Vegeta looked at his surroundings. He couldn't even remember how he got here. He certainly didn't come here, himself. How long had it been, since Frieza had taken over? However long it had been, it was all a complete blur, to him. He could only vaguely recall someone breaking him out of his cell. He had thought it was another hallucination, but clearly, it wasn't.
He looked down at himself. Not only was he completely healed, his power had increased ten-fold. He could barely keep a handle on it. He never would have thought he could push his limits this far. He smirked, slightly. If he knew he could, he would have sought it out years ago.
Something brought him out of his high. He could sense a huge power, and he knew exactly to whom it belonged. He didn't have the time to enjoy his own strength. He had to get back in the game. He leapt out of the room, and flew down the hallways at top speed.
They would pay for what they did to his people.
When the smoke cleared, Dodoria was lying against a wall. His natural body armor was destroyed, and his stomach was now a pale pink. He wasn't moving or even twitching.
Zarbon stood up, lowering his blocked arms. He looked at the damage that had been done. It looked like Dodoria was dead, for good. He looked at Nappa, and they gave each other a nod. He breathed in, and reverted into his normal form.
Nappa slowly walked over to Zarbon. "Hey. Does something happen to your mind, when you transform like that?"
"What do you mean?"
"I can't explain it, but you were a lot meaner in that form than you are, now."
He sighed. "That doesn't surprise me. It's why I don't like using that form. It's a beast inside and out. I apologize, if I caused anymore trouble."
Nappa patted his shoulder. "It doesn't matter. That bastard's taken care of, for good. Now, we should go see on how the others are doing."
Zarbon looked over his shoulder. It was a shame. Even though they never got along, it was still disappointing to see his closest co-worker being turned into such a bloodthirsty monster, like that. He probably should have seen it coming, but it was still hard to swallow.
He waved off the rest of his musings. What was done was done; they couldn't change it. "I agree. We should."
Zarbon and Nappa started running back to the other side of the palace. Right when they were about to turn the corner, they heard a noise. They looked over their shoulders and gawked. Dodoria wasn't there, anymore. They both immediately went on their guard. He couldn't have gotten far, in that condition.
Suddenly, Zarbon was slapped aside, and on the floor. A foot stepped on his head, forcing it onto the ground. Dodoria cackled, above him, as he grunted in pain.
Yes, he was still gravely injured, by Dodoria was still standing. Nappa couldn't believe his eyes. Even a Saiyan would have been dead, with that many injuries. Dodoria quickly grabbed him by the neck, and forced him off the ground. His hand crushed Nappa's windpipe, and his foot was slowly squeezing Zarbon's head onto the jagged rubble. They struggled, but his stance and grip were too firm.
"I thought you would have learned this, by now," Dodoria said. "You should never leave anything behind, lest it bite you in the ass, later. Such as shame that you'll have to die just to get this point across."
Suddenly, there was a gust of wind. Then, Nappa was dropped onto the floor, and Zarbon was no longer held down by Dodoria's foot. Nappa took several deep breaths, and rubbed his neck, while Zarbon rubbed his aching head.
They looked up and were shocked by what they saw. Dodoria convulsed, and gasped for air. There was a fist sticking straight through his chest, where his heart was. And they both knew the one who had done it.
"Vegeta," Nappa said, in awe.
Dodoria looked down at Vegeta in shock. He wore a cold, emotionless glare, not even showing a sign of anger.
He coughed up blood. "V-Vegeta… p-please show mercy!"
Vegeta spoke in a low and threatening voice. "After all the years of being spat on by you; after all that I know you've done to my race; and after what you did to her, you expect me to show you mercy?"
"N-no! I'm s-s-sorry! Please! Together, w-we can b-ring down Frieza…!"
He had heard enough. He brought his other hand to his face and blasted Dodoria's head off of his body. When his body fell to the floor with a thud, Vegeta pointed his palm towards it and blasted it completely, leaving nothing left.
Nappa blinked. He never would have thought that Vegeta could be so ruthless; he never thought he had it in him. Dodoria certainly had it coming, but it was still a shock to see someone he knew since they were an infant kill someone so completely. He and Zarbon looked at each other; he was just as shocked.
Vegeta turned on his heel and walked over to Nappa and Zarbon. Nappa knew how to read him well enough to recognize the concern in his eyes. "Are you alright," he asked.
They glanced at each other once more, and stood back up. "Yeah," Nappa said. "We're fine."
He nodded, as his shoulders relaxed. "What's going on?"
"We staged a coup to take over the palace. Zarbon and I got stuck fighting Dodoria."
"The rest of the army was advancing successfully, last I saw," Zarbon continued. "I don't know what's happened, since our fight began."
Vegeta grunted. "Well, then: we better go check." He spun on his heel and marched down the hallway. The other two quickly followed. With the prince on their side, they would finish this with no problem. Then, they could focus on the real threat.
Bulma pushed her palms downward and blasted herself into the air, hoping to fly over Frieza's head. As she tried to aim in the air, her attack missed him by a foot. She tried again, but she still missed her mark. Frieza turned around to look up at her. He was smiling at her, with an amused glint in his eyes.
She powered up and rushed towards him, aiming to blast him head on. He simply jumped out of the way, and flew behind her. She turned around and started throwing rapid punches at his chest. He didn't even block. He just stood there, and took every blow.
She pulled her hand back and punched him right in-between his pecks. He only grunted, in surprise. Why wasn't he attacking her back? He was frothing at the mouth not even a few minutes ago to get his hands on her. Even with Piccolo, he was fighting back a little bit. Where did all of that go?
Something clicked for her. He wasn't taking this fight seriously, at all. He was toying with her.
She lifted her knee, to kick him in his knees. He turned around, grabbed her leg with his tail, and threw her away from him. Bulma stