Cooler's head threatened to fly from his head as his neck was snapped to the side and his entire body was sent flying through the turbulent skies of Namek. The tyrant blinked away the throbbing pain in his head as he looked back, annoyed to see Goku chasing after his body. A growl rolled past Cooler's bone mask as he spun around in the air quickly, turning a palm directly for the approaching Saiyan.
Cooler barely gave Goku time to be surprised before unleashing a tidal wave of burning, orange energy from his palm. The blast tore through the sky and the Saiyan hero narrowly dodged the attack by speeding into the air at the last possible second.
"Phew!" he exclaimed as Cooler's energy wave sped off into the distance.
His eyes focused on Cooler's attack, Goku was shocked once more when the tyrant appeared behind him. Before he could act, Cooler's long and powerful tail coiled around the hero's neck and snatched him up into a vice grip that stopped all air flow.
Goku hissed for breath as Cooler flipped over and angled his body antiparallel to Goku's. "Having trouble breathing, huh Saiyan?" he mocked, noting the beet-red coloring of Goku's face. The tyrant chuckled and added, "This probably won't help then!" Cooler then began hammering punch after punch into Goku's abdomen. The strikes struck like gunshots to Goku's skin and the hero cringed with every punch. "Hahaha! How does it feel? Tell me, you putrid monkey! How does it feel to be dominated?!" Cooler roared through the onslaught.
Goku choked on the trapped air in his throat and his need for more, and Cooler's wailing clearly wasn't making things any better. Cooler was ready to call victory when it looked as if Goku was losing consciousness, but just as it seemed that the Saiyan was going slip, it was like a breath of fresh air blew into him. Cooler saw it, and could hardly believe how Goku had just bounced back from near death.
He was so shocked that he didn't even notice Goku snatch up both of his hands. "You want to know how it feels Cooler? YOU TELL ME!" Goku declared before slamming an innumerable amount of kicks to Cooler's stomach, the strikes sounding off with just as much power as Cooler's punches had.
Goku struck with one final, merciless kick that managed to free his neck as Cooler curled in on himself. While the tyrant attempted to nurse his pain-stricken abdomen, the hero took a hold of Cooler's tail and spun him around twice before flinging the tyrant to the molten surface of Namek.
Cooler soared to the running lava below, completely oblivious to his peril as he replayed Goku's revitalization just a moment ago. It was like that Saiyan was running on an eternal battery. No matter how hard Cooler fought, Goku had an answer for it.
The tyrant stopped on a dime just before striking the lava and turned to glare back into the sky at Goku. "I'll kill him if it's the last thing I ever do!" he hissed just as Goku zipped out of sight.
Cooler turned and threw up a forearm just in time to block a devastatingly powerful punch from Goku. Even the magma flowing just below their feet caved in on itself as the super-beings clashed. Malice-filled glances were given just before speeding off into the sky. Cooler and Goku struck all across the dark sky, their attacks resounding like claps of thunder as they met blow for blow. A kick to Cooler's chest. An axe handle to Goku's neck. A punch to Cooler's jaw. A knee to Goku's stomach. A kick to Cooler's chin. A tail slap to Goku's cheek.
And finally, a punch to a punch as Goku's and Cooler's fists struck with amazing power. The super-beings paused, glaring each other down as sparks of lightning and energy crackled away from their contacted fists.
Cooler was the first to break their glare as he growled in anger and slammed a second fist to Goku's stomach. The hero grunted in pain, but before he could keel over to grab his stomach, Cooler spun in the air and crashed the heel of his massive foot into Goku's jaw. The Saiyan hero's entire body was snapped around from the kick as his mind practically swam in pain.
Before Goku could make any further movement, Cooler snatched the hero up by the skull, applying a heavy amount of pressure as he squeezed down with all of his might. "I'll crush your skull beneath my fingers, you wretch of a Saiyan!" he growled as Goku began to squirm in pain.
The hero grabbed up at Cooler's hands, trying to pry the tight fingers from his head. Cooler hissed in enjoyment, feeling Goku's head beginning to bend to his might. Any second, he'd reduce the fool to a brainless corpse!
"NO!" roared Goku before thrusting his elbows back with such power that they threatened to break Cooler's rib cage once they struck.
The Super Arcosian released his grip on Goku's skull, hissing with pain as he clutched his chest. Barely had he moved to console the pained area before Goku spun and slammed his boot into Cooler's face and sent the tyrant spearing across the sky. The hero didn't waste a second, though, before speeding off in pursuit.
He sped high into the sky above Cooler, glaring down at the dazed tyrant, before rocketing out the sky boots-first. Like a shotgun going off, Goku's boots struck Cooler and slammed him straight down toward the ragged surface of Namek below. However, just as Goku made a move to remove himself from Cooler, the tyrant snatched at Goku's boot and pulled them both towards the ground.
"It's not that easy!" Cooler roared in anger, pulling his free arm back before thrusting it forward with another wave of burning, orange energy.
Goku yelped in pain as the blast struck point-blank into this body and sent him flying off into the sky. Cooler outright laughed at Goku's pain before abruptly stopping his fall. Not letting a moment pass, he shot off towards the dazed Saiyan and caught up in a heartbeat. Cooler struck Goku with a massive uppercut that started to send the hero spearing further into the sky. However, Cooler took a hold of Goku's leg once again and flung him back to the lava covering most of Namek's surface.
"I'll make you burn!" Cooler rushed in pursuit of Goku and slammed a huge foot into the hero's chest, pushing him down to the lava even faster. "I'll roast you alive!" he cheered just as Goku was ready to be forced into the running magma.
However, just before impact, Goku opened his eyes with a sly smile on his face. Cooler could only widen his eyes in shock before Goku spun around and threw Cooler into burning lava. "I'd rather not!" came his triumphant cheer as Cooler struck the burning surface.
"AHHH!" the tyrant yelled, half of his body submerged in the fiery liquid.
Before the tyrant could move out of his hellacious predicament, Goku cupped his hands at his sides, a globe of blue, pulsing energy forming. In an instant, Goku slammed his Kamehameha right into Cooler's body and sent the Super Arcosian barreling further into the magma. Arcs of light roared from within the depths of the lava as a huge dome of compressed energy sprouted from the burning fluid. Goku crossed his arms in front of his body just as the dome released with a powerful and blinding explosion.
"Whoa! This planet really is unstable!" Goku exclaimed, now high in the sky and watching as the magma around the explosion circled into a deep hole within the planet's surface. "Then again, that Kamehameha probably didn't really help the situation either," he added with a sheepish smile.
"DIE!"
Goku turned just in time to see Cooler's knee slam into his jaw with an unimaginable force. "You think lava can kill me!" seethed Cooler before slamming a merciless double axe handle against Goku's back and sending the hero flying out of the sky. "Nothing can kill me!" he roared as he took off in pursuit.
"We all have to die some time, Cooler!" answered Goku spinning through his daze and connecting with a powerful kick to Cooler's jaw just before the tyrant could continue his assault.
"And yours shall come sooner than you expect!" Cooler spat, rebounding from Goku's kick with a brutal left jab to Goku's skull.
"As long as it means saving my friends and family…" declared Goku, rolling through Cooler's punch and rushing back with a powerful one of his own. "…I'll never lose!"
Cooler's head spun in pain, but he didn't stop. He and Goku ran into another round of blinding punches and kicks, throwing them out far beyond normal sight. The only sound of contact being made was the clapping of thunder that spread with every connected punch or kick.
Cooler couldn't believe what he was seeing, what he was experience, WHAT HE WAS FEELING! This…this low-life monkey of a Saiyan was fighting him blow for blow. Cooler was even beginning to fall behind. He was giving this fight his all and so much more! How could a Saiyan monkey possibly be able to keep up with him like this? Even with his transformation, Goku was still very much on par with the Super Arcosian. Could it really happen? Could Cooler really lose this fight?
"RAGHH!" roared Goku, striking Cooler with a strong right jab.
The tyrant was sent flying back before stopping himself with a splay of energy. Just as he aimed to charge back into battle, Goku appeared directly in front of him with a knee to the stomach, uppercut to the chin, punch to the jaw, and a spinning elbow strike to the side of the head that sent Cooler flying once more. The tyrant stopped himself again, anger getting the best of him. But just as he turned back to Goku, the hero appeared again with a boot to the face, followed by a powerful snap kick to the side of the head that sent the galactic tyrant spearing across. This time, he wasn't able to instantly bounce back. In fact, he could only fly in a daze and watch as Goku soared right over to him with an elbow primed to strike.
"YAHHH!" Goku struck Cooler's skull with a thunderous elbow that rocketed Cooler back out of the sky like a falling star.
That putrid, dirty, mindless, waste of an organism! How can he do this to me? How can he dominate me? How can he be stronger than me! Cooler's azure aura roared to life in a grand splay of energy just before striking the lava below once again. He turned back up to Goku, his pupiless eyes livid beyond explanation as he watched the Saiyan simply glare back down to him. "He isn't stronger than me! He is nothing! I am mighty and he is not! I was meant to rule this universe and some filthy ape will not stand in my way! HE WON'T!" Cooler hissed to himself as he readied himself for yet another round of war.
With a raging flare of his aura, the tyrant tore back off into the sky. A growl of rage rolled past his bone mask as he moved closer and closer to Goku. In return, the hero was ready, eyes steady and analyzing as Cooler drew nearer. The tyrant eyes locked onto those emerald pupils of Goku. They were so calm, as if he knew that he would win. That'd he'd always win. That this fight was already over.
The dragon.
A column of lava suddenly spewed between the two warriors, halting whatever battle they'd been ready to continue. As it flowed back to Namek's surface, Cooler and Goku remained passive as they looked between one another. Cooler's rage was suddenly gone and his calm was a mirror image of Goku's.
"You're a smart one, Goku. Smarter than I would've ever given you credit for being," stated Cooler. In response, Goku's expression turned confused. Cooler laughed. "Don't play me for a fool! You're fighting on a planet doomed to die, against a being that could kill you at any moment. Though, I will admit you are giving me more trouble that I had initially expected."
Goku smiled, lowering his guard if only by a little. "I think that's a bit of an understatement, Cooler. I dare say we're on the verge of killing one another."
"Yes. We are. But that isn't really a concern for you, is it? Dying I mean." Goku still looked lost so Cooler sighed and said, "It doesn't matter if you die here on this planet because you and your little friends have the dragon balls. You did say that you sent all of the Namekians to Earth, right?" Goku nodded slowly in reply. "Whether you die by my hands or die at the hands of this planet, you'd just have your friends to wish yourself back to life just like they did that rotten scum, Vegeta. There's no point in wasting time with you when you're not even going to stay dead."
Slowly, understanding crept onto Goku's face and he realized what Cooler was saying. "You don't want to kill me anymore because you know that my friends will just wish me back?" It was a bit of a question and a statement. Could Cooler really be deciding to call the fight a draw?
"I'll never stop wanting to kill you, Saiyan, but as of the moment, you are kind of immortal. If I kill you now, you'll only return by the hands of those dragon balls. So, if I want you dead – truly, truly dead – I have to make sure that there are no more dragon balls to wish you back."
Goku's eyes widened, shocked at what Cooler might've been implying. "Y…you're going to…"
The smile of the devil formed on Cooler's lips as he said, "I'm going to find that backwater planet you call home. I'm going to hunt down every last one of your friends and slaughter them like a herd of sheep! Then, I'm going back out to space for a front-row seat to the destruction of Earth! You hear that, monkey?! I'm going to destroy everything that you love!"
"NO!" shouted Goku, his aura flaring to life as anger swelled inside of him "I won't let you! I won't let you hurt any of my friends! Do you understand me, Cooler?! I'll make sure that neither one of us leaves this planet before I allow that to happen!"
"Is that so?" mocked the tyrant, darkly chuckling despite the anger practically radiating from Goku's body. "That's such a noble gesture, but I no longer feel like fighting you, Goku." He casually lifted his left hand, a beachball sized orb of orange energy forming in the palm. "I don't know much about the dragon balls, but I'm guessing they're not so easy to round up, considering how much trouble Frieza was given. So, now the question is how long would it take for your friends to revive you if you died here on this planet? Would it be tomorrow? A week from now? A month? Or does such mystical gems need longer than that to regenerate their magical properties?"
Goku began to grow nervous as Cooler casually bounced the destructive ball in his hands, looking ever so pleased with Goku's anxiety.
"So tell me, Saiyan. If you were to perish here on Namek, exactly how long would it take your friends to bring you back to the world of the living?" Cooler paused, a sly smile on his lips as he took in the malice in Goku's glare. When it was obvious that Goku wasn't going to give an answer, Cooler continued with, "No answer? Ha! That's fine. You see, I'm guessing – and this is just a guess – that it is going to take some time. After all, something like the dragon balls can't just be used every single day. No, they need time to recuperate. The real question is whether or not they'd be able to revive you before I arrive on their merry little planet? Do you think they can do it?"
Cooler leered at Goku, loving the calm anger brewing in on the Saiyan's face. Silence fell on the duo as time seemed to freeze. Goku watched the orange bomb in Cooler's hand with careful attention while the tyrant followed every move Goku made.
"It doesn't matter, Cooler," started the Saiyan, an unnerving calm to his voice as he lifted his eyes from Cooler's bomb to the tyrant's red eyes. "Because I don't plan on dying!"
Goku warped out of sight faster than the blink of an eye, moving as fast as he could. Cooler was just as quick, though. At almost the same instant that Goku disappeared, a shockwave of energy rippled off Cooler's body and slammed against Goku with a halting force that effectively stopped the hero mid-attack.
"SAY GOODBYE TO NAMEK!" roared Cooler, firing the energy bomb in his hand directly to the planet's surface.
"NOO!" was all that Goku could shout as the bomb struck Namek's surface with a blinding display of energy.
A dark and sinister chuckle rolled past Cooler's lips as he appeared in space. He moved casually through the dark, infinite chasm before a flash of light consumed his body and he was restored to his fourth form. The eldest of Cold's sons was beaten, bruised, and bloody, but he could only hold that sinister smile on his lips as he moved farther and farther out into space.
"Not exactly how I pictured ending my tour of Namek…" he started as his drift through space stopped and he turned around. "…but, in the end, my tasks have been completed." Cooler's eyes took in the destructive and chaotic surface of Planet Namek from his far vantage point. Even from so far out in space, one could see the roaring pools of lava and various storms of lighting plaguing the planet.
A few seconds passed before Cooler's smile faltered a bit and was replaced with a scowl. "What is this planet made out of? All of this fighting, plus Frieza and I's destructive bombs, and yet it still clings to life?" Just as Cooler spoke, cracks began forming all across the planet's surface, a shining light roaring from the crevices to give Cooler a bit of hope. "About time," he added as Namek truly looked ready to blow.
The tyrant's smile returned to his face as he took a moment to enjoy his front row seat. He could still remember the look of horror on Goku's face when he'd thrown the bomb to the planet. After that, Cooler had sped off into space like a demon out of hell. Although, he probably would've stuck around a second longer had he known it would've taken this long for the planet to explode.
"Nevertheless, I dare say about 80% of Namek's surface is burning lava. No matter how much time the planet takes to explode, that Saiyan monkey would never be able to find a ship and escape. Any spaceships left would've been devoured by the lava," stated Cooler, reminding himself of the ultimate victory. "And with him out of the picture, I'll make a run at Earth and see to it that all loose ends are attended to. Maybe I can blame Frieza's death on those Earthlings and use my trip as an excuse for revenge. So many ideas, so many plots, and a lifetime to see them done. With Frieza out of the picture, they'll be no one to stand in my way, no one to steal the glory, no one to rule this universe but me and me alone!" A maniacal laugh rolled past Cooler's lips as he tossed his head back with absolute glee. A sense of triumph roared inside of the tyrant and he threw his hands above his head as he cheered, "IT'S FINALLY OVER!"
Barely had those words left Cooler's lips before his eyes focused on a glint in the distance. In a second, a spacepod was seen flying off of Namek, shooting across the starry vacuum of space. And Cooler knew, there was no doubt about it. That pod had to contain Goku! They were the only two people left on the entire planet!
"That…That…THAT DAMNED MONKEY?! How did he…how could he have…rrrRAGHHHH!" Cooler tossed an arm back before a large dome of purple energy sparked above it. Absolutely livid, he poured the last of his energy into the attack. He'd make sure to see Goku die. Even if the explosion didn't kill him, the airless vacuum of space would surely do it. This time, Goku was going to die! He. Would. Die!
Finally, the long-awaited explosion of Namek had taken place. Cooler wasn't even able to enjoy its display because his eyes were focused on Goku's retreating spacepod. However, had he been focused on the explosion, he might've realized his error of distance.
With his eyes solely focused on taking Goku out, Cooler was blindsided by the shockwave of energy roaring away from the exploding planet. Had he been farther out, the invisible wave would've done nothing more that jostle his body. This wasn't the case, though. Instead, just as Cooler was ready to deliver the final blow to Goku, Namek delivered its final coup de grace and the shockwave struck Cooler's mangled and beaten body with a powerful force. His energy blast – and consequently, his energy – was lost with the strike of the shockwave, as well as Cooler's consciousness.
The last thing the tyrant saw before his vision faded to black was Goku's spacepod flying far out into space.
Cooler woke with a start, his entire body roaring with pain and fatigue as he tried to straighten himself out. Apparently, he'd been doing nothing more than floating around in space since he'd lost consciousness. He took a moment to take in his surroundings, noting that Namek was surely gone by now, judging from the newly formed asteroid field of the planet's remains. On top of it all, was the fact that Goku was long gone and Cooler didn't have the slightest of clues as to where'd be.
Well, there was always the monkey's lovely home planet, Earth.
A sinister smile graced Cooler's face once more as he recalled his earlier plan. "Enjoy this extra time that you've been given, Goku. I'll be coming for Earth soon enough and I surely hope you'll be there to watch me tear your life a part!"
With that, Cooler turned back out into space. With his energy revitalized from his comatose state, an aura incased the tyrant before he shot off across the dark chasm. This is only the beginning, Goku! I've spent the better part of my life plotting Frieza's downfall, and now I'll have you to replace as my sole target! By my hands, you will feel death's cold embrace, you Saiyan filth, and then the universe will bow before the greatest terror in existence. They will all know of the name, COOLER!
This concludes the end of this story's first arc. Thanks for reading =)
~CosmicCannon