The fighters on the mountaintop spent the next day resting and recuperating from their training the day before, unaware of the four vengeful predators lurking in the upper atmosphere. Cooler and his armored squadron arrived a full forty-eight hours prior, having observed the sparring sessions between Krillin and Yamcha from a distance. The data they'd garnered from them hadn't been of much use.
Though they'd gotten a lot on two of the supposedly three humans, they hadn't figured much out about the Saiyan who had been present for Frieza's demise. His power readings were consistently low, and he rarely did anything but eat and offer advice. In the early mornings, he followed an active warm up routine, but his power level very rarely peaked over the thousands.
Admittedly, knowing that the earthlings could hide and alter their power levels was useful information, but they'd already garnered it from watching the two humans spar.
"I don't see the point in all this waiting," Dore finally said, his fist resting upon his cheek. Salza and Neiz were reviewing the footage of the two humans fighting, but only Salza seemed interested. "These guys're pipsqueaks."
"Says you, Dore," Salza responded, his eyes following the black-haired fighter's form carefully. He could see the minute flaws in his stance and the moments where he paused to draw breath. Everything about the man's style was wild and uncontrollable, but therein lied his predictability. There were only so many options a fighter could select in a fight, and in moments of desperation, men often strayed to the most comfortable. "I'm learning a lot about these… Earthlings."
"They're not very strong."
"Of course they aren't very strong. That does not make them sheep. They will still fight with their backs to the wall."
Dore shared a look with Neiz, then rolled his eyes. Studying weaklings was stupid. Altering their power wouldn't do them any good if they started off weak in the first place.
"I don't know why Lord Cooler hasn't let us attack them yet."
"The attack commences in a few hours, Dore. Be patient."
"I don't see a point in waiting s'all. We're either gonna win or we're not."
"Preparation makes all the difference, my friend. We are separated from our inferiors by our tact and patience."
"Funny, I thought we were just miles stronger than everyone else," the green man shot back, visibly frustrated. "I'm itching for some action. Last time, I only got to fight for a few seconds."
It was Neiz who interjected next, incredulous.
"Dore, you fought for three days straight! You're the reason we don't have a Coola #149."
"This time, a few seconds is all you might get, Dore. The leading theory is that this Saiyan killed Frieza," Salza explained, pausing the footage on the viewing console. "He may seem weak, but he could be suppressing the lion's share of his power. It would make sense that he could defeat Lord Frieza by tricking him in that way, perhaps by overwhelming him before he could transform."
A bead of sweat fell from Dore's brow.
"What? No way, this guy couldn't have killed Lord Frieza. Especially not if he hangs around weaklings like these!"
Salza once again pointed to the viewing screen, where a readout of power levels hovered on the left hand side.
"If you look, you'll see that the humans are all over a hundred thousand, and can peak somewhere near two. Even they won't be easy prey. Weak they may be, but weak they might not stay."
Dore looked at the readouts with a mixture of disbelief and displeasure. There was simply no way that the humans he was watching were stronger than he was — any of them. Sure, he could understand the Saiyan being a bit stronger than the rest, but Earth was a low tier planet. Its strongest fighter on the register was just over three hundred power level, total. How outdated was Frieza's information?
"We should inform Lord Cooler," Dore stated, looking significantly more worried than he did moments ago.
"He already knows, idiot. Why do you think I have been reviewing footage? He will be joining us in the field. If this Saiyan is as strong as we think he is, we cannot take him alone. Instead, we'll be handling the cannon fodder while Lord Cooler deals with him personally."
"So we're not even gonna fight the guy?"
"I didn't say that," Salza said, once again checking the screen.
"I didn't say that at all."
Morning came easy over the mountain; dawn broke and scattered the mists that obscured the forest, casting it in the pale glow of the early day. For Goku, this was the best time of the day to train. Dawn was a time of rebirth, when the burdens of the day before were shed and the challenges of the one to come were given life.
His friends slept beside the campfire as he pulled on his weighted shirt and stepped into the lake to catch a few fish. He could see them beneath the surface of the water, jetting back and forth to avoid him. They were fast, sure, but they weren't as fast as he was.
He'd just finished plucking a particularly snappy fella from the water when he heard something from the campsite.
Goku turned quickly, and caught sight of the three men perched around the fire pit. Clad in gleaming white armor and skin-tight bodysuits, they casually kicked at the remains of last night's fire, scattering the ash to the wind and carving trails in the thin gravel. None of the three fighters beside them had woken up yet, likely tired out from the night before. The Saiyan's eyes narrowed and the three fighters staring him down slowly rose to their feet. He didn't know how they'd snuck in so quickly. He hadn't even sensed them before they'd landed — had they been waiting somewhere, power levels hidden?
No, judging by the emblems on their armor, they were some of Frieza's men. As far as he knew, none of Frieza's men could hide their power levels. They were just fast enough to slip in from a distance, and skilled enough not to make noise. At least, most of them were. The big, green one with the long hair didn't seem too stealthy… judging by the fact that Goku had only heard one set of boots touch down, he was probably the culprit.
"So much for camping," he muttered, dropping his fish.
The three men kicked off from the campsite before it hit the water, blowing back the tent and the stones they'd used to house the campfire. Their backdraft shot the sleeping Krillin and Shourai off of the mountain, but Goku didn't have the time to watch them go flailing over the ledge.
The warrior with blue skin and blond hair caught him first, his hands alight with a menacing ki. Goku ducked beneath the fighter's first strike and wove forward, dancing right into the range of the green goliath that'd alerted him earlier. Power welled up in the Saiyan's fist as it struck home in the fighter's gut, cracking through the armor that covered his midsection.
Dore gasped, but persevered, wrapping his gloved hands around Goku's forearm.
"Eh, Goku?!"
Yamcha regained his footing in the ruins of the campsite. An aura of glittering blue flames kicked up around him as he darted forward, heading straight for a lizard-man lingering on the fringes of the fight. With Goku restrained, he was clearly looking for an angle to get a dirty shot in… and Yamcha wasn't gonna let that happen.
Goku desperately pulled against the green warrior's grip. He could feel the other fighter now, behind him, coming back. Dodging the first strike was easy enough, but he hadn't been playing a game of tug of war when he did it. Red light shot down the length of his arm as Dore pulled him in tighter, dislodging him at the last possible second. Salza went flying by him, careful not to accidentally collide with his ally and giving Goku the time he needed to shoot up into the sky.
Leading the two warriors on a deadly chase into the cloud cover above, Goku risked a glance down at the battle unfolding below. He could see Yamcha, squaring off with the lizard man below, and the two fighters chasing him… but he couldn't see Shourai or Krillin. He could sense them in the distance, occupied with another massive ki that he didn't recognize. It felt faintly like… Frieza, but more… dastardly, in a way. Whereas Frieza's had been sickening, this one was more like an overwhelming scent: dizzying in its own right, far harder to ignore.
Goku came grinding to a halt far above the mountain and watched his foes come to a stop in the air before him, their auras glittering around them. He could feel their power, bristling and burgeoning; each one was easily as strong as his son — the young one — and far deadlier. Still, they would be no match for him.
"So," he said, after a moment. "You wanna tell me who you are?"
"My name is Salza," the blue-skinned one said, bowing deeply. "And my big friend here is Dore. The one occupying your friend is Neiz. You are Son Goku, yes?"
Goku glanced down at the battle below.
He could see that Yamcha, even without his Kaio-ken, was managing to put up a good fight against Neiz, but the lizard's unique anatomy was proving to be troublesome. As far as Goku could tell, Yamcha couldn't get into close range, and the fire they were trading back and forth across the lake was proving difficult to dodge. He could sense Krillin coming back at breakneck speed. Blowing by the two guys in front of him would take a little effort, but using his full power would make everything too easy. Judging by the two scouters over their eyes, the other guys probably knew that too.
He exhaled.
"Yeah, that's me. Are you some of Frieza's men?"
Salza and Dore laughed.
"Hardly. We don't serve Frieza," Dore chuckled. "You gotta give us more credit than that, Saiyan."
"He is owed the same at least, Dore," Salza said, his laughter calming down. "I can see how someone with his prowess would get the jump on Frieza. He's capable of altering his power level, just as we thought. Did you see the spike when he broke your grip?"
"Felt it, too," Dore confirmed.
"It would appear that you're holding back on us, Son Goku."
Off in the distance, Goku could feel Shourai's power level rising. The scouters on Salza and Dore's heads beeped with concern, displaying numbers that the Saiyan couldn't read. Clouds conglomerated over the head of a massive golden geyser at the heart of the bamboo forest, pulled in by the weight of the young half-saiyan's power.
The three warriors from space turned to face the spectacle with growing concern — and collectively winced as their scouters exploded.
Krillin cleared the mountaintop seconds later, wreathed in a red cloak of ki that crackled with faint strokes of electricity. His left hand shot toward Neiz and a glittering mass of power broke free of his fingertips, reflected in the surface of the water. Neiz yelped and dodged to the left, but the blast circled back around seconds later… only to be smacked up at Dore.
Dore batted the blast aside with a heavy hand and gasped when he saw Yamcha in its wake, only to have the breath stolen from his lungs when the wild warrior slammed a knee into his chest. Kicking off of him before the fighter could strike back, Yamcha took his place beside Goku in the sky.
"Hey there, buddy," he said, grinning. "These guys seem a bit tougher than the rest of Frieza's goons."
"Good to see ya, Yamcha. I don't think they're with Frieza, though. I think they're serving that other power level, off with Gohan— er, Shourai. You know what I mean."
Yamcha nodded and sank into his combat stance, eyeing the two opposing warriors suspiciously.
"Yeah, that guy down there kept shouting something about a guy named Cooler at me. Cold, Frieza… Cooler's probably another one of those Frost Demons."
"You know nothing, human," Dore shouted, only to spit a fine red mist into the air a second later. He hadn't seen Yamcha coming and the blow clearly hurt more than he wanted to let on. "Lord Cooler is the new Emperor of the universe."
"Sorry," Goku said, clenching his fists at his sides.
"Not a big fan of emperors. They have a habit of being tyrants."
"You arrogant—"
In the forest below, Shourai's energy threatened to ignite the world at his feet. Bombed out craters littered the forest floor, macabre markers of Cooler's power left over from the chase that led them to their current battlefield. He'd managed to dodge most of them, thanks to Krillin drawing a lot of fire, but the left shoulder of his gi was already torn to shreds. Burn marks lingered over the skin and clung to the frayed edges of his undershirt, which he'd need to replace later.
Golden hair shimmered beneath the glow of his aura, obscuring a pair of stormforged eyes.
He didn't know how he'd forgotten about Cooler. All the nostalgia, maybe. It'd been a long time since he'd had a distraction as strong as his father and his friends. Still, it didn't add up — through his presence, he'd already altered so much… but Cooler wasn't supposed to arrive for another summer. Maybe the display he'd put on with Frieza and King Cold had drawn him in faster? Admittedly, he knew very little about the way Cooler worked. All he remembered was catching a glimpse of him before the actual fighting began.
With a guttural roar, Shourai pushed out the last vestiges of his power and reached his maximum strength.
"A brilliant show," Cooler applauded, sarcastically.
"Guess so," Shourai replied.
"Tell me, is that what my brother calls a Super Saiyan? He always tried to get me to buy into that old legend, but I never put much stock in it, myself. Always seemed superstitious, you see. Up until he died, at any rate."
Shourai waited, painfully aware that Cooler's little monologue was just beginning. Truthfully, he didn't have a lot of patience for monologuing. The only reason they were still talking was so that he could get some information, both from the horse's mouth and from the situation erupting on the mountaintop. He could feel his friends engaging Cooler's Armored Squadron, which didn't make a lot of sense.
His father could've picked them apart in an instant. So why hadn't he?
"Frieza was always a little bit of a brat, constantly underestimating his enemies, treating them like insects. I, however, know better. You monkeys always were a tenacious bunch. Given how much he feared you. I must say, though, you were not the one I came looking for. Is it possible that I missed another pod, that day?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Shourai responded, turning his gaze sights back toward the Frost Demon. "I was born here."
"I thought not. Maybe the other one's child, then. Would that make you a half-breed? Disappointing… but I see the potential in it. Saiyan strength, an earthen heart. That makes you more dangerous, the way I see it. Less prone to errors in judgement."
Rays of light conglomerated around the demon's fingers and clung to his skin, glittering purple.
"I'll take care of you first," he decided. "Then the other one, up on the mountain… provided my men don't get him first."
"Not gonna happen."
"We'll see about that."
The two men vanished in a flash of light, reappearing high above the forest. Shourai landed the first strike, burying his fist deep in the demon's cheek, and pressed his advantage. Blow after blow sailed into Cooler's chest, leaving fist-sized dents in his natural armor that sent him sailing backward after each impact. Though Shourai knew very little about his fighting style, the gap in power between them was clear.
Two more strikes bombarded the Frost Demon's chest, and a third slammed into his face milliseconds later. Spittle flew from the creature's foul mouth and surprise rang clear in his eyes, a marker of the same fear that his empire's many victims had felt before death.
Shourai punctuated his combination with a heavy, spinning kick that crashed into Cooler's left hip and sent him flying through shoots of stiff bamboo. Cooler recovered an instant before he would've hit the ground and came blasting back toward Shourai, eyes alight with rage and fear.
A swift and merciless backhand sent him flying once again, but the tyrant stabilized himself before hitting the treeline a second time. He inched forward, slicing the air with his left hand and unleashing thick swathes of energy that flickered toward Shourai at incredible speeds. The young half-breed swayed around them carefully, his eyes tracking each one as it entered his range and slid by him. He could tell by the way they moved that they were dangerous, coated by a serrated edge of ki.
He turned his gaze back to Cooler — but the demon was already in his guard. Shourai grimaced and swayed backward, dodging a flurry of blows that cleft holes in the air. He could hear the miniscule shockwaves flying off of each one, signals of his foe's strength. Though Cooler was weaker than he was, he couldn't say that he remembered his dad's fight going anywhere near as well as his was. Son Goku had come out of their little scrape with more than a little battle damage.
So what was Cooler hiding?
Shourai stepped into the Frost Demon's guard and slammed an open palm straight up against his diaphragm, forcing a spray of spittle and blood from his foe's lips. Cooler stumbled back across the sky, clawing desperately at the air for oxygen. Shourai pivoted and sent the demon plummeting to earth with a fierce roundhouse kick, watching as he broke through a sea of bamboo to create a new crater in the ground.
"You're holding back," Shourai said, descending into the forest and landing at the tip of Cooler's crater. Judgemental eyes followed the demon while he clambered back to his feet. "Don't tell me this is all you've got."
Covered in scrapes and bruises, Cooler glared up at his foe, furious.
"I understand, now, how you bested Frieza. I assume it was you, at least. No matter. I'm far stronger than my brother ever was."
"Doesn't look like it. I think he at least managed to hit me a few times. Could be wrong, though. At least your dad put up a fight."
Cooler screamed, drawing power from thin air. It wrapped around his body and shaped over his musculature, conforming to fit every nook and cranny. Shourai watched with mild interest while the demon's power climbed higher and higher, elevated to new heights by the weight of their conflict. He knew that egging Cooler on was a bad idea, but he had to know just how far he'd come. As irresponsible as it was, Cooler would be his first test of measure since coming to the past… and he couldn't pass up on that opportunity.
"Do it," he whispered, "show me all of it!"
Cooler obliged.
Back on the mountaintop, the battle was heating up.
Yamcha and Dore clashed in the sky over the lake like furious angels, their hearts beating in place of wings. Though Dore outclassed him in sheer power, Yamcha was more than capable of keeping up with a well maintained Kaio-ken. The issue of durability was troubling, though. Every blow practically bounced off of Dore, even after the warrior's armor shattered. Yamcha, himself, wasn't looking too hot. Numerous burns and cuts littered his arms, and the orange gi over his chest was in all but tatters.
He ripped its remains from his torso and tossed it to the wind as the two fighters separated once again. Red light swirled around him in defiance of the pain surging through his body; if he didn't end their battle soon, he was going to be in some serious trouble. Still, at least the others were faring well. Goku seemed more than capable of handling the blond guy, and Krillin was doing well against Neiz. That left him to face Dore alone.
Worrying, but nothing he couldn't handle.
"Not bad," he exclaimed. "You'd have wrecked me on any other day."
"You say that like you're gonna win today," Dore replied, wiping sweat from his brow. Admittedly, the earthling before him was a lot tougher than he'd initially expected. That didn't give him a free pass, though. Tough or not, he still had to die. "Any of the others, you'd be in luck. Not against me. Not today!"
He launched himself at Yamcha again, and the two fell back into rhythm, dancing across the sky in flashes and bursts that rumbled over the mountain. Despite the fear and the adrenaline of it all, Yamcha could see exactly why Goku did it — why he loved to fight, why he kept fighting. The thrill of facing someone that was actually on your level was unbeatable. He'd always been outclassed or in a league of his own. For once, he was fighting somebody on his level… and that was a lot more interesting than facing off against a space emperor or saiyan prince or somebody that was actually God in disguise.
Yamcha pelted Dore with jab after jab, but the green-skinned soldier batted them away with his wrists, returning fire once for every three of Yamcha's shots. Though Dore was strong, his bulky body held him back, keeping him just slow enough for Yamcha to work around. He'd landed a few good blows throughout the course of their fight already, but it was getting harder and harder for him to get any good ones in, especially as Yamcha came to understand his fighting style.
A wide strike flew by Yamcha's head and he took his opportunity. Dancing inward, Yamcha unleashed at point blank range, his open palms turning into claws that sliced into Dore's flesh. Blow after blow carved into the green man's body and drove him back while Yamcha steadily built rhythm, funneling more and more energy into each successive blow — until coming to a head with one final bashing strike that sent Dore careening across the sky.
Down below, Goku wove in and out of Salza's precise slices, distinctly aware of the humming blade at the end of the alien's hand. It was a lot like Krillin's kienzan; if it made contact, it'd cut through whatever it hit… Goku included.
The Saiyan slid backward over the water, kicking up a trail that Salza carved through a moment later, his eyes fixed firmly on the Saiyan's location. Cautious, Goku took aim with his left hand and unleashed a gently shimmering beam of light that cut through the space between them and cleaved through the soldier's shoulder guard. It fell into the lake unceremoniously, but Salza seemed unperturbed.
"You're gonna have to do better than that," Goku taunted, sounding disappointed.
"You're right."
Salza extended his off hand and Goku flinched, despite being over ten yards away. He prepared for the wave of ki that was soon to come… and failed to notice the thin strands of light that actually launched from the soldier's fingers. They wrapped themselves around the Saiyan's wrists and tightened. Goku glanced down as Salza tugged him forward, pulling him in close for another stab.
Yelping, Goku vaulted over Salza with a quick burst of ki… only to be pulled back in a second later, tugged by the strings on his wrists.
Salza struck again with his blade, this time cutting through the surface of Goku's weighted shirt and painting a thin line of blood over his chest, but failing to find his mark. The Saiyan grimaced, pulling his wrists back as he tumbled by Salza's left side and right into a harsh kick that sent him skittering to the shore. He tugged hard, but the blond man showed no reaction.
"One way, huh?"
"Very," Salza grinned, pulling on the strings once again. Like a puppet, Goku flew toward his dark master, his face glowing with excitement. Salza extended his blade hand, but Goku put his boots out in front of him — kicking the smug alien right in the chest and launching him backward. Goku flipped backward through the air, only to be drawn forward again when Salza pulled him mid-flip. Raw energy wrapped itself around Goku's body as he flew into Salza's range, moving with the natural momentum of the pull.
In theory, Salza's techniques and strategy were simple. He focused his ki into certain shapes, then manipulated them to make them do what he wanted. Still, that didn't make it much easier to fight… at least, not on the puppeteering front. Instead, Goku concentrated his energy into the tips of his fingers at the moment Salza struck with his blade.
Rivulets of lightning crowned around the site of their collision, but neither fighter gave way. Goku's ki hummed with life and sizzled against Salza's blade, which struggled against the Saiyan's aura and found no advantage there.
"What—?! How?!"
Goku took advantage of his opponent's surprise to push his advantage, clearing their lock by swiping his arm to the right. Salza's blade arm went wide to the side, opening his guard, and then subsequently slumped when Goku buried a heavy fist deep in his gut.
Coughing, Salza stumbled back over the water, his blade still sizzling with light. The monkey was strong, alright… but Lord Cooler would be there soon. Surely, the sounds on the distance were that of his battle coming to a close. There was no way that he would allow them to be defeated by such pathetic, ingrateful monkeys!
It was then that he felt it; defying explanation, a new power rose in the distance that forced the hair on the back of his neck to stand. Even Goku glanced toward the bamboo forest, where a massive pillar of bright purple light was surging into the heavens.
"Huh?"
Salza slowly stood, drawing himself back to full height, and cackled.
"Filthy monkey, you must feel it too, eh? I can feel it, even without my scouter. That power, the power to render all helpless — that is the Emperor's true form! You will all be dead before the end of the day," Salza shouted, his voice cracking. Cooler's true power was an impressive sight, but it was not one that he was eager to see. Precise as he was, casualties always followed in his lord's wake, especially in such pitched battles.
"Your friend will be dead soon," he said, turning his attention back to Goku. "All I have to do is hold you here."
Goku studied the horizon for a moment, hesitantly releasing his combat stance. Salza blinked and laughed, caught entirely off guard by the insanity of such a thing.
"You understand, eh? That you and your friends are all doomed? That's good enough for me!"
In a rare moment of overconfidence, Salza surged forward, his blade brought to bear over his shoulder. Goku didn't bother to look at him.
His blade came down hard and fast — and flickered out an instant before impact, deactivated by the sudden collision of Goku's closed fist with the center of its owner's chest.
Shourai descended while Cooler's power skyrocketed, touching down on the brittle forest floor while the earth beneath him shook. He could feel the Frost Demon's power spiking into the heavens, reaching beyond the strength of his dead brother and touching the tips of an altogether new strength. The clouds, already stirred by Shourai's earlier display, scattered to the wind and dispersed. Loose reeds of bamboo were plucked from the forest floor, while the stiffest trees shattered beneath Cooler's might.
Raging, violet light surged around the Frost Demon's body like a hurricane, cutting thick swathes into the earth and tearing apart the crater that housed him.
Almost as soon as it was over, the storm subsided and drew back, reigned in by the arrival of Cooler's true and final form. Shrouded by ki and heat haze, the tyrant-regent glanced down at his own hands. A set of sinister blades sprouted from his forearms, which were significantly larger than they'd been a minute ago. Everything about him was bigger, in fact — thicker, more solid. The natural armor covering his chest had expanded into a full cuirass, covering his shoulders and spreading down to his waist.
A crown made of the same material had formed over his head, centered by a massive, glimmering sapphire. Ridges poked out at all angles, likely meant as a natural defense against overhand chops and swinging blades. Cooler straightened and clenched his fists, forging two more shining pairs of sapphires that grew in the center of his new bracers and ankle cuffs.
The final vestiges of his aura faded and dispersed into the gemstones scattered throughout his body; an armored mask clamped shut over his mouth seconds later, completing the grim transformation.
"This is my power," Cooler said, glancing up to the lip of the crater, where Shourai stared down at him in disdain. "Far higher than my brother's. Rivaling even my father's."
"I thought, at first, that you might've gotten the jump on Frieza… but no, your power would suffice in killing him. Had I not transformed, I wouldn't have stood a chance."
He paused, and glanced toward the sky. Shourai didn't follow his gaze, but he could only imagine that the tyrant was looking toward the ship hovering over the mountainside.
"I'm not my brother. I won't offer you a place at my side, for this generosity. I will kill you for this disrespect, monkey, and I will do it slowly. You are the first to see me in this form — and it will be the last thing you ever see."
A/N: Hey there, guys. Hope this chapter was worth the read. Next chapter release will be Wednesday.
Q: Why did Gohan kill Frieza? With Goku coming, it's not like he needed to.
A: Gohan killed Frieza because he needed to earn the trust of his friends. Though many of them could probably piece together that he wasn't evil, the quickest way to earn their trust was to defeat Frieza and his father, especially since his father was incoming anyway. Telling them that he was a warrior from the future would've been a little hard to swallow without at least a little proof (IE: the Super Saiyan display against Frieza).
Q: Does Gohan have one arm? Will he get it back, if so?
A: Gohan does have his arm. Due to Bulma finishing the time machine early, he hasn't lost it against the Androids… at least, not so far.
Q: Chi-chi's going to know that's her son. She isn't stupid. Also senzu beans heals all wounds instantly, so Gohan shouldn't be tired or fatigued.
A: I can't comment on this much, but I'd consider who already knows and make inferences as to what she might know herself. I will definitely confirm that she isn't stupid. On the senzu bean count, Gohan's "fatigue" was more than just physical. He'd been restored, physically, but he needed to get a lot off his chest, and couldn't concentrate while sparring with his father. In a fight that takes place at super speed, stopping for even a millisecond to think will get you in hot water, and weaken you considerably.
Q: Will Piccolo & Tien also learn the Kaio-ken?
A: I can't say I see Piccolo being a big fan of the Kaio-ken, but I have a few different possibilities in mind for him and Tien. I definitely want them to be relevant, especially during the mini-arc I have planned after this one.
Q: Why did Krillin & Yamcha feel like learning from Goku would be cheating?
A: They're below him in power, but they're still at the stage in their lives where it feels as though they can still be rivals… or at least, competitors. Sure, Goku dwarfs them in a lot of ways, but they basically grew up together.
Q: King Cold's speed should've increased in his third form, to match his power.
A: It did. This is a lot of the reason why Gohan had trouble adjusting while fighting him; if you look carefully, you'll notice that he was taking a lot more hits than he was before the transformation took place.
Hero Power Levels:
Goku - 200,000 (Suppressed vs. Salza)
Goku - 8,250,000 (Pre-Training Base)
Mirai Gohan (Pre-Training Base) - 11,000,000
SSJ Mirai Gohan - 156,000,000
Krillin - 122,500 (In Training)
Krillin - 183,750 (Kaio-ken)
Yamcha - 105,000 (In Training)
Yamcha - 157,500 (Kaio-Ken)
Yamcha - 210,000 (Kaio-Ken x2)
Cooler's Armored Squadron Power Levels:
Neiz - 173,000
Salza - 185,000
Dore - 195,000
Cooler - 105,000,000
Final Form Cooler - 170,000,000
As you can see, I raised Cooler's final power output and adjusted some of the numbers for his Armored Squadron.