her. A girl with long black hair. It took him a while to recognize her. She usually wore her hair in 2 tails. But now it just hung loosely down her back. She was pretty now. She wore a nice, pleasant smile. Not the hard pressed scowl she usually had. She reached the spot where his lay and eased down to his level. She felt his pants grow unusually tight as she pressed her lips to his own. He found he was kissing her back with equal passion. She eased down on top of him and ran soft kissed down his neck. She reached lower still to loosen his belt and…
BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM!
"Gohan! You been in there all night! Videl is going to be here anytime now!" Goten yelled from the door.
"Huh! What are you talking about it's still…" Gohan began when he peeked out the window.
Oh shit! He's right! I slept in the bath all night! he thought. He slipped on his boxers and then wrapped a towel around himself. No need to put these night clothes on now. I'll just change right into my normal training gi. And he did just that after he entered his room.
"Hi there! Are you Gohan's new girlfriend!" Gohan heard Goten asked from outside. He freaked and ran down the stairs.
"VIDEL! HEY THERE!" he yelled suddenly, breathing hard.
"Hey there Gohan. Did you just get out of the shower?" she wondered, observing how drenched he was.
"Oh that," she replied.
"Yeah! Gohan slept in the bath tub all night! He's lucky cause Mom would never let me do that!" Goten laughed.
"You slept in the tub, Gohan?" Videl asked, eyebrow cocked upward with curiosity.
"Um… Well it wasn't on purpose I just… It's like… I was training all day and I guess I was more exhausted than I realized. I just kind of nodded off," Gohan admitted.
"I never found myself that tired but then again you're pretty weird aren't you, Gohan? So when are you going to teach me how to user my power?" she demanded, cracking her knuckles. "Have to admit I;m kind of eager."
"So was I when I first learned," Gohan lied. He really didn't think he should tell her he was actually abducted by a green man from outer space and forced to learn how to fight.
"Are we doing this here?" she asked.
"No. There's a field a few miles from here Goten and I use. We'll be training there," Gohan replied.
"You might want to dry off first," Videl chuckled.
"Oh that. Haaaaahhh!" Gohan erupted. White-silver flames roared upward around his solid frame. The water was changed to steam and his clothes ruffled as they dried quickly. The aura of power faded and he rested soon after.
"Now that's a handy trick," Videl said in awe.
"Yeah I use it often myself. Once I teach you how to summon your power to the surface, things like that'll seem second nature," he promised. He then rose into the air.
"Um… Are you forgetting we can't fly, Gohan?" Goten reminded him.
"Not at all, Goten. Flying Nimbus!" Gohan yelled. The orange mystic cloud streamed into view and stopped to hover before Videl.
"Wow! Hi Nimbus!" Goten laughed.
"You two can ride that," Gohan said. Videl patted the cloud softly.
"It looks like a puff of fog. Are you sure it can hold our weight?" she said.
"Positive," Gohan assured her.
"Yeah that's Nimbus! As long as your not a bad guy you can ride it!" Goten said. He hopped right onto the cloud and Videl witnessed firsthand it could indeed support solid objects. She shrugged and did a front flip and landed gracefully.
"It's kind of springy," she said and took a seat. Gohan took off and Nimbus blasted of after him. "WHOA! NO WAY!"
"Awesome ain't it! Gohan and me always race like this!" Goten laughed. Videl found nothing to hold on to and grew a bit nervous. Gohan landed quickly enough and the cloud hurtled to a sudden stop. Videl was thrown clear and she flipped and landed as a reflex.
"Good reflexes," Gohan commented.
"I guess so. Why didn't it throw Goten off?" she wondered. Gohan laughed.
"Because it knows Goten. Think of Nimbus as a dog. He's just playing," Gohan laughed.
"Whatever. Let's get on with this," she growled. Gohan nodded quickly.
"Gohan are you gonna teach us how at fly now?" Goten asked ecstatically.
"Sure am, Goten. Now both of you stand here next to each other. Yeah just like that. Now basically flying is simple. Just take your energy and up it under you. Manipulate it to allow yourself full movement through the air," Gohan explained. Both Goten and Videl looked at him with puzzled looks across their faces.
"Oh right. You don't even know how to do that much yet, I forgot. Hmmm…" Gohan pondered.
"So what's the problem?" Videl demanded.
"What! No problem!" he promised quickly. "I just have to work out a way to show you guys. That's all. let's see…" he said. "Right! Your energy exists in a well of power deep inside your body. So to reach it you must meditate. I can bring out my power without a second thought because I've done it so many times. You guys haven't done it yet so sit with your legs crossed and close your eyes," Gohan instructed.
They followed his instructions without fail. Gohan told them to search deep inside their body. Look for a spark of life more active and more alive than any other. Then he instructed them to bring it to the surface. Goten found himself at the center of a silver aura flaming upward around him.
"Ah-ah-ah! I'm on fire Gohan!" he whined.
"Goten calm down! Really it's okay! That's your energy, little bro! Well done you've passed the first test. Now remember how that feels because that's how you're going to do it every time for now on," Gohan said. Videl's scowl was back. Gohan saw the first warning signs right off.
"Goten since you can now summon your power why don't you go play. I need to give Videl some private lessons," Gohan said.
"All right," Goten whined. "But you better be ready when I come back!" He ran off with a laugh in search for adventure.
"Private lessons, huh? You make it sound like you're trying to get in my pants, Gohan," she accused. Gohan's face went solid red and he fell on his ass.
"I didn't mean that… I mean I only meant that I was going to instruct you alone…" he began and realized what he was saying wasn;t much better. Videl was laughing before she could stop it.
"I know what you meant, Gohan. I was teasing. Don't be so gentlemanly. So how are we going to do this?" she said, forcing herself to stop laughing as she wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes.
"Okay then. Scoot closer to me," he instructed. This time she did eyes him suspiciously. His face went hot again. "No seriously. I want to show you something." She nodded and di what he told her to do. He reached out with both hands and held them about four inches from each other. Lightning crackled and sputtered from one palm to the other as a tiny spark of life suddenly flamed alight.
"But how did you do that?" she demanded.
"Okay I'm about to show you. Close your eyes," he told her. She did, trusting him. He pulled her closer and placed a hand on each side of her head, on each temple.
Gohan? she said suddenly with her mind.
Yeah. It's me. We're inside your mind, Videl. This is how my teachers Piccolo, Krillin, and my dad taught me. Don't worry I can't openly read your thoughts. I know you hold some private. We all do. Watch me. Use your mind to enter my own. Feel that? That's me reaching for my power. Now look deep inside your self. No like this… Gohan said. She followed everything she showed him and found herself staring at a massive spark of power floating in nothingness.
"I see it!" she yelled aloud and Gohan broke contact. Then she realized how close he was. Before she knew it he was kissed her gently on the lips. She pulled back in surprise and his face was even redder than before.
"Um…" he went to say.
"Did you just kiss me!" she demanded.
"Sorry I don't know what I was thinking…" he said defensively.
"No it was kind of nice…" she admitted.
"Huh?" Gohan said, astonished.
"But don't get used to it!" she replied sharply.
"Right. Let's get on with your training," he said, quickly changing the subject. Videl took her hand from her lips and nodded. It took hours but she did it at last. A silver-white aura streamed around her stronger than ever before.
"Man this is awesome…" she whispered.
"Yeah when do we learn to fly, Gohan?" Goten asked.
"Videl can you come back same time tomorrow?" Gohan asked.
"You bet," she promised. She threw the capsule that held her jet car and waved bye to both of them before she was off. Goten took Flying Nimbus an followed Gohan back home. Neither party witnessed the swirling vortex storming higher up within the starry night…