Last Time On Frieza's Revenge…
After discovering that Garlic Jr. and his gang had the Dragonballs in their possession, Frieza was quick to antagonize the entire group. Commander Spice, infuriated by the emperor's egocentric attitude foolishly attacked him with the rest of his gang. After both he and Vinegar were dispatched with ease, Garlic Junior finally decided to face the tyrant himself. Entering his transformed state, Garlic wasted no time in using his over one million powerlevel to quite literally beat Frieza into the ground. Knowing that his first form didn't stand a chance, the Arcosian entered his own second state and round two ensued. After many minutes of battle, Frieza found himself befuddled by the Makyan's impossible ability to recover from even the most severe blows within seconds. It was later revealed from Garlic himself that this was the result of his wish for immortality. The tyrant used this fact to his advantage and savagely tortured the Makyan without the worry of killing him. Having lost the battle, Garlic Junior retreated into the Dead Zone leaving an irked Frieza with no choice but to coerce Salt and Mustard(the two remaining Spice Boys) into showing him where the Dragonballs lay hidden. The two complied out of fear and brought him to Kami's Lookout, the location of the magical balls. Summoning Shenron, Salt prepared to play a game of deception and wish for Mustard and himself to be teleported to the dead zone(Garlic's location). At that very moment however, Garlic Junior came to them, shooting out of the dead zone like a rocket and sending Frieza soaring into the distance. What will the Arcosian do now? Have his dreams been utterly squandered once again? Time to find out…
FR- Garlic Junior Saga
Chapter Ten: Revenge
Frieza's world was a haze as he plunged downwards towards the vast landscape below. His entire body was in shock, his thoughts were in a thousand different places, and his eyesight was blurred enough from Garlic's punch to blind him.
"No," he weakly mumbled as he continued his free-fall. "Not again!"
Rubbing his eyes rigorously, the Arcosian attempted to collect his thoughts, temporarily forcing himself to forget about his oh so dear Dragonballs; all of this in an effort to remove the debilitating panic from his mind. Moments later, thanks to this strategy, control of both his body and cognizance was once again returned to him.
Fully aware of his surroundings now, the emperor righted himself in the air, glaring up at the lookout with gritted teeth. Barreling towards him was a yellow sphere of electricity (Garlic no doubt) and beyond him, the dragon!
Frieza now had two choices: either engage Garlic in battle and stun him or simply make a beeline towards the dragon itself.
"Grrrgh, damn it all TO HELL!"
The Arcosian, not wanting his immortality to slip away, went with the second option. Impetuously rocketing upwards, Frieza pretended to charge Garlic (harboring the intent to dupe him). To do this, the emperor jolted to the right, skillfully spiraling himself up and around the Makyan seconds before their would-be clash.
Anticipating such a see through tactic though, Garlic countered the Arcosian's ploy by somersaulting forward just as Frieza got above him. His timing worked out perfectly as his shoes caught the tyrant right in the face, stopping him dead in his tracks.
"Impossible!" Frieza exclaimed to himself.
"Going somewhere?" Garlic laughed as he righted himself and plowed forward, elbowing the panicked Arcosian in his right cheek and spin kicking him in the abdomen. "Don't think you can elude me so easily!"
Knowing that he was running out of precious time, Frieza panicked and swiped his arms outwards, letting out an invisible kiai wave that explosively slammed into his adversary. The blast's knockback force was incredible, sending the creature tumbling backwards like a rag doll.
"Ha, impudent worm!" Frieza derided, aiming himself back towards the lookout. As his sights were set back onto holy temple though, he apprehensively noticed that the dragon was no longer there. Instead, a bright golden light had taken its place. "Doh! What?!"
Seconds later, the light blasted its way into the heavens and mercilessly burst into seven separate streaks, each one firing off into the horizon.
Feelings of frustration and fury immediately washed over Frieza's mind and soul. Each of his trepidations had come to pass once again and so…his heart beating rapidly…the tyrant made a vow. These perpetrators, being Garlic and his gang, would not get away; for truly, it would be unforgivable to let those who had wronged him escape his wrath. Yes, their torment would be legendary!
Frieza let out a roar as the sky lost its dark tint, its return to a blue color a symbol of the tyrant's defeat. Veins seeped out of the edges of his eyes, eyes that were reddening by the second as a result.
Garlic casually ascended to the raging emperor's position, donning one of the largest smirks he'd ever worn. "HA! Looks like you…"
Crack! The Makyan's mockery was cut short by an electrified fist that slammed into his face.
"Shut your mouth you insufferable ant! You will pay!" the furious tyrant spat, sending his knee crashing into Junior's abdomen.
Ignoring the pain as best as he could, Garlic slowly backed away and continued his condescending grins, blood dripping down to his chin. "That's right. Get angry! You've lost! Now face your defeat. I can't even imagine the amount of frustration you must be feeling. After all, this is the first time you've ever encountered someone as powerful as me, someone who could beat you!"
Nothing.
The Makyan's eyes narrowed; he didn't receive an irritated response from the tyrant, something he had been expecting. By the looks of it, his statement had surprised the emperor far more than it had irked him. Frieza's mouth was slightly ajar and his eyes peered into Garlic's with a look of what appeared like confusion and disappointment. It was as if the emperor couldn't quite accept Garlic's last statement. It was just so…inaccurate.
With a raspy voice, the tyrant mischievously replied, "This universe simply can't help but conjure up the most obtuse of creatures can it?"
Garlic's eyelids rose. "Hmmm? And what do you mean by that?"
"I'm surrounded by folly of the highest order."
"I still don't understand what…"
"You fool…" Frieza maliciously cut in, "…you truly believe that you are my equal? That this gentle kitten you're fighting now is my full power?"
The Makyan's facial muscles suddenly lost their tension as he began to feel an amalgam of disbelief and awe.
Seeing this caused the emperor's rage to briefly subside as savage excitement took its place. "IMBECILE! I still have two transformations remaining beyond this one! YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS IT? Fool, you never stood a CHANCE! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO HAS LOST!"
Garlic's facial expression did not change. He remained idle in the sky, stunned by the revelation. The heavens began to darken again, just as they had darkened with Shenron's presence. This time though, everything appeared (and felt) far more malevolent. Black ominous clouds loomed overhead, lightning firing from their undersides around the two's location.
"It's over Garlic Junior!"
Frieza's aura burst to life as he shot downwards onto the ground, wasting no time in prepping himself for the grand transformation! The Makyan followed, but not out of his own will. It was closer to an animal being forced into a prison by its predator. He stood and watched with a blank face as Frieza's nose melded with his mouth to form what appeared to be some sort of beak. His horns receded into his elongating head with a pair of two white horns taking their place. Such white appendages also erupted from the creature's backside as the armor on his shoulders flung outwards. The transformation appeared to be nearing completion, but it did not end there. Frieza's groans turned to yells as his body was then highlighted by a pink outline, cracks beginning to spread their way across the emperor's body.
"What the hell is this? His skin, it's shattering in a way that's making me think it's some sort of shell, but I thought his transformation was already complete! Surely what I see now is his third form right? If that's the case though, then this can only mean one thing. He's going the whole way isn't he? He mentioned two transformations!" Garlic exclaimed to himself, his heart beating rapidly. "He's entering his final form…"
"YAAAAH!" Frieza let out a roar of exertion as the shell around him continued to fragment. "I shall allow no more room for further mistakes. My precious Dragonballs were stolen from me again! All because I lacked the necessary amount of power needed to protect them! With this transformation however, all of that will change. Everything and everyone will kneel!"
