Nobody could even form words they were so struck by awe. Gohan's new golden transformation was something they had never seen in their lives. Even Goku's short lived transformation from before had differences from this. The Ki Goku and his friends were sensing from the enraged teen was absolutely outrageous. Was this the power Vegeta was talking about?
Frieza took a fearful step back in the face of the vicious teal eyes that seemed to be staring into the depths of his soul. "Wh-what is this transformation? I thought Saiyans only transformed into giant apes!" he incredulously stammered, backpedaling a few more steps.
Gohan stood there, staring Frieza down. The half-Saiyan felt almost completely reborn, as if he was another being entirely. His senses had heightened to extreme levels – he could hear and see everything so clearly. He had no idea wherever this new power came from, and frankly, he didn't give a damn. All he knew was that he was going to kill Frieza and make him pay, now.
Faster than any eye could see, Gohan suddenly appeared right in front of Frieza, his golden aura dangerously waving with the wind. Even Frieza, the proud galactic tyrant whose name inspired fear across the universe, shrunk when Gohan's vengeful eyes were right in front of him. Gohan curled his lips back in contempt for his former ruler, who was showing his true colors by the second.
Only a few more seconds passed by before Gohan hit Frieza with the hardest punch he had ever thrown in his life, packing eight years of anger into a single blow to the jaw that instantly rocketed Frieza hundreds of feet back. The lizard tyrant hit the ground hard, skidding dangerously as a dust obscured his figure. Gohan caught up to him instantly, warping behind him and delivering a ruthless kick to his ribs, sending Frieza right back to the spot that he punched him from.
Not even giving him a chance to rest, Gohan jumped up and then slammed both of his feet into Frieza's chest, channeling all of his newfound power into his stomps. The beast within him roared with joy as purple blood spilled from Frieza's mouth, his gurgled gasps of agony being the freshest sound Gohan had heard in years. As Frieza desperately coughed, Gohan grabbed him by the neck and roughly hauled him up before delivering a staggering shower of punches to his stomach that mirrored one of the hundreds of punishments the tyrant had given to him. Frieza was squeezing at Gohan's wrist, trying to remove the grip that he was powerless in breaking.
He was only released when Gohan rounded out his assault with a vicious kick to his stomach that knocked him upwards, sending him into one of the few buildings still standing. He hit the structure so hard it instantly exploded into thousands of pieces. Gohan was running entirely on instinct, his mind clouded by the torrent of emotions rushing into his brain. Nothing else to him mattered besides unleashing every last ounce of his fury on Frieza.
The supremely powerful half-Saiyan caught up to Frieza with amazing speed and grabbed him by his precious tail. Spinning him around at dizzying speeds, Gohan tossed Frieza high into the sky and when he phased in front of him, he grabbed his head with both of his hands and mercilessly slammed his skull into Frieza's. The last particular strike was so powerful Frieza fell onto the roof of the building below them. Gohan immediately dropped down and channeled his restless Ki into his fist. Gohan looked at his fist intently, like it was some device of destruction ready to fire off at any minute.
Gohan curled the glowing fist back and then slammed it repeatedly into Frieza's stomach. Each punch made the roof cave in ever so slightly. Within a few minutes Gohan was using both hands to viciously lay into Frieza. In any normal circumstances he would have had to stop to take a breather, but that was a far down on Gohan's list of priorities as it possibly could have been.
Finally, the roof could no longer withstand Gohan's immense power, crumbling and allowing the two fighters to fall hundreds of feet to the floors of the dark, empty building. Frieza slowly arose to his feet, but before he was even standing straight, Gohan hit him with a Ki blast that blew him right through the wall and left him sprawled out on the ground outside.
Goku's forehead was drenched in sweat as a result of what he had just seen. Gohan looked less like a person in that assault on Frieza and more like a wild animal being unleashed from its shackles after ages of entrapment. He was starting to understand just why his son and Vegeta had hated Frieza so much. Goku may not have liked senseless beatings, but there were some beings that weren't above getting them, he concluded.
Frieza was too shocked and in pain to even stand up as he watched Gohan walk out from the hole he had formed and stalk towards him. Never in his entire life had he been beaten and tossed around like someone's play thing. To make matters worse, it was by a Saiyan! A warrior of the contemptible, low class race of scum was giving him, ruler of a massive portion of the solar system, the beating of his life!
Gohan stopped when he was inches away from Frieza's foot, hatred shining in his eyes. He had utterly pummeled Frieza like the piece of shit he truly was, but what he had done still wasn't enough to satiate his bloodlust. Far from it, in fact. Gohan wanted to make Frieza's punishment so terrible that death would be a mercy when he was finished.
Frieza fought through the intense pain he was in to rise to a seated position. He tried to use his legs to bring himself to his feet, and soon found himself being assisted when Gohan slammed his foot right into his jaw, springing him high up into the sky. The emperor opened his eyes and almost shrieked in fear when he saw Gohan hovering above him, mere seconds after kicking him. Gohan grabbed him by his arm and leg and then slammed his white back right down onto his knee, very nearly snapping in half. With no mercy, Gohan then lowered his knee and drove his elbow into Frieza's chest, sending him spiraling back down.
Mere seconds before Frieza hit the ground, Gohan warped behind him and wrapped his furry, golden tail around his throat, locking it in a tight grip and choking away as much air from the lizard as he could. Frieza was coughing hoarsely in Gohan's grip, growing increasingly angry with how he was being toyed around with by that disgraceful appendage. In a desperate move, Frieza swung his elbow back, but Gohan effortlessly shifted out of the way, his mind sharp even with it being clouded by his radical anger.
"How does it feel, Frieza?" Gohan chided, his voice dangerously calm and even slightly deeper than before. "You know just what Vegeta was going through when you tortured him!"
"C-curse…you…monkey!" Frieza spat, even as Gohan's tail tightened around his neck. In a swift and brutal motion, Gohan managed to drive his right knee and elbow into both sides of Frieza, bending him unnaturally.
"This isn't over by a long shot, you hear me? I'm not going to end your pathetic life until you've paid for every last scar you've brought on me!" Gohan menacingly threatened, slamming his elbow down hard on Frieza's chest as if to drive his point home.
"G-Gohan…I know you're angry, but this is too much," Goku said, now growing uncomfortable.
"I don't want to hear it, father!" Gohan sneered, not even bothering to turn around in his direction. "You don't know shit about Frieza did to me and Vegeta. This is between him and me, so you better stay the fuck out of this."
The threatening tone in Gohan's voice was all Goku needed to hear to realize that his son had turned into a warrior of rage and fury. "Okay, son," he conceded.
"You don't deserve to die quickly, Frieza," Gohan hissed as he pulled his arm back. "You brought ALL of this on yourself!" Gohan swung his arm forward and delivered a violent punch to Frieza's back, eliciting a howl of agony. "Every," Gohan punched him yet again, "Last," again, "PART!" The final punch was the strongest yet, damn near snapping Frieza's vertebrae in half.
Gohan suddenly uncoiled his tail from Frieza's throat and quickly spun him around. He then landed an uppercut to Frieza's jaw and slammed his forearm into his cheek. Gohan squeezed his fists tightly, as it had taken all of his mental discipline to keep his body under control long enough to hold Frieza still, and he had enough. Every fiber of his being was craving the action of viciously tossing Frieza around.
"Get up; you look pathetic right now," Gohan snidely remarked.
Frieza gingerly arose to his feet, his body feeling like it had been in multiple spaceship crashes. He gave Gohan a glare of pure hatred. "You despicable…disgusting…lowlife APE! I will destroy you for this!" Frieza exploded his Ki around him and recklessly charged at Gohan, but the half-Saiyan jumped out of the way and delivered a Ki blast right to Frieza's back, launching him into the air. Gohan zipped up into the sky and beat Frieza around like he was a ping pong ball, knocking him to one location, catching up to him, sending him flying again, rinse and repeat.
To the eyes of Goku, Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu, Frieza was just being shot by a gold blur, as Gohan was moving too fast for them to see. This was the same Frieza that the earthlings saw render the proud and formidable Vegeta into a quivering mass of fear. And yet now, Gohan was treating him like a chew toy.
Finally having enough, Frieza generated a shockwave with his Ki and blasted off to the ground. Gohan flew after him, so Frieza shot back up and tried to land his best elbow to his face. However, Gohan effortlessly lifted his forearm and absorbed the impact of his elbow without even so much as wincing.
Frieza floated back, his earlier fear now just giving way to snobbish anger. Letting out a roar of frustration, Frieza threw a flurry of punches Gohan's way, but the near-divine half-Saiyan was able to swat his efforts away with a nonchalant expression.
Frieza flew back, realizing that he was going nowhere trying to fight him hand-to-hand. Drawing out his finger, Frieza charged up a bright, pink energy to his hand, which Gohan didn't react to at all. From his finger, Frieza fired a beam that was not unlike the fatal blast he delivered to Vegeta. However, Gohan moved out of the way with immense speed, and just a second later moved back to where he was standing before, giving Frieza a cold stare.
Frieza growled and fired another beam, but Gohan dodged it again with the same level of ease. "Damn you!" the lizard indignantly shouted as he began firing a barrage of beams at Gohan, who was expertly evading them. Frieza stopped and doubled over, panting in exhaustion from putting out so much energy at a rapid rate. He was cursing this change of fate, not able to comprehend how much stronger Gohan had gotten. His musings were interrupted by the vitriolic, belittling laughter of Gohan. Frieza lifted his head up, settling his eyes on the devious smirk present on Gohan's face.
"So, you can destroy entire planets, yet now you can't even destroy one bratty little teenager," he snickered.
Frieza angrily stomped his foot onto the ground, leaving a crack in it. "Damn it all! If I could just land a hit, you would be as good as dead!"
Gohan's smirk widened. "Then hit me."
Frieza curled his lip back in contempt, more than willing to answer Gohan's challenge but flustered by his mocking of him. "Fine, monkey filth. Be careful what you wish for!" Frieza fired another beam, aiming this one straight at his face. Gohan made no attempt to dodge it, and it then hit him right in the chin, knocking his head back. Frieza laughed boisterously, satisfied with his victory.
"Now how about that, brat?"
However, his joy was effectively killed when Gohan lowered his head, staring at Frieza once more with the same patronizing grin. Aside from the trickle of blood coming from his bottom lip, he looked completely composed, as if he wasn't feeling any pain. "Just as I expected."
Frieza's jaw sank in disbelief. It took him a few seconds to even find his words before asking, "What are you?"
Gohan's smirk disappeared as he gave Frieza a stern glare. "I think you already know who I am. I'm the Legendary warrior, who you feared the most," Gohan began. He raised his arms and squeezed his fists tightly before exploding his beastly aura around him, making Goku and the others have to jump back. "I am a Super Saiyan!"
Frieza stared at Gohan with wide eyes, his mind racing in all different directions. "S-super Saiyan…? Impo-"
"Believe what you want. It doesn't matter, anyway." Gohan raised his right fist to his chin and declared, "On the honor of the Saiyan blood flowing through my veins, I will destroy you! For Vegeta, for Nappa, for Raditz, for my grandfather, and for every other Saiyan that was murdered in your name!"
Goku felt an unexplainable feeling of pride swelling deep within his chest. It wasn't just because of his son's power…it was something different than that. It was as if something drifting deep in the recesses of his mind was expressing great admiration for Gohan's display of Saiyan pride. Son Goku had grown to loathe the Saiyans, his people, for what one of them had done to him nine years ago. But yet now, he was starting to understand a little bit. He felt that old Saiyan pride running through him; he was honored to be witnessing such a moment.
Goku was a Saiyan; he could now fully declare that without his stomach churning.
"I see…that monkey fairytale was true after all," Frieza snorted. "But Super Saiyan or not, that won't change the universal truth that you simian beasts will always be beneath me! I will still crush you, for it is I who is the strongest, not y-"
"Silence."
Frieza froze. He didn't even see Gohan move behind him. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head when Gohan delivered a nasty kick to the spot on Frieza's back that he had already viciously assaulted thus far. The blow launched Frieza into the sky and Gohan blasted off after him. He charged Ki to his hand again, but this time focused it into a blade. Once he caught up to Frieza, the Super Saiyan swung his arm down and sliced Frieza's tail clean in half. The lizard tyrant let out an unearthly howl of pain as he fell back down hundreds of feet.
Krillin shook his head, as his mind was stuck somewhere between complete petrification and awe. "Man, so this is a Super Saiyan, huh?"
"Unreal…" Tien breathlessly muttered.
Gohan dropped down to the ground, watching Frieza's halved tail flick restlessly behind him. "That was for Vegeta." Gohan walked over to Frieza and rolled him over on his back with a kick to the stomach. He slammed his foot down right on the left side of Frieza's chest. "And that was for Arepa!" Gohan raised his foot and then moved it over to Frieza's mid-section. "And this is for all of those times you've tortured me!"
Gohan ruthlessly slammed his foot right down on Frieza's stomach, making him cough out mouthfuls of purple blood. For good measure, he did it again, giving a sadistic smirk when it elicited the same reaction.
The Super Saiyan folded his arms over his chest and gave Frieza a sideways glance. "It's so becoming for a pitiful son of a bitch like you to grovel on the ground before me," Gohan cruelly remarked, mockingly quoting one of Frieza's favorite jeers towards him.
Gohan finally removed his foot and stepped back, watching Frieza attempt to regain his bearings with cold indifference. Frieza sat up, clutching at his stomach as he broke out into a fit of harsh coughs. "D-don't…kill me…"
A vein practically exploded out Gohan's temple. Letting out an animalistic growl, Gohan burst his golden Ki around him once more. "How DARE you ask me for anything! After what you've put me through, you have the nerve to ask me for mercy?" Gohan curled his lips back in utter revulsion. "Look at you, you're acting like the rotten little brat you truly are!"
Gohan hissed through his teeth and took a deep breath, trying to get his unstable mind back under control. He finally resolved, "I'm not going to kill you - now. You deserve to suffer for much, much longer than this."
"I'm not begging for my life, you simple-minded fool," Frieza spat, still reeling from Gohan's onslaught of attacks. "I'm telling you not to kill me…for I have something that may interest you."
"If you even think you can get me to join forces with you or some bullshit like that, then I'll blast you to oblivion right now," Gohan sneered.
"No, not that," Frieza replied, rising to his feet. "I-I'm not using my full-power now…only half."
Gohan raised an eyebrow, not particularly believing what Frieza was telling him but nonetheless curious. "Oh, really?"
"That's right, monkey boy," Frieza snickered. Gohan menacingly advanced towards him in anger over the insult, but that didn't stop Frieza from continuing. "At my 100% full power, I will be your superior. You won't kill me, because deep down you know what I say is true."
Frieza stared into Gohan's teal eyes, reading them studiously. "I know how you Saiyans are. The only thing running through the pebble-sized brains of you uncivilized cretins is the prospect of a good fight. You know you want to fight me when I'm at my absolute strongest."
Gohan stood there, mulling over Frieza's words. He was right, give or take his colorful remarks. Gohan did want a challenge, now more than he ever did. The prospect of fighting Frieza at his full power was making the hairs on the back of his neck rise in anticipation. To challenge the galactic emperor, to truly test his new Super Saiyan power would be off the charts.
Gohan snorted. "Fine then, do it. Show me your true power. I want to fight the so-called, 'Strongest in the universe' and destroy him at his best."
"Man, what's Gohan doing? He should just save himself the trouble and blow Frieza to bits right now!" Krillin protested. He jerked his head back in surprise when Goku waved his hand in his face, not even turning around to face him.
"Don't, Krillin," Goku said, his voice more firm than usual. He was a Saiyan just as Gohan, and perfectly understood what was going through his son's mind. "Gohan wants to do this. He may want to make Frieza pay, but he's still a Saiyan. He wants a great fight."
Frieza squeezed his fists tightly. "You never should have thought you could defeat me! Now taste my wrath!" He burst out his Ki, creating an intense pressure wave that exploded the ground beneath them and forced the two to shoot up the air. As soon as their flight came to a halt, Frieza shot both of his arms out and cuffed them together. He then used his Ki to create a shockwave that managed to knock Gohan back several dozens of feet. The force of the attack sent Gohan crashing into the rocky surface of the ground. However, he flew back up almost the instant he landed. His armor had a crack in it around the chest plate area, and the green strap above his left shoulder had snapped open, but he was otherwise okay.
Frieza pulled his head back and laughed. "How did you like that? That little attack was only me at 70%!"
Gohan wiped blood away from his lip and laughed. "Was that supposed to scare me, Frieza? I find it highly interesting that you didn't bring out your full power even when I was beating the shit out of you earlier. Is it because your body can't handle it all?"
"Enough of your impudent talk! Feast your eyes on Lord Frieza's 100% full power!" Frieza squared his shoulder in preparation as he thought to himself, I can finish this brat off in less than a minute once I'm at my full power!
An intense, purple aura surrounded Frieza as he began pushing his power out as far as it could possibly go. With each push, Frieza's muscles expanded in size, trying to contain the rein of the tyrant's true potential coursing through his body. Violent electricity was sparking around Frieza, threatening to strike anything within its vicinity. Frieza's veins were throbbing, and the tyrant was laughing through his teeth the whole way through.
Gohan watched the display that would have been frightening to anyone besides him. It would be so easy to blow Frieza away while he was still powering up, but that wouldn't have satisfied the hybrid. He wanted to utterly humiliate Frieza, and what better way to do than by toppling him when his true helplessness was beyond a shadow of a doubt?
One last rush of power hit Frieza before he released it all in one violent burst that made even Gohan stagger back. The power Frieza released was immense, almost amazing even him. It had been so long since he had to access his true strength, and it was invigorating to do so, at least. He felt completely unstoppable.
"And now…100% Frieza, at your service."
"Took you long enough," Gohan quipped. "Now then, let's get started. This is it, Frieza. We're gonna find out who the strongest truly is. No excuses, no complaints."
In a flash, Frieza appeared right in front of Gohan and landed a vicious punch right to his stomach. Frieza resisted the urge to break out into a fit of laughter right then and there. He was showing the monkey just where his place truly was! Just as quickly, Frieza slammed his elbow into Gohan's chin. The half-Saiyan flew backwards at great speeds from the force of the attack, and Frieza effortlessly caught up to him. The tyrant grabbed Gohan's head with both of his hands and slammed it down onto his large knee.
As Gohan protectively clutched at his nose, Frieza closed in like a shark smelling blood. He landed a staggering array of punches to Gohan's frame, cackling in satisfaction as he connected blow after blow to his body. In his full power, Frieza found it so much easier to move. He felt like the strongest being in the cosmos as he was now.
Frieza rounded off his assault with a spinning kick, but Gohan managed to catch his leg in his arms. Swinging Frieza around so he was facing him again, Gohan attempted to punch Frieza right in the face, but Frieza easily caught his arm and hauled Gohan to him, driving his knee right into his open stomach area. With Gohan doubled over in pain, Frieza clenched his fists together and smashed them onto his upper back. He attack sent Gohan into a fast descent to the earth below them, and before he could land, Frieza phased in right in front of him and landed a drop kick to his abdomen as he hung upside down in the air.
Gohan spun back up and clutched at his side, wincing in pain. Frieza triumphantly folded his arms over his broad chest and laughed haughtily at his plight. "Do you see now, brat? You never had a chance in the first place, even with your 'Super Saiyan' power! And that was just me warming up!"
Gohan's reaction to that tidbit was the exact opposite of what Frieza was expecting, making the lizard frown. Gohan chuckled at it, in fact. "A warm up, huh? Good, because after all of that hype you made about your '100% Full Power,' I was becoming a tad disappointed."
Frieza narrowed his eyes dangerously, beyond irritated with having a mere Saiyan look down on him like this. "I'll teach you to fear me yet, monkey boy! I have to say, your strength is impressive, truly living up to the tales of it being the strongest in the universe…except for the important fact that I am around!"
"All you're doing is talking, Frieza. I have yet to see you truly back it up," Gohan snarled.
Frieza raised his fists and squeezed them tightly. "Enough with your insolence, boy!"
Frieza barreled at Gohan like a football linebacker. However, Gohan matched his charge and the two met in a clash. The sheer impact of their collision made the entire planet shake, causing Goku and his friends to stumble on their feet as they tried to remain standing. Goku looked off to the side and saw Vegeta's corpse still lying. Out of good nature, he walked over to him and picked him up, slinging his body over his shoulder to keep him from getting caught in the crossfire.
Gohan and Frieza flew back before rocketing at each other again, this time going into a lightning fast exchange of attacks. They were battling at amazing speeds, their punches and kicks looking like nothing but blurs to the outside lookers. Frieza blocked what was sure to be a deadly punch and attempted to use his superior size to tear Gohan's head off with a kick, but the half-Saiyan narrowly ducked out of harm's way and sprung back up, landing a hard punch to his mouth.
Gohan nailed a brutal kick to Frieza's chest that knocked him back a few feet and fired a Ki blast in attempt to further the pain. However, to his surprise, Frieza rammed through the blast and, with a swipe of his arm, sent Gohan flying downwards. Gohan hit the ground hard on his hands and knees. Already feeling Frieza's Ki shooting down on him like a missile, Gohan exploded his golden Ki around him and blasted off into the sky, narrowly avoiding Frieza's foot that slammed into the ground and caved it in.
Gohan used that as a chance to fire a significantly larger Ki blast down towards him. Frieza had to raise both of his forearms just to withstand its impact. Frieza charged through the dust that arose from the blast's dissipation and curled his arms back, appearing to be preparing to slam them both into Gohan's torso. The Super Saiyan braced himself accordingly, but Frieza suddenly phased out of sight. He reappeared right behind Gohan and before the Saiyan could turn around, slammed his leg into the base of his spine.
Frieza snickered in satisfaction, but his victory was a short one. Gohan spun back around and caught him completely off guard with a head butt, knocking him silly. As Gohan unleashed a flurry of blows whose fury could only be harnessed by his Super Saiyan power, he thought back to just what this fight meant to him. Frieza and his sycophantic cronies had gone out of his way to make him experience the worst sufferings possible. And through it all, they took away everything that he held dear. The half-Saiyan had to win this, to prove to himself that he wasn't anybody's toy to be played with leisurely.
While the onlookers of Tien, Chiaotzu, and Krillin were amazed by the battle, it was Goku who was truly in awe. He could only watch the fight above with his jaw agape, his eyes completely captivated by the two warriors. Never in all of his years had he witnessed a battle being waged on this scale before. These were two titans fighting to see who truly was deserving of the title of the strongest. It made the earth raised Saiyan's blood rise with envy – why couldn't he be in a fight this amazing? He was going to have a lot of training to do when this was all said and done!
Krillin noticed the captivated look on his longtime friend's face and couldn't help but laugh. "Do you want some popcorn with that, Goku? You look like a kid watching an action flick!" Goku absent-mindedly nodded, his eyes glued to the battle between his son and the tyrant.
Frieza jumped back and fired a large, purple Ki blast at Gohan, but it was swatted down to the ground, triggering a decent sized explosion. Gohan charged at Frieza and hit him with a fierce punch to the face. Growing frustrated, Frieza burst his Ki around him to blow Gohan back. He rushed towards Gohan and unleashed a wild volley of blows, which Gohan did his best to defend himself against.
However, he couldn't block the flat punch that Frieza landed squarely on his nose. He muttered a few curses under his breath as Frieza tried to follow his attack up with a kick, but managed to regain his bearings fast enough to phase out of sight when Frieza's leg was just inches away from his shoulder. Frieza looked around, trying to find any sign of Gohan.
"TAKE THIS!"
Frieza looked up above him and saw a shower of Ki blasts falling towards him. Letting out a ferocious yell, Frieza flew to the blasts head on and repelled them all with both of his hands. However, he left himself open, which was just what Gohan was hoping for. Gohan rocketed downward, his legs sticking out. The Super Saiyan violently slammed both of his feet into Frieza's shoulders, and used his immense power to drive Frieza into the ground.
The rocky surface erupted beneath them when they landed. Gohan sprang off from Frieza and flipped backwards in the air before landing on his feet. Frieza kipped up from the crater his landing had formed, looking at Gohan with a sneer of disgust.
"Don't let that little victory go to your head, you rodent." A violent, purple aura swept over Frieza, and he squatted down in an offensive position. "Regardless of what you do, it still won't change the fact that the only victor in this battle will be ME!"
Frieza sprung at Gohan, but the half-Saiyan answered his challenge with vigor. Lunging at each other, both powerful warriors thrust their opposing arms together, their fists meeting in a staggering clash. They opened their palms and interlocked their fingers together, and then did the same thing with their other arms. They were grinding their teeth together as they tried to use their raw strength to overtake the other. Their auras were precariously mixing together as a result of their duel, blazing in the air like a wildfire.
"Still underestimating me, lizard?" Gohan spat, his lips curling into his smirk as he clamped down on his teeth.
"Don't be absurd, you simian mongrel! Your strength doesn't match mine!" Frieza hissed, pushing his energy even further to deter Gohan's thoughts.
Gohan pushed even harder, the veins in his arms throbbing as he tried to overpower Frieza. Their shouts of power were cutting through the air as the rumbling of the ground beneath them intensified. Goku, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Krillin jumped into the sky, Goku and Krillin holding their fallen comrades securely as they did.
It was Frieza who finally grew tired of the standoff, releasing an intense burst of Ki that forced Gohan off of him. Just seconds later, he delivered a fierce kick to Gohan's jaw that sprung him into the sky. Feeling the tide turning in his favor, Frieza engulfed himself in a bright, purple orb and shot himself up at Gohan like a torpedo.
Gohan halted his ascent and then raised his explosive Ki, prepared to combat the missile-like tyrant. His eyes billowed in astonishment, however, when Frieza accelerated his speed. Before Gohan could even lift his arms to defend himself, Frieza slammed himself into his entire torso as if he were a javelin. Frieza took it upon himself to unleash a frightening array of punches to Gohan's stomach, his arms moving like a machine gun.
Gohan felt the familiar feeling of blood rising to his esophagus as Frieza continued his assault to his gut. He was trying to get his Ki under control so he could counter Frieza, but it was far too difficult for him to do with him being beaten around so much.
Frieza phased out of sight and reappeared behind Gohan. The tyrant unleashed a devastating elbow right into Gohan's shoulder blades, the force of the attack clocking Gohan right into a pile of stone and metal that was left in the wake of the various destroyed buildings. Gohan took a brutal fall right in the middle of the pile, getting buried beneath the rocks.
"C'mon, Gohan, get up!" Goku encouraged, unconsciously clenching his fists tightly.
"That won't be happening any time soon!" Frieza raised both of his palms and channeled a destructive amount of Ki to them. Frieza released all of the power in the form of hundreds of blasts that rocked the ground with an excruciating amount of explosions. The eruption of dust and smoke forced Goku and the others to shield their eyes while coughing hoarsely.
Frieza was firing enough blasts to reduce Gohan to jelly and then some. The galactic overlord didn't care if he was going overboard – this was his retribution for that monkey filth having the gall to try and humiliate him, Frieza, the strongest being in all of the goddamn universe. Okay, sure, his father and Cooler were stronger than him, but still.
Frieza finally stopped himself when he figured he was putting out too much energy, panting heavily as he decided to catch a breather. However, in between his gasps of air was laughter, which was growing in volume and shrillness. As his eyes settled on the smoke that was blowing from the wreckage where Gohan assuredly used to be, Frieza felt an immense sense of victory. He did it!
"Take THAT, you filthy, despicable, bratty ape! You were a fool to think you could contend with me!" Frieza cackled, his voice booming triumphantly through the sky. "I hope you and Vegeta both brood over your failures in hell!"
Goku felt his heart drop. He couldn't sense his son's Ki at all. What if Frieza did kill him with that last attack? What was he going to do now? Nobody would be able to contend with Frieza now. Goku began contemplating whether he should use that technique – the Spirit Bomb. It was a risky gamble, but it may have been his only option.
"Is Frieza invincible or something? Not even Gohan could defeat him, and he's a Super Saiyan!" Krillin whimpered. He turned to his oldest friend. "What the hell are we gonna do, Goku?"
Goku was about to open his mouth to reply, until he saw Frieza methodically floating down to him. Goku tensely squared his shoulders, prepared to defend himself even if his efforts were completely worthless. Frieza stopped when he was at the same level as Goku, folding his arms over his chest and fixing Goku and his allies with a cold smirk.
"Well now, how does the old saying go? 'The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree?'" Frieza darkly mused out loud, his sinister red eyes directed at Goku. "Now that Gohan has been taken care of, there is only one Saiyan left for me to destroy before the universe is at last cleared of you detestable vermin."
Goku clamped down hard on his jaw as he protectively floated backwards. Krillin was stammering in fear, while Tien and Chiaotzu made their best attempts to appear firm. Frieza chuckled in sadistic anticipation of an incoming kill. "And unfortunately, that last Saiyan is you. I honestly have no idea how you managed to slip under the rug, but at least I now have the opportunity to rectify that act of sloppiness."
Frieza raised his hand, which was glowing with a purple light. "Hopefully, I can produce that same look of fear on you that your father had right before I blew him and your home planet away."
Frieza fired a deadly blast right at the full-blooded Saiyan. Goku exploded red Ki around him, using a Kaio-ken to amplify his speed to allow him to get out of the blast's trajectory fast enough. Goku flew down several feet, trying to get away from Frieza as fast as he could. However, Frieza rocketed down to him at tremendous speed. Goku braced himself for a deadly impact, until he and everyone else heard it.
A great explosion went off where the pile of buildings lay. As the thick clouds of smoke arose into the atmosphere, another figure rose with them. Even with the smoke obscuring his body, the golden light engulfing him could be seen clearly.
Son Gohan emerged from the smoke, looking at Frieza with a menacing glare. The damage from Frieza's attack was showing in his appearance, as almost the entirety of the left chest plate his armor was destroyed, and his body suit was racked with cuts and tears. His face was painted with new bruises and cuts. Gohan brushed his golden bangs away from his eyes, giving Frieza his full attention.
"Did you really think so little of me, Frieza? That was far from enough," Gohan sneered.
Goku and the earthlings breathed sighs of relief, though Frieza was fuming. "Dammit, he truly is tough!" he bleakly muttered to himself. "Fine then, monkey! I'm just going to have to grind you to pieces the way I did to your precious little prince!"
Gohan's eye twitched as Frieza's words drifted his mind back over to what triggered this legendary transformation in the first place. Gohan released a deafening scream as a tremendous surge of power rushed to him.
"The way you did to the prince, huh?" Gohan shouted, his tone dangerously fluctuating. "You're going to pay for what you did to Vegeta with your blood, you son of a bitch!" Gohan brought his power under control and looked at Frieza with dangerously narrowed eyes. "I will show you the wrath of every last Saiyan you killed."
"Look at you, Mr. Proud Avenger," Frieza snidely remarked. "I said it to Vegeta, and I'll say it to you as well – you Saiyans are all the same! So hopelessly obstinate; you're going to harness all of the anger of your dead race, huh? Not even combined could they touch me!"
"You're lying to yourself, Frieza," Goku said, his stomach churning in disgust. "Your bloated ego is going to be your undoing. I may have had my own fair share of disgust for the Saiyan race, but I at least share their anguish over you."
Frieza spun around to face Goku, threateningly bearing his teeth at him. "Do you have even the slightest idea who you're talking to, scum? Perhaps I should dispose of the last full-blood before I topple Gohan's laughable efforts."
Frieza raised his hand in preparation to fire a fatal beam to Goku's heart, but suddenly felt another gloved hand grab hold of his. Gohan was right in front of him, and for the second time, Frieza was frozen in fear. How did he get to me so quickly?
"Don't even think about it," Gohan warned, his voice treacherously low. "I may have watched you kill Vegeta, but I'll die before I let you kill my father, too."
Goku felt an undeterminable wave of emotions creep up to him. He had thought that any sort of bond he had with his son was lost, thrown to the wayside by Gohan's radical shift in character. Gohan had looked at him with callous disregard when they reunited eleven months ago, but now he was openly defending him, holding his life in high regard. It was a pleasant feeling to Goku to know that his son still cared.
Frieza tried to relinquish his hand from Gohan's grip, but it was iron tight. He ended up being recklessly thrust forward, however, and was knocked down hundreds of feet when Gohan rocked his jaw with a devastating punch.
"You insolent little…!" Frieza hissed as he slowly stood to his feet. When he stood straight and looked up, Gohan was already standing a couple of yards across from him.
"Let's finish this fight, Frieza," Gohan commanded. "Your death is at hand."
"I could say the same to you," Frieza shot back, furrowing his brows. "You really are set on seeing this battle to the end. Well, I shall oblige; you will be begging for mercy by the time I unleash the killing blow."
"Enough," Gohan sneered as he squared his shoulders for battle. The tension in the air was thick, as Gohan and Frieza fixed each other with piercing stares. There was just as much tension among Goku and his friends as they watched their standoff intently. Their fates were just as much at stake in this final showdown.
Just seconds later, Frieza shot up to him and slammed his shoulder right into his chest. However, Gohan answered his beckoning just as violently, slamming the full force of his knee into Frieza's jaw. All bets were off now, as Gohan and Frieza were unleashing their strongest strikes to crush each other's will power.
Frieza tried to tear Gohan's head off with a vicious punch, but the Super Saiyan ducked out of it in the nick of time and, with his body crouched, landed an excruciating punch right to Frieza's stomach. Frieza hacked up a mouthful of purple blood from the force. He quickly recovered, however, and slammed his elbow right atop Gohan's head. He finished the assault with a kick to Gohan's mid-section.
Gohan flew backwards into the standing remains of a building, but was in enough control of his flight that he was able to hit the wall feet first and spring off of it. He leapt at Frieza and twisted his body so that he could aim a vicious kick to his skull, but Frieza caught his foot. Gohan used Frieza's hold as leverage, however, and then nailed Frieza in the temple with his other foot.
Frieza hit the ground and skidded to a halt. "Goddammit," he cursed to himself as he rolled over on his back and lifted himself up to one knee. His head jerked back in surprise just seconds after he lifted it up to see what was ahead. Gohan was right in front of him, his eyes fierce and his golden aura waving like a violent flame around him.
Frieza sprung up to attack Gohan, but the Super Saiyan swiftly kicked him right in his sternum to knock him flat. Frieza angrily growled before springing back up and attempting to nail a surprise punch to his waist. However, Gohan was a step ahead of him and blasted off into the sky.
Frieza took off after him and tried to punch him once more, but Gohan phased out of sight. When he reappeared at Frieza's left, he flopped backwards and slammed the heel of both of his boots into Frieza's cranium. Frieza grinded down on his teeth hard and swung back at Gohan, almost appearing desperate in his movements. Gohan ducked the punch with ease and came up behind Frieza before driving his knee into his spine. As Frieza flew forward from the attack, Gohan fired a golden Ki blast that hit him squarely in the bruised area of his back. Frieza crashed into the ground hard, making smoke explode around him.
"Damn you!" Frieza shrieked before flying right back into the sky. He restlessly unleashed a flurry of attacks on Gohan, but the hybrid was besting his speed with ease. It was taking all of Frieza's concentration just to keep up with the golden blur of his movements. Gohan phased out of sight, causing Frieza to stumble over as his ferocious punch hit nothing but air.
Frieza felt short of breath when he spun around and glared up at Gohan. The tyrant opted to try and bring Gohan on the ropes, firing several Ki beams his way. His jaw sank in surprise, however, when Gohan dodged them all without appearing to exert any significant effort.
Frieza let out a yell of frustration and drew back his hands, purple Ki sparking around him. He fired a massive wave of light at Gohan, but the half-Saiyan answered it with a blast of his own. The two waves cancelled each other out, and almost instantly, Frieza took it upon himself to fire even more blasts at Gohan. These ones were smaller in comparison, allowing Gohan to go about swatting them all away with his hands.
Frieza capitalized on Gohan's preoccupation and flew at him, looking to tear his head off with a punch. However, Gohan's attention immediately turned to him, and he managed to ruthlessly slam his forearm on Frieza's violet-patched skull before he could even thrust out his curled back arm.
Frieza hit the gravely surface of the Earth even harder than before. After staggering up to his feet, he froze, his muscles gripping with tension. The tyrant could feel the heat of Gohan's aura coming up behind him. What the hell was happening? Why was that Saiyan monkey so damn fast? It was becoming increasingly more difficult to even keep up with him.
He was letting out a cry of pain when he felt the sharp, all too familiar feeling of Gohan's foot connecting with his back. Gohan hit him in the side of the head with a dizzying blow that left him eating dirt on the ground.
"Can't keep up, Frieza?"
The galactic tyrant slammed his fists into the ground in anger and jumped up to his feet, trying to intimidate Gohan with a glare that threatened bloodshed. He was fuming with barely-restrained anger. "I am going to make you suffer, you piece of simian trash! For your insolence, I am going to pay you back one hundredfold!"
Gohan spat at the ground before staring at Frieza with a calm, but still stern expression. "It's over. You can't win."
Frieza blinked in astonishment at Gohan before snarling in disgust. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"It's like I said before – your body can't handle your full power. You've fallen past your peak as a result of the strain and your Ki's been rapidly decreasing," he bluntly explained. "It's painfully obvious by how much I have you on the ropes."
"You cocky son of a bitch! Let's see how tough you talk when I'm crushing your skull beneath my feet!" Frieza bit back. He exploded his Ki around him and shouted, "I can never be defeated!"
"You're pathetic, Frieza. You're nothing more than a prissy, whiny little brat," Gohan venomously snorted. "Here you are, throwing a temper tantrum because you've finally met a warrior who is superior to you." The Super Saiyan's lips curled into a cruel smirk. "And to top it all off, he's just a monkey!"
Frieza stood there in shock, not wanting to believe any of Gohan's crushing words. "Y-you…you better shut your mouth and learn your place, right now!"
"You are nothing. Your army's been destroyed. Your pride's been destroyed. You have nothing left to lean back on. The only thing left for me to do is end that pathetic thing you call a life."
Frieza fell into stunned silence, quivering in agitation. N-no…he's wrong…I am Frieza! Ruler of most of this universe! Nobody outside of my clan is superior to me, much less those contemptible apes! "S-such…such a thing…cannot be!" Frieza reasoned out loud, making Gohan roll his eyes.
"IT CANNOT!"
Frieza released all of the Ki within him in an enraged burst. Gohan snorted in disgust over Frieza's bratty fit of anger. The tyrant blasted off high into the sky, pushing his energy even further. Gohan looked on with intrigue when Frieza lifted his arm high up above him. From his palm formed an orange orb, which began rapidly expanding in size until it resembled a massive supernova being held within his palm.
Frieza broke out into loud laughter, any trace of sanity sweeping away from the normally cordial and composed emperor. "I AM THE STRONGEST WARRIOR IN THE UNIVERSE! YOU ARE NOT MY SUPERIOR!" Frieza gave the deadly ball one last surge of energy. "LET'S SEE YOU TRY AND COUNTER THIS ONE! DODGE IT, AND THIS WHOLE PLANET WILL BLOW TO SMITHEREENS!"
Goku's heart nearly burst out of his chest. That deadly blast being held by Frieza's palm could blow up the whole planet several times over. "No…he can't…!"
"Holy shit!" Krillin exclaimed, trembling in complete fear. "Oh God…we've really pissed him off now! He's gonna blow us all into space dust!" Angry tears spilled from the diminutive warrior as he pulled his head back and shouted, "AND I'VE NEVER GOTTEN MARRIED! NOT EVEN ONCE!"
"No…it's all over…" Tien murmured.
"DIE, YOU PIECE OF SAIYAN SHIT! TAKE THIS!" Frieza fired the deadly supernova right at Gohan.
However, the Super Saiyan was the only one completely composed, even as the bomb-like blast made its descent to him. A violent gust of wind was blowing away everything in sight, various debris flying to its trajectory. But even in the face of the seeming incoming apocalypse, Gohan was confident. He could counter this blast, easy. He had a certain attack in mind, and he was going to unleash it, right now.
"Ka…me…"
Goku blinked in astonishment, his eyes darting over to his son, who was standing firm. His posture was straightened, his fists squeezed tightly at his sides. "Do it…son."
"Ha…me…"
Gohan nodded firmly to himself. This was it. He squatted down and curled his arms back, cuffing his hands together as the most destructive amount of Ki he had ever gathered in his life charged to them. His energy was ripping through his veins, prepared to destroy its target.
"HAAAAAAAAAAA!"
With a thrust of his arms, Gohan fired a massive, blue Ki wave that lit up the sky. The blast pressed collided with Frieza's and pushed through it completely. Frieza, who had been laughing maniacally just seconds earlier, was now left slack jawed, staring into the bright wave that was rapidly ascending to him, engulfing his field of vision.
"Oh shi-"
The blast slammed into him. It ripped through every last cell of the fully powered body of Frieza before reducing him into nothing but vapors.
It was over.
The smoke settled around Gohan, who was standing there, fixed in his firing position. A sudden rush of emotions hit him, the reality of the turn of events finally hitting him. His arms fell freely at his sides. His aura swept away and the golden color of his hair faded back to black, the legendary power leaving him. And with that power, left the tension that filled the fourteen-year old half-Saiyan for the vast majority if his life. A small fit of laughter crept up to him.
"I…I did it," he mumbled.
Gohan swung his head back before triumphantly screaming to the heavens, "I DID IT!"
"You did it," Goku echoed, slowly walking up to Gohan. The half-Saiyan turned around to face his father, and for the first time in over ten years, flashed a genuine smile. He did it. He avenged Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz. He avenged his race. He finally won the revenge for all of the years Frieza tortured and beat him, treating him like his little doll. The goal he had set on Planet Kithra all of those years ago was now completed.
He was free at last.