"This is absurd, what am I doing? I should use this time to retreat into the dead zone! But…I…I need to see this! I just have to!" Garlic diffidently exclaimed. Images of his initial battle with the tyrant flashed through his head, the agonizing memories of being impaled through the chest causing him to clench his fists out of fear. "It's too late now anyways. The transformation is nearing its completion."
As the words escaped Garlic's mouth, the final push needed to blast the tyrant's bio armor off was made, resulting in an explosion of smoke which clouded the Makyan's view, only serving to feed his suspense. What was he about to see? What sort of terrifying beast was waiting to greet him from behind that dust cloud? All of a sudden his thoughts were interrupted by a voice. An elegant voice. And most surprising of all, the voice was coming from behind, not from the smoke.
"Come now, why are we looking in the wrong direction hmmm? Afraid to see the terror that shall undoubtedly be your end?"
Garlic, dubious about being disoriented, immediately whipped around to face the emperor but was met with the view of a blank landscape instead.
"I'm afraid I'm not there either!"
"What the hell is going on?" the Makyan cursed to himself, turning around in every direction. "This voice sounds exactly like that of his initial form's and…and…it's coming from everywhere!"
"Oh dear, it appears as if your impotent mind can't track my movement at this speed. Here, allow me."
ZHEWP! All of a sudden, the emperor materialized before Garlic out of seemingly nowhere. Startled, Junior jumped back and stuttered, "Wha…how did you do that?"
The right side of Frieza's mouth angled slightly upwards as he grinned. "I don't take your meaning? Are you referring to my halting all movement?"
Garlic Junior gasped out of shock and a small tinge of amazement. "Im…impossible! Just how much more…"
"…powerful am I in this form compared to the previous one you fought?" Frieza cut off.
Garlic said nothing, but gave a slight nod.
"The last time my powerlevel was measured in this form, the reading read out to be over a hundred times greater than that of my second form," the emperor answered with a smirk, dragging out the sentence so that it delivered a more severe impact.
All of his courage and pride eradicated, Garlic began to quiver. "Then why…why would you even bother with your first form?!"
"I believe we've been over this already," Frieza began, his voice dripping with mockery. "It was something along the lines of giving your opponents false hope? Shattering their precious credence and disillusioning them to oblivion? Yes, that's right! The reason for my hiding my true power, Garlic, is because I am rightfully egotistical! No other phrase can describe me more perfectly!"
"LIES! Nobody is that powerful! Bloody lies!" Garlic yelled, slamming the ground with his fists. The tyrant's sardonic use of his very own phrase felt like a thousand stab wounds, not to his body, but to his very soul.
"It's no chicanery, I assure you. Thinking that you could stand up to the emperor of the universe's infinite power was your error. Now, you shall pay the ultimate price for your complacency."
Lightning struck the ground behind tyrant as rain began to fall from the sky above. Thunder resonated throughout the atmosphere, creating what the emperor thought was the ideal backdrop.
"Emperor of the universe? Infinite power? What? WHAT!" Flurries of thoughts flew around Garlic's boggled mind, leaving him panicked and anxious. Now what? What was he to do in the face of such power? What could he do?
"Now then," the Arcosian interrupted. "Shall we begin anew?"
Few hours later…
"Ah, he's waking up! I'd best go inform Lord Frieza," came a voice unknown, followed by the sound of a door sliding open and then closing.
"Who was that?" Garlic thought to himself, slowly opening his eyes only to have them dazed by bright lights both above and around him. Sitting upright, he allowed his sight to adjust to his surroundings and then perused the alien environment. He was in a small room with absolutely no windows and all white walls. The chamber was empty save for a few unrecognizable machines here and there as well as a single door.
TCHMP! The door suddenly receded sideways into the wall, revealing a petite and chubby little thing with a beak for a mouth and orange hair.
"Who are you?" Garlic scowled.
"Greetings sir!" the creature enthusiastically began. "I am Dr. Sreval, Lord Frieza's personal medical officer! A pleasure to meet you!"
At the mention of the tyrant's name, Garlic instantly remembered everything. Moments after Frieza had revealed his true power, Junior had suffered through the greatest strife in all his life. The horrifying pain of the many burns and shattered bones he'd suffered through etched their way into his mind all at once. Instinctively, he reached forward and began to charge a ki blast, aiming it at the doctor.
"No, wait!" Sreval exclaimed.
"DIE!" Garlic yelled, firing off the blast.
DOOSH! Rather unexpectedly, Junior found his body violently slammed against the wall behind him, causing him to then fall forward and land face first onto the metallic floor. Smoke flooded into his lungs, resulting in a series of uncontrollable coughs.
"HO! HO! HO!" came the laughs of an all too familiar voice. "Careful now! It would seem as if the good doctor forgot to mention the barrier."
His cheeks red with embarrassment, Garlic stood back up again, allowing the black clouds around him to slowly subside. As they did, the infamous emperor, the one who'd dealt him the beating of a lifetime came into view. He was still in his final form.
"Why you!" the Makyan wheezed, holding back his coughs. "What is this place?! I demand that you mmmgh…demand that you…"
"Why don't you take a moment to collect yourself hm?" the tyrant belittled. "The chamber you are currently being held in is reinforced with an impenetrable energy field created by none other than yours truly. Thus, you might as well remove any and all thoughts of escape from your mind this very instant. Hmph, or I suppose you could try and use another energy attack but we all saw how that turned out!"
"Grrrgh, I've had enough of your mockery! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"
All of a sudden Frieza zapped forward through the energy field, his own face mere inches away from the Makyan. "Please, be quiet…"
Garlic's audaciousness immediately subsided.
"I have a few questions, that's all. Answer them all truthfully and I shall grant you your freedom," the emperor declared with a blank face. "You shall be exculpated, I give you my word."
The Makyan frowned. "Forget it! How can I trust that you'll just let me go?"
All of a sudden, Garlic found himself several feet taller as he was suddenly hoisted up off the ground by the emperor's tail.
"Fool, think of it this way. There is very little I can do to you as it is. I can't kill someone who's immortal so what point would I have in keeping you here anyway? It would only serve to be a loose end that I have absolutely no desire to deal with."
"That is a fair point I suppose. It's better than nothing. After all, if I just lie, then I'll be free to escape and enter the Dead Zone again without giving him any IMPORTANT information. I'd summon it right now but there is nowhere near the necessary amount of space. I have no choice," Garlic concluded to himself.
"Fine, I'll answer your questions."
"Excellent," Frieza smirked, throwing the Makyan down onto the floor.
"But hold on, where are Spice and Mustard?"
"In separate holding chambers," Frieza replied. "I shall release them along with yourself."
"I see. Well then, what could these questions possibly be about I wonder?"
"The Earth's population, what's happened to it? About two years ago, it was double what it is now. Were you the one responsible for this?" Frieza inquired.
"He's been here before? What in the hell? But why? Right, his question though. Ummm, well, I suppose there's no harm in telling him the truth about that," Garlic thought.
"Well? Do you know?"
"Yes, I was responsible for that. Well, sort of anyway. There is a substance I hold in my possession called the Black Water Mist. It turns anyone who inhales it into creatures just like me, creatures that do all of my bidding. I used it to enslave the human race, but days later, all of the humans turned into murdering machines, killing one and other in droves. By the time I found out and ordered them to stop, there had already been weeks of massacre," Garlic explained. "I never expected the Black Mist to have such a 'dismal' effect."
"I see, and it was the humans that gathered the Dragonballs for you?"
Garlic's eyes widened slightly. "Yes, that's right. How did you figure that?"
Narrowing his eyes in turn, Frieza replied, "Lets just say that I had a similar idea. Tell me, can this Black Mist effect be reversed? Or, even better, can its ownership be transferred to me?"
"Lord Frieza, if I may interrupt for a moment? A thought just occurred to me, a most curious one," Sreval suddenly spoke up.
"What is it doctor?" asked the Arcosian, turning around to face him.
"Garlic, you said that anyone who inhales the substance turns into your slave? So what about Lord Frieza, why wasn't he infected?" Sreval asked.
"Well you see, the mist loses its potency after a few days. However, anyone who was infected during the short time it was active will remain infected permanently and as far as I know, the effect can't be reversed. Ownership could be transferred, but only to a Makyan."
"I understand. Well, that answers my first inquiry. My next question involves that enigma of a satellite in orbit of Earth. Our scans detected something very odd about it. The rock doesn't appear to be native to this system and it's slowly shifting away from planet Earth with each passing day. My engineers have calculated that it was far closer to the planet a month ago than it is now. What do you know of this?" the emperor asked.
"No, damnit! Of course he's asking about the Makyo Star. I can't let him know that it's granting me my power otherwise he'll simply blast it out of the sky. If he does that, then I lose my ability to enter and exit the Dead Zone at will! I can't let that happen!" the Makyan panicked.
"I actually don't know what it is. It was there when I got here," Garlic lied, sounding as genuine as possible.
There was a sudden air of tension that caused Sreval to shoot Frieza a concerned look. The emperor simply closed his eyes and opened them again with a grin.
"Lord Frieza," Sreval began.
"I know," the Arcosian Prince interrupted. "It's fine."
"What? What's fine? What's happening?" Garlic asked, very much confused and apprehensive all the same.
"Don't worry about it," the emperor quieted. There was a tone of mischief in his voice. A tone that told Garlic that Frieza knew something that the Makyan didn't. Something very important.
"When exactly did you get here Garlic Junior?" Frieza asked.
"Two months ago, from the Dead Zone."
"And what, pray tell, is this Dead Zone?"
"OH…son of a…"
"What's the matter?"
"It's nothing: literally. The Dead Zone is literally just a dimension of nothingness that I use to teleport between worlds," the Makyan answered.
"Ahh, so it's this Dead Zone that allowed you to cowardly withdraw from your doom and foil my plans," Frieza growled, his face turning to one of great irritation.
"That's…that's right."
"Well then, you deceitful ant, I'd like to revisit a previous inquiry. The one about the 'Makyo Star', hmph, the one you lied about," the emperor accused.
"That's nooooot possible! I can understand his being able to see through my lie, but how does he know the blasted thing's name?!" Garlic wondered in awe.
"What's this? Do you not know what I speak of? The planetoid orbiting Earth, your own home?!" Frieza's voice was strident now.
"It can't be!" The Makyan's eyes quivered in shock.
"The one giving you your power?!" Frieza finished with a smirk. He was in a very haughty mood and rightfully so. His opponent was nowhere near his league! In both power and mind games the emperor had the Makyan beat and backed into a corner.
Garlic knew it was over.
"How does he know this stuff?! He can't…I…refuse to believe it!"
Seeing the Makyan's stunned reaction caused the Arcosian's pride to be fed an entire feast. He was in total control. "Yes, your two cohorts weren't nearly as deceptive as you Garlic. No, they gave me all the answers I needed. It was their final service to the universe before they met their unfortunate end. I was hoping that you would have a little more information than them, but how sad it is to say that this is not the case. Such a shame. Oh well, looks like we're done here. "
"Fri…Frieeeezzzaaaa!" Garlic roared, exploding into his transformed state. With that, he threw both his hands forward only to find himself paralyzed moments later. His fists and body had abruptly been halted in their momentum by the emperor in the most impossible manner. Without even laying a hand upon him, the tyrant had seized control of Garlic's entire body via his mind.
Telekinetically leashing the Makyan in this manner, Frieza forcibly "dragged" him into a room that appeared to be some sort of loading dock.
"You know, there's always one thing that imps such as yourself seem to forget when squandering my plans," Frieza scolded, his signature voice of eagerness surging.
Garlic dreaded that tone of alacrity. It always foreshadowed a malicious act of…the Makyan could not think of the word.
"They don't seem to realize that every act of insolence inflicted upon me will be repaid unto them a thousand fold!"
"What are you talking about?" Garlic asked angrily, still held in the air by Frieza's telekinesis.
"You sir, have inflicted upon me a very heavy blow," Frieza began as a loud alarm suddenly sounded. Slowly turning his head upwards, the emperor continued, "And for that, I shall have my revenge…"
Not making sense of the Arcosian's cryptic message in the slightest, Garlic too turned his head up to see the massive ceiling above them cleave in two. A few moments later, the Makyan found his ears deafened by the ferocious howl of the air around him blasting into the vacuum of space.
Grinning, Frieza dropped his telekinetic hold on the Makyan and grabbed him by the neck with his left hand. With that he jumped up out of the top of his ship and landed on its roof.
In the meantime, Garlic was flailing his arms and legs around like a mad man, beating on the Arcosian's wrist with everything he had in a futile act of resistance.
Dismissing this, Frieza took his left hand (the one holding Garlic) and brought it out in front of him, angling the Makyan's face towards the void of space. However, it wasn't the void. When Garlic looked out in front of him, he saw the Earth and the Makyo Star. The planets were literally right there, almost completely filling up his line of sight!
"What's he planning to do?" Garlic thought to himself.
Turning his head back to the best of his ability, he saw that the Arcosian's other hand had its index and middle finger pointed beyond him at the Makyo Star. A pink energy sphere was developing at their tips.
That's all it took to inform the Makyan about the Arcosian's vindictive, no, callous goal. He was going to destroy the Makyo Star out of revenge!
Beginning to struggle again, Garlic opened his mouth to scream in protest but choked immediately as a result of his airless environment.
"No, DON'T DO IT!" he yelled within his mind.
BANG! A pink beam of energy blasted past him on a direct course towards the rogue planetoid.
"NO!"
For seconds nothing happened, not until Frieza then thrust his pointed fingertips forward causing a bright flash to appear on the planet's surface, the part where the beam had originally hit.
Garlic, afraid to see what would happen next, shut his eyes and clenched his fists. The act only proved to be maladaptive as he still knew that his home planet was nothing short of space dust. He knew because he could feel the massive ocean of power within him reduce to that of a single raindrop. Along with his planet, he too had been reduced to nothing. Even his immortality meant nothing now.
All of a sudden he felt the strong hold on his throat release, urging him to open his eyes. Doing so allowed him to discover that he was now drifting through space, his final sight of life being the emperor's horrifying gaze of pure vengeance and then, yes, a smirk of contempt.
Entering unconsciousness, the Makyan forever entered a state of being neither dead nor alive. He would be carried through space for eternity. Without oxygen, he would never wake again. His immortality would be his prison, a vessel that would first carry him to the ends of the temporal universe and then, to the nonexistent end of the infinite fabric of space and time.
Taking one final look at his handiwork, the Arcosian gleefully returned to the innards of his space vessel, walking down its corridors towards his quarters.
"With that insufferable piece of trash dealt with, there's absolutely no one left to interfere with my goals. This leaves me with only one question…what to do now?"
Elsewhere, on a Planet Unknown...
"AHHHGH!" Piccolo screams, waking up from what seemed like an eternity spent in darkness. Sitting upright, he rubs his eyes and takes a quick look around him. He is very much surprised to see that he is in a small cave, lit by a makeshift fire pit to his right. His mind is completely blank, still reactivating after its long hibernation.
"Where am I?" he groans, rising to his feet. A sudden stabbing pain in his chest acts as a sudden catalyst to his mind's recovery. It causes his thoughts to flash back to the last things he'd remembered before everything had gone dark. Images of a shocked Goku and Krillin staring at him with an intense apprehension are the first thing he recalls. Feelings of shock and fear also resurface as he remembers a pink energy beam piercing his chest.
"I was shot…by Frieza?" Piccolo mutters to himself, peering at the burn mark on his chest. Having regained a conscious state, the Namekian realizes that he can now regenerate himself without any issues and as he does so, he again attempts to recall the events that had occurred after he'd been downed. Visually, he cannot remember anything except blackness but, as he focuses in on his other senses, he begins to recall the many sounds he'd heard. Sounds of screaming and explosions. There was an incessant shaking too and then, a voice. Yes, but who's?
"Gohan!" Piccolo exclaims, remembering his young pupil. "Gohan! What happened to him? And Goku…Krillin…Namek?"
All of a sudden, the Namekian's acute ears perk up as they hear a sound coming from the pitch black entrance of the cave. Honing in on that sound, Piccolo figures out that they have to be footsteps. In an attempt to discover their owner, Piccolo tries to sense the person's energy but finds that he can't. Either this person is masking their power signature or he's still far too groggy to detect them. Taking a deep breath, Piccolo hunches down into a fighting position, preparing himself for any possibility. For all he knows, it could be Gohan or one of the others approaching.
"EEEEEK!" comes an ear piercing screech from the darkness. The sound of many clattering objects falling to the floor immediately follows.
Piccolo's sensitive ears combined with his low tolerance of high pitched sounds cause him to wince in annoyance at the shrill sound. His weariness doesn't help either.
Grimacing, he calls out, "Who's there?! Show yourself!"
For about ten seconds, there is no response, causing Piccolo to panic and get angry, "I said SHOW YOURSELF!"
"Ok ok! I will," comes a quivering and feminine voice. Moments later, a petite woman with light blue hair steps out into the light.
"Bulma?!" Piccolo exclaims, his eyes shooting wide open.
"He…hello, hi," she waves with a nervous smile and equally nervous laughter.
"Um, hello," the Namekian responds, angling his head to the right and turning his eyes away.
Seeing Piccolo do this causes Bulma's cheeks to instantly flush as she suddenly realizes why he's looking away. It had been so long for her that she'd completely forgotten that she wasn't wearing very much! Embarrassed, she shrieks again. "Oh no, I'm so sorry!"
Wincing yet again as a result of the woman's piercing screams, Piccolo quiets her by responding, "Its FINE. Just, stop doing that!"
"Huh?" Bulma innocently questions, covering herself with her hands.
"Your screaming…please."
"Oh, sorry…"
"Here," Piccolo says, his sights still off of her. Pointing his right hand at the blushing girl, he conjures onto her body an identical set of the clothing he'd seen her wearing on Planet Namek.
"Oh!" she jumps. "Woah. Thanks! Thank you."
"You're welcome," the Namekian blankly replies, turning his head back to look at her.
"Sorry, heh, it's been so long. My clothes had become nothing more than rags…"
"I understand. Now, where are the others? I need to talk to them," Piccolo curtly states, trying to sense out other energy signatures, but failing yet again.
"I'm sorry," Bulma answers, taking a seat as far away from the Namekian as she can get. "We're um, we're all alone out here."
"And where's out here? Where's Gohan? Where's Goku?" Piccolo bombards. A bead of sweat crawling its way down his forehead betrays his anxiety. "Well?"
Bulma says nothing in response. She just looks down, her eyes watering.
Planet Namek, Almost A Year Ago...
BOOM! BANG! BLAM!
Bulma could hear her heart beating a thousand times per second from within her shivering body. The explosions of the dying Planet Namek sending her ever closer to the brink of an all-out heart attack.
All of a sudden the ship lurched upwards, sending her crashing to the floor (her stomach in her throat). "Urgh…looks like Gohan's successfully picked this thing up! Now all he's gotta do is get this thing into SPACE! Oh I hope this works!"
Cautiously crawling her way over to the window, she prepared herself to see the worst. As she looked down at the distant burning landscape, she found that she hadn't prepared nearly enough. Her rapidly beating heart stopped for the briefest of moments as she saw that every tree, every grass hair, and every centimeter of Namek's dirt had been covered by an oozing mass of molten lava. They'd made it into the air just in time!
"Oh my God! Come on Gohan! Hurry!"
Bulma wanted nothing more than to just scrunch up into a ball in one of the ship's corners and wait but she couldn't, her eyes were glued to the exploding planet. Wait a second. EXPLODING PLANET. The girl bared witness to the horrifying reality that Namek had then and there lost its ability to stay whole. A massive landmass had just blown its way off of the planet, flames pushing it out into space. These flames were now gaining on them: Bulma and especially Gohan!
"OH NOOOOOOOO!"
ZHEWMP! The Capsule Corporation ship blasted into hyperspace, narrowly escaping the flaming grasp of Planet Namek's massive explosion.
"YES!" Bulma yelled in triumph, still looking out of the window. Seeing that they were home free caused all of her anxiety to immediately subside. "YOU DID IT GOHAN!"
The girl whipped around, expecting to see the super saiyan child looking back up at her with a smile.
Of course, when she turned around she saw no such thing. Gohan had not made it in from the lower hatch; he had perished with Planet Namek.
"Go…gohan?" Bulma cried out, tears beginning to stream down her face. "No…"
"WHAT!" Piccolo yells, taking Bulma by surprise. The scream's suddenness had caused her to fall backwards off of her rock chair. The Namekian, not noticing how shaken up and terrified of him she already is, continues to yell. "YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT GOKU AND GOHAN ARE DEAD?! Krillin too?!"
Bulma continues to shake, her heart beating as fast as it had during Namek's explosion.
Turning away from her, the Namekian slams his left hand against the wall of the cavern. "So Frieza blew up the damn planet?! No! This is bad. Goku can't be brought back to life again and neither can Krillin! Arggh, damnit! But since I'm alive, then Kami must…"
"Hey!" Bulma suddenly calls out, interrupting him. Her tone was vicious…venomous even.
Turning around to face the girl, Piccolo is met by a sudden slap to his right cheek. Blown away by this, he widens his eyes and raises his hand to caress the cheek where he'd been hit.
"Just who do you think you are to scream at me like that, huh?! IT'S BEEN BAD FOR ME TOO YOU KNOW? I've had to watch over your filthy, completely gross, bleeding body for months now and that's how you repay me? By yelling?!"
"Calm down, the situation is complicated," Piccolo attempts to placate.
"NO, IT'S NOT COMPLICATED! SINCE WHEN IS IT 'COMPLICATED' TO USE BASIC MANNERS, ESPECIALLY WITH A LADY?!"
The Namekian is far too taken aback to comment further. Bulma simply turns away from him in defiance with her arms crossed.
"Listen, I apologize," Piccolo begins. "But I need you tell me everything else that happened."
"Hmph, why should I?"
"Wha…what?"
"Why should I? You're just going to yell at me again…"
Taking a deep breath, the Namekian mumbles, "I won't yell at you."
"Promise."
"What?"
"PROMISE! What, do I need to speak Namekian?" Bulma scorns, raising her voice.
"I promise," the Namekian mumbles. "These humans and their FEMALES, what a bizarre species."
King Kai's World, One Month Earlier...
"HIYAA!" Gohan yells, attempting to land a kick on his opponent's left side. However, Goku brings his forearm up just in time to parry the blow, pulling back as he sees his son's other leg coming up from the right.
Both Goku and his son were holding yet another one of their daily training sessions above King Kai's planet. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu are all watching the fight transpire from their positions on the ground.
Taking a few deep breaths, Goku causes the red aura of his Kaioken to expand as he increases its power output.
"KAIOKEN TIMES TWO!" he yells, charging forward to clash with his son again. Now, the two Saiyan warriors seem to be fighting equally. At least, equally in terms of raw power.
Rather than have his efforts concentrated on defending himself, Gohan focuses on bringing his opponent down before the latter can deal him any significant damage. In previous spars with his father, Gohan had always been too defensive, a self-defeating maneuver as each blow sapped more and more of his energy. Now, he was trying to make sure that didn't happen again. However, it appeared as if he'd gotten the wrong idea.
"No Gohan!" Goku exclaims, parrying each of his son's attacks. "Your strategy is too predictable and unbalanced. You're focusing too much on hitting me and aren't protecting yourself at all!"
Just as he says this, the older saiyan finds the perfect opportunity to showcase his point. Just as Gohan throws a left jab, Goku dodges and lands a powerful punch to the vulnerable right side of his son's face. The young saiyan soars backwards, dazed and even more defenseless now. Rather than follow up with a finishing blow, Goku simply deactivates his Kaioken, symbolizing an end to the training session.
"And if you are going to be so offensive, then you gotta be fast! I got you there because you weren't able to bring your hand back in time to protect your weak spot, see?" Goku explains.
Breathing heavily and dropping his own aura, Gohan wears a look of sadness. Sighing, he responds, "Yeah good point. Sorry."
"What are you sorry about? It's fine!" Goku laughs. "You should be proud of yourself!"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah! I had to use my Kaioken times two just to keep up with you and you weren't even a super saiyan! I'm telling you son, though you might not think so, your strength has skyrocketed in the last year!" Goku compliments.
"Thanks Dad. I think it's my Super Saiyan transformation that's allowing me to advance so quickly…in my base form that is," Gohan states. "I mean, I've noticed that you're having a lot more trouble building up your own strength lately. I think it's because you've hit some sort of wall. A wall that can only be broken by becoming a Super Saiyan like me."
The older saiyan's face hardens into a pondering frown at hearing his son's observation. "Yeah, I've also come to the same conclusion. I'm gaining less and less strength every time I train, not at all like it used to be a few months back. My limit's getting closer and closer to being hit I guess."
"But for me, there is no feeling of diminishing returns and my strength in base is stronger than yours! Almost twice as strong!"
"It has to be the Super Saiyan thing, no doubt about it. Heh, I guess all that means is I'm going to have become one," Goku laughs, returning to King Kai's planet. "My Kaioken ability can only go so far."
Gohan follows, commenting, "I don't know Dad. We both reached the conclusion that Super Saiyan can only be triggered by a dire situation. 'A need, not a desire.' That's what you said."
Touching down, Goku responds, "I did say that and all it means is that I'm going to have to create that need."
Confused by this statement, Gohan opens his mouth to prod his father for elaboration when the Saiyan abruptly walks away.
"Hey King Kai," he calls out, approaching the rotund deity. The blue Kai was standing in his usual spot, watching over the North Quadrant.
"What is it my boy?" he responds.
"I was wondering if you could answer a question. It's about people and their keeping their bodies in Otherworld," Goku says.
"Oh boy," the Kai mumbles.
"Any bad person doesn't get to keep their body right?"
"Riiiiight…"
"Would it be possible to saaaay, put in a request for someone to have their body given back to them?"
"Huh," King Kai grunts, ruminating upon Goku's inquiry. "You'll have to ask King Yemma, but yes, I don't see why it wouldn't be possible."
"Awesome!" Goku exclaims, his face lighting up.
"Just what're you planning Goku? You wouldn't happen to be wanting to restore 'Mr. You Know Who?"
"That depends, who's who?" the Saiyan laughs.
"A certain prideful prince?"
Without saying anything, Goku gives King Kai a sly smile and walks back over to Gohan who is talking with the others.
"Guys, me and Gohan are gonna go on a little trek to King Yemma's! We'll be back soon," Goku announces, evoking curiosity from the group, especially his son.
"Why are you headed over there?" Krillin asks, Chiaotzu floating above him.
"Oh, you'll see. You ready Gohan?"
"Uhhh, yeah, I mean, why not?" Gohan answers, excitement building. Why would they being going to King Yemma's? Did this have to do with his dad becoming a Super Saiyan?
"Alright then, let's go!" Goku exclaims, taking to the air.
Gohan waves goodbye to everyone else and joins him.
"Last one there doesn't get thirds for dinner," Goku challenges. "No Super Saiyan either!"
"Deal! And only if you don't use Kaioken," Gohan grins.
"On my mark then…ready? GO!" Goku yells, blasting off into the distance with his son in hot pursuit.
Otherworld, Check In Station...
"NEXT!" Yemma booms, having gone through hundreds of incoming souls in the last hour alone. "Let's see here, we have an Itachi? According to these records, you've done some pretty questionable things. I mean, the murder of your entire family? My goodness. Well young man, I have to say that…"
"KING YEMMA!" comes an obnoxiously loud yell.
"What the devil?" King Yemma exclaims, looking up curiously. "Well well well, what do we have ourselves here? Goku! To what do I owe the honor?"
"Yo! I was just wondering if you could do me a tiny favor?" Goku asks, landing on Yemma's desk and emphasizing "tiny" with his index finger mere centimeters above his thumb.
"Well Goku, that depends. Can you judge all these souls for me?" Yemma jests, pointing at the long line of people the Saiyan simply flew over.
"I don't know if I'd be too good at that stuff," Goku laughs, his right hand on the back of his head.
"I'm just kiddin son, what can I do you for?"
"Well you see, I was just wondering if I could have someone's body restored. Somebody pretty bad?" the Saiyan requests, nervously smiling.
"Well, my goodness Goku, that's a lofty request. It's not proper to just break the rules, even if it's asked for by someone with a stature as high as your own," the pink giant points out. "There's a reason we don't allow the most evil people their bodies! It's because they're a risk to the other inhabitants!"
"I know I know but, I'm 99% sure that I'd be able to keep this guy from hurting anybody. I just want to train with him you see."
"Just who exactly is this 'him'?"
"Vegeta."
King Yemma's eyes widen. "You're serious? This better not be some sort of joke."
"It's not, I promise!"
"The Prince of all Saiyans hm? Well I definitely can't allow him to leave Hell, sorry," King Yemma affirms.
"Aww man, really? That's too…"
"But," Yemma interrupts. "I can have his body restored. You'll have to go down to the Underworld if you to do whatever you want to do though. I'll give you special permission. How's that?"
The Saiyan's face is instantly filled by a smile. "Yeah! That's awesome King Yemma!"
"I'll have to keep him isolated though, he won't be allowed to leave the area of Hell I set aside for him. I can't have him mingling with the other inhabitants or harming them for that matter. That'd be too much to allow!"
"No no no! That's perfect! Trust me, Vegeta would like it that way as it is! You're the best!"
Doosh! A sphere of white energy comes out of nowhere and touches down by Goku. The aura dissipates to reveal a panting Gohan.
"Sorry…it…took me so long…Dad!" he wheezes, hands on his knees. "You are fast!"
Letting out a laugh, Goku says, "Sorry son, I gave it my all! You know me and my thirds! But, you made it just in time!"
"Just…in time…for what?" Gohan asks, still panting.
"We're going to go meet someone now, in Hell!"
Gohan falls backwards onto the giant desk. "WHAT! But who?"
"You'll see, now come on!" Goku exclaims, heading towards the exit.
"I've given both of you unlimited access to the Underworld. You're lucky to have caught me in such a good mood Goku!" King Yemma states with an amiable grin.
Goku nods and replies with a simple yet genuine, "Thanks."
As the two fly through the puffy yellow layer of clouds separating the two dimensions of Heaven/Hell, the truth of the trip dawns on young Gohan. "Its Vegeta isn't it?"
"You got it!" Goku perkily confirms. "How'd ya guess?"
"Becoming a Super Saiyan? Meeting someone in Hell? Who else?"
"You're pretty smart Gohan! Also I …huh? THERE!" Goku exclaims as he suddenly senses the Saiyan Prince's energy signature. "Man, looks like he's coming to us!"
BAM! The Saiyan's anticipation is cut short as he finds his line of sight to suddenly be filled by the yellow sky rather than the ground.
Vegeta.
The Saiyan Prince swings around his disabled target, delivering a double fist to Goku's spine: A painful and powerful double fist.
"DAD!" Gohan yells, his eyes following Goku's descent.
CRASH! The boy's father smashes into the ground with an explosion of smoke.
Taking a moment to cough out the debris clogging his throat, Goku staggers to his feet, his head spinning.
"Wow Vegeta, that really really hurt! Is that the way Saiyans greet each other or something," Goku laughs among his coughs.
"Kackerot," comes a snide voice. "I have to say I'm surprised. Of all the people I expected to encounter here, you were the absolute last on my mind."
Goku looks up to see his old rival, slowly descending to the ground with his arms crossed. The word "pride" is written all over his face what with his smug grin and belittling stare.
"I take this to mean that you fared no better than me against that bastard Frieza. How sad," Vegeta derides with a strong tone of disappointment.
"Dad, are you alright?" a concerned Gohan suddenly asks, approaching from above.
Cocking his head up in the direction of the voice, Vegeta comments (more to himself than the others), "Hmph, and it would seem as if your half breed brat met a similar fate."
"Don't worry, I'm good!" Goku responds to his son before turning back to Vegeta. "Yeah, it's true. Even my Kaioken times twenty only gave me the strength to match him at 50%, if that."
"So then, the Saiyan race is truly extinct. Damn, not the ending I wanted," Vegeta thinks to himself, his face showing a pang of somberness. "Yes, I know; I was there remember? Or did you dismiss my words of persuasion as nothing more than a spurious illusion. No wonder you lost."
Vegeta's statements appear to have two distinct effects on Gohan and his father. Gohan finds himself confused as to what Vegeta's talking about. "Vegeta wasn't there during Dad's fight with Frieza! What's he talking about?"
Gohan turns to Goku to see that his jaw's hit the floor.
"WHAT!" Goku exclaims. "You mean to say it wasn't an illusion? But how, how'd you do that?"
"Before that pink giant imbecile 'Yemma' sentenced me to my eternity in hell, I put in a request to speak to you. I was certain that you'd become a Super Saiyan if I could persuade you to just tap into that Saiyan blood of yours. Looks like it was a wretched waste of time in the end. That, or the whole Super Saiyan idea is just a myth," Vegeta explains, clenching his fists.
At the mention of 'Super Saiyan', Gohan had instinctively winced, drawing a subtle grin from his father.
"You're wrong Vegeta," Goku says, returning his attention to the prince. "Your words did help me and I'm very thankful for them. I didn't go down without a fight, I'll tell you that much. Now, I guess you could say that I'm returning the favor. I also put in a request with King Yemma to speak to you! That's why you have your body back."
"Hm, I understand," Vegeta replies with a blank face.
Both the other Saiyans look at him expectantly.
"What? Do you want a 'thank you' or something?" Vegeta scorns.
"It's only polite," Gohan speaks out.
The prince shoots him a "say that again" glare that causes the young saiyan to back away.
"Listen Vegeta," Goku cuts in. "I've had your body restored so that I can ask a favor of you."
"And what would that be?" the prince responds with a frown.
"I want you to train with me!"
"Train with you?" the Prince repeats, remaining silent for a while. "HA! Why me? Is your half breed excuse of son too feeble to assist you in such a thing?"
Gohan scowls, angry at the prince's biting remark. However, he calms himself with the fact that he's actually the most powerful person out of the three. That's without Super Saiyan. Speaking of Super Saiyan, he ought to transform right now! He could show Vegeta his true power!
Goku, sensing his son's thought process quickly places his hand on Gohan's shoulder and gently presses the area as if to say "not yet".
"No, it's not that Vegeta. I just think that training with you might help me become a Super Saiyan! You seem to know a lot about it," Goku explains, hoping to grab the Prince's attention with his Super Saiyan remark.
Instead, he only receives a series of derisive laughs. "Please, your death proved one thing Kackerot and its that Super Saiyan doesn't exist! Not to mention, someone as disgustingly pure as yourself could never achieve such a feat. If anything, I'll become a Super Saiyan myself, alone!"
"I wouldn't say its fake Vegeta and I definitely wouldn't say that purity prevents you from transforming. I'll prove it to you. Hey Gohan," Goku suddenly calls out. A sly smile makes its way onto his face as he then says, "Its time you showed Vegeta your 'special' ability."
"Right," Gohan responds, donning a sly smile of his own. His heart beats with alacrity. "You might want to back away everybody."
"Tch," Vegeta grunts, dismissing the recommendation and remaining in place. "I'm in no mood for your games."
"It's no game," Goku comments, walking over to Vegeta and turning around to face his son. "Watch this."
The prince crosses his arms in an unamused manner but does as he's told and pays attention.
"Now Gohan! Show him the power of a Super Saiyan!"
"WHAT? Super Saiyan?" Vegeta exclaims to himself, narrowing his eyes.
The Saiyan boy follows his father's order and hunches down into his charging position. His white aura bursts to life, his power immediately spiking, much to the Prince's shock.
Vegeta's hands each dig into their respective arms tightly. "His power just exceeded yours Kackerot!" To himself he remarks, "Not to mention my own!"
"I know, it's almost double mine! Cool right?"
"So this is a Super Saiyan? No, it can't be. With your Kaioken ability, I'm positive that you could surpass this level of strength Kackerot! Yes the boy's power is, well, impressive, but I assure you that he's no Super Saiyan," Vegeta states, blind to the fact that his statements are vacuous.
Goku opens his mouth to explain the truth when all of a sudden the ground beneath them begins to shake. The Saiyan closes his mouth and begins to grin. "Do it son."
Cracks branch out from Gohan's position, the ground beneath him caving in under the pressure of his power increase. The boy's teeth are gritted and his fingers dig into the palms of his hands. Veins of exertion push their way onto his face and with a resonant roar, the young boy's white aura bursts into a violent yellow flame as his pupils turn a greenish-blue. Finally, with an explosion of light, the boy's black hair joins his aura in turning into a golden yellow.
As the light clears, Gohan is seen with an angry frown upon his face. A few moments later, it subsides, giving way to a cocky grin.
"This…this power," Vegeta gasps, his eyelids blasted open. The boy's Super Saiyan aura reflects in his eyes. "This power, it's inconceivable! Super Saiyans, they…they really do exist. I don't understand. How did you attain such legendary strength?"
"Pure rage," Gohan answers, his voice ominously vicious, especially to Vegeta. "I…"
"That's it then! It all makes sense now!" Vegeta interrupts. "My assertion was correct in the end!"
Both Gohan and Goku stare at him.
His voice uncharacteristically exuberant, Vegeta goes on to explain. "On Namek, when we fought Frieza's initial transformations, I saw your potential. First, when the bald one was 'killed' and then when the Namekian was in danger. During both events, your power skyrocketed to a level strong enough to outmaneuver Frieza! Amidst those battles I couldn't help but acknowledge that you were on the brink of becoming a Super Saiyan!"
"Correct," Gohan confirms. "This time, it was the death of my Dad and Krillin combined with a sense of 'need', the 'need' to defeat Frieza."
"But this doesn't make sense," the Prince cuts in, a frown returning to his face. "How the hell did you manage to get yourself killed with this much strength. Surely, Frieza was nowhere near this level of power! I refuse to believe it!"
"You have to remember that Frieza was only using about 50% of his power against Dad. When I let him buff up to full strength, that brought his power up to match my own. I simply lacked the time and the abilities to take him down, I took a gamble and…"
"Wait," the dubious Prince interrupts. "You 'let him' buff up? I find that hard to believe."
"Because," Gohan continues, his voice cantankerous, "I didn't want to simply kill him. I wanted to burn his pride to ash and make him pay for each and every one of his horrible atrocities! Put simply, I wasn't content with a mere corpse; that would've been merciful. No, I wanted to take him down from the inside!"
"Hmph," Vegeta grunts after a series of exaggerated laughs. His arms uncross as he slowly, and quite possibly sincerely, claps his hands. "Just for that, I might actually consider you a Saiyan."
Gohan's irascibility with the prince's posh attitude momentarily subsides as he takes in the Prince's remark. Did he just receive praise from Vegeta?
"Don't let my glowing compliments go to your head boy," the Prince says, thus halving the value of his earlier statement. "You still lost, and that's unforgivable."
"Hey that's not fair!" Goku chimes in. "What about you Vegeta? Last I checked…"
"It's not the same!" Gohan exclaims, catching both his father and the Prince off guard. "I was a Super Saiyan, I had no right losing to that fiend."
Vegeta's eyes widen. "The boy's transformation, it's absurd! Not only has it bolstered his strength considerably, but his Saiyan character as well. The whimpering brat I'm accustomed to is nowhere to be seen; in its place, a true Saiyan warrior!"
Laughing out loud, the Prince comments, "You take me by surprise yet again. I liked the answer you just gave him. As a matter of fact, I was going to say the same thing. This transformation's mental aspect seems as releasing as its power aspect."
Goku looks at his son, bathed in golden light. "Gohan, Vegeta's right. You're somebody else when you transform! It makes me wonder what would happen if I were to become a Super Saiyan. Would I act the same way?"
"So tell me then, Mr. 'Super Saiyan', how were you defeated?" Vegeta inquires, genuinely curious.
"As I was saying, I took a gamble, and it didn't pay off," Gohan answers somberly.
"How so?"
"Recall my mention of running out of time. When Frieza defeated Dad, the energy attack he used pierced through the crust of the planet and set Namek on a timer to its doom. By the time our fight reached its peak, the planet had only minutes left. I figured that there was no way I could take someone as powerful as Frieza down within that time frame, especially considering that we were so equally matched. So in the end, I faked my death in an effort to escape, and returned to the ship Dad used to get here. Of course, its engines failed and so I had to manually haul the thing off the planet and in doing so, got caught in its explosion. Luckily the ship, with Piccolo and Bulma in it, got away," Gohan explains, his tone filled with regret. "All I wanted was to have some time to train. Then, when I'd become stronger I could finish the job. I was a fool."
Goku says nothing, having already heard the story many times. Instead he looks over at Vegeta to see that the Prince is wearing an unreadable face.
"I suppose, that in truth, the idea wasn't half bad. Of course, in your place, I'd have beaten the bastard then and there," Vegeta claims, bringing out his hand and mimicking a "crushing" motion with it.
"Right, I know," Gohan sighs, dropping out of the Super Saiyan state.
"I've said it before son and I'll say it again. Were it not for your decision, Piccolo would have died and then the Dragonballs would disappear for good!" Goku says, attempting to ease his son's remorse.
Vegeta's eyes narrow at the mention of the Dragonballs. "Hold on! Dragonballs? You're telling me that they still exist? Does that mean that the reason you want to become a Super Saiyan is because you plan to resurrect the two of us and defeat Frieza?"
"Well, no," Goku answers, much to Vegeta's shock.
"What?!" The Prince immediately suspects that the explanation will have to do with Kackerot and his brat reviving without him. Fortunately for them, this is not the case.
"The Dragonballs can only bring back people who've died in the past year," Gohan speaks up, answering Vegeta's question.
"And has it been a year?" Vegeta asks, looking back and forth between the boy and Goku. "My sense of time perception is off thanks to being locked up in this damned dimension."
"No, but as of now, the Dragonballs are being hoarded by a guy named Garlic Junior and his gang. They've basically taken over the Earth in the past few months. Granted, he still hasn't used them yet and you know, put them on their timer thingy. Still though, we can't get to them because none of our remaining friends on Earth have the power to even scratch him. Put two and two together and we have no one to collect the Dragonballs and revive us," Goku explains, irking Vegeta further.
"Damn! You've got to be kidding me! None of this makes any sense. What about the Namekian? Surely someone capable of facing Frieza's second form can handle this 'Garlic'. He is alive right?" Vegeta bombards, proceeding to point at Gohan. "The brat sacrificed himself didn't he?"
"Yeah, I did," Gohan answers, offended by the 'brat' remark. "Piccolo's alive but for some reason or the other he never made it to Earth. Also, since he's unconscious, King Kai has no way of contacting him and since we don't know his whereabouts, King Kai can't find him either!"
"Dagh!" Vegeta groans, frustrated with the situation. He didn't even know who this King Kai character was but apparently the guy was useless. Even though the prince hadn't had any thoughts of resurrecting originally, the mere mention of the Dragonballs had instilled within him a glimmer of hope. Unfortunately, this hope had gone out the window minutes after its arrival and that alone infuriated the Prince. "So, we're screwed then?!"
"Basically," Goku answers, surprisingly laughing.
Both Vegeta and Gohan look at him inquisitively, stunned by his jovial reaction.
"I mean, unless Garlic is somehow defeated and Piccolo wakes up. Then, I guess you and Gohan would be brought back to life. Poor me though, I've died a bit too much to be brought back to life," Goku says, giggling yet again.
"Dad, how can you act so calm when you say that?"
"Is he insane? Or has the truth of the matter hit him so hard that he's lost all sanity?"
Silence ensues for a few seconds. Gohan studies his father as his father studies the prince, the latter being deep in thought.
"Hmmm, I understand. Still, I have to ask. If there's a 0% chance of you resurrecting, why are you so keen on becoming a Super Saiyan?" Vegeta asks, pointing at Goku.
"That's exactly why! I've got nothing better to do but train and become my very strongest! In the end, I think training with you will give me that opportunity; I've got a gut feeling!" the cheerful Saiyan explains.
"Well Kackerot," Vegeta answers, turning his back to the saiyan. "You and your gut can get lost!"
The words slap Goku in the face with the force of a point blank Galick Gun. "WHAAT?! Even after all that?"
"That's right," Vegeta grins, beginning to walk away. A smug tone creeps its way into his voice. "Thanks for the Super Saiyan light show though. It proved something very important to me. Unfortunately, it's not going to be enough to persuade me to train with you. As a matter of fact, all its done is made me want to train alone that much more! Don't you see? If either of us is to transform, it will be me Kackerot. Now farewell."
As the prince prepares to make a dramatic exit by flying away, an "I WOULDN'T DO THAT IF I WERE YOU!" from his rival stops him dead in his tracks.
Not giving Goku the benefit of a response, Vegeta simply turns around, dramatically of course, and gives the Saiyan a confronting smirk.
With a smirk of his own, Goku answers, "I'm the one who asked King Yemma to give you your body back. Since you don't wanna train with me, I guess I'll just have to tell him…well, you know."
Vegeta's face is instantly flushed. "Damn you Kackerot. I knew my disadvantage in this argument from the very start. I didn't think a simpleton like you would realize it though!"
"How uncharacteristic of you," Vegeta responds, suppressing his irritation. "You're not the type to blackmail."
"That's because I'm really serious about this Vegeta. Also, don't get me wrong; it's not 'training' in the way you're thinking," Goku explains, now conversing with a serious tone.
Gohan, remaining quiet, watches the older saiyans' bantering with curiosity and yes, a shred of amusement as well.
"You can still technically 'train' on your own," Goku continues, "but every now and then, I simply want to battle. Then, during these 'training sessions', we'll automatically learn the positives of the other's fighting style and we'll be pushed to outmaneuver each other for the next battle. Eventually, I believe that we'll be able to will ourselves to go Super Saiyan. You have to have a 'need' right? Well, we'll have created that need, the need to beat the other!"
"Kackerot," Vegeta answers in a quiet voice, almost a whisper. "If you'd only said that from the start, I'd have instantly agreed."
BANG! If the Prince's previous refusal to train with Goku felt like the force of a Galick Gun, then this next statement felt like one of Frieza's moves. Goku's jaw was practically digging into the ground below him.
"Don't look at me like that!" Vegeta scorns. "You should have elaborated earlier! I only refused the idea because I took the term 'training' as its definition you oaf! WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY 'battle'? I've been aching for a chance to destroy you since our fight on Earth!"
"Damn Vegeta, my bad!" Goku laughs. "Hold on though, there is one thing I'd like to mention. I've had months of nonstop training to build up my strength. You haven't had a body and so your strength is the same as on Planet Namek. There's no denying that I could easily take you in a fight right now."
"Tch," Vegeta answers, turning his head away with a frown. "Your point?"
"I'm going to even the playing field by teaching you the Kaioken!"
Hey there everyone! Again, I must apologize for the late release. I've been working on my writing skills, building up my vocabulary and what not. Most importantly of all though is the time I've spent on my dialogue writing, I hope you see the improvement. Nothing is more important to me than having the lines each character says truly reflect their character. For Frieza, it's matching the legendary Chirs Ayres' masterful representation of the tyrant's grandiloquent demeanor. For Goku, its matching Sean Schemmel's jovial and cheerful representation of him. Then there's Sabat's Vegeta who is very similar to Ayres' Frieza, but nowhere near as eloquent. Instead, he is more casual when it comes to his arrogant disposition. Now then, enough of that! Let's discuss the actual chapter.
Finally, we step away from our protagonist/antagonist, Lord Frieza, and take a look at the Z-Fighter's situation. You'll also note that the tense switches from past to present when that occurs. Let me just say that this was by no means unintentional but rather, it symbolizes that everything has caught up. Now, the real story begins. You see, every arc up till now can be seen as set up, with each one having its own critical goal. The Super Saiyan Arc removed the Z-Fighters from the picture in that Krillin, Goku, and Gohan all died while Piccolo and Bulma were marooned on a planet in the middle of nowhere. The Fall of Arcose Arc took out King Cold and destroyed Arcose. Those two critical events led to Frieza's irritation with the war and to his eventual abandonment of empire-related duties. His brother Cooler took his role and so now Frieza is left alone, without any distractions. Finally, we have the Garlic Junior fight which is far more important than you might think. First of all, it showed Frieza that his current strength is not enough to bank on and that he might just have to augment it. Secondly, Garlic Junior foiled Frieza's wish for immortality by dispersing the Dragonballs all around the Earth and putting the human population under the control of the Black Water Mist. Now, Frieza cannot enslave the humans and use them to find the Dragonballs, making the search for them that much harder. With that, the table has been set and Frieza's Revenge can now truly set sail, hence the chapter's title.
Speaking of "Revenge", we had our clever tyrant deal with Garlic's being immortal in quite the "exquisite" manner. We won't be seeing him or his condiment gang again. As for Piccolo and Bulma being marooned on the mystery planet, well, its doesn't look like they're getting along. Piccolo especially, what with his year long nap. Anyone would be groggy and cranky after that! Turns out Namekians can go into a sort of hibernation state during which water is unnecessary, otherwise our green friend would have surely perished long unfortunate bunch who didn't survive Namek's explosion on the other hand, ironically seem to be having a great time. Goku and Gohan have been at it day and night, sparring to their hearts' content. Being in Otherworld has also allowed them to build up their strength much faster than if they were to train in the mortal world(more on Otherworld's rules later). That takes us to our powerlevels this chapter.
Powerlevels:
Note that I use the Bringer of Death Fanfiction's Powerlevel system. This means that Super Saiyan is not 50x base strength, but rather INITIALLY(pre-future SSJ Variants) a 145 Million Unit boost. For more information, view my "How Super Saiyan Works" video on Youtube or visit the Bringer of Death Fanfiction's Chapter 50(Powerlevel Chapter). If you disagree with any of these powerlevels, feel free to alter them as you choose but keep the "gap" in power between two people the same.
Vegeta: 2.4 Million
The Prideful Prince has had his ability to train stolen from him by Frieza and furthermore, Yemma. His lack of a body in the past year has kept him stagnant in terms of power.
Goku: 13 Million
In canon, Goku's strength after one year on Yardrat was 15 Million (it would have been more were it not for his occupying himself with Instant Transmission). So, shouldn't it be more here? In Overworld, training is much easier and he's ONLY been training right! The answer of "no" lies in the fact that Goku has not achieved Super Saiyan yet and this means that his power starts to limit at around, coincidentally, 15 million(based on BoD). This doesn't mean that he'll just simply stop getting stronger once he reaches that level of power, but rather, he'll get less and less powerful during each training session the closer he gets to that "cap". Diminishing returns basically. Additionally, as a result of this increase in power, Goku's ability to access the higher tiers of Kaioken is also waning.
Gohan: 22 Million
Thanks to his father's rigorous training schedule, achieving Super Saiyan, and being dead, Gohan's powerlevel has skyrocketed! The saiyan child has trained every single day since his death and thanks to turning Super Saiyan on Namek, there hasn't been any "15 million" limit slowing him down. Think of his strength as what Goku's would have been had he spent the entire year away from Earth(in canon) only training.
Gohan(SSJ): 167 Million
Augment Gohan's Base power with the Super Saiyan boost of a 145 Million and we have a boy that could have made Frieza kneel!
Otherworld Rules:
In Dragonball, one of the many inconsistencies comes in the form of the rules regarding Otherworld; whether or not you are immortal, get exhausted, or lose your body are of the greatest concern.
Immortality: In Frieza's Revenge, all inhabitants with a body are indeed, immortal; they absolutely can not be killed. Of course, everything else acts the same as being a mortal. They still feel sleepy, hungry, thirsty, exhausted, etc. All of this was unclear or contradicted in the original series and so I've set it up like this.
Exhaustion: As you know, Goku's SSJ3 transformation exhausted him far more than it did in Otherworld. Based on that fact, I've it set up so that the exhaustion felt in Otherworld is roughly HALF that of the mortal world's. No particular reason, that's just a simple way to put it.
Keeping Your Body: Ok, I played around with this concept and eventually arrived at the following consensus. All good people and regular evil people keep their bodies. Regular evil people are those who are not powerful like say, Vegeta, Nappa, King Cold or any other creature of great strength. For example, any serial killer from Earth would keep their body because they are incapable of harming others without a weapon and can be kept in check. Hell acts a spiritual prison for them while Heaven acts as well, paradise for those with a pure heart. This is why Goku had to request for Vegeta's body to be given back to him.
Alright then, now that all of those problems check out, I'd like to conclude by thanking all of you for being so patient and reading my novel to begin with. I really do CHERISH reader feedback and as such, read each and every review. Please feel free to leave your thoughts down below! My readers are my drive and I am eternally grateful for their support. Thank you everyone and see you on the next edition of Frieza's Revenge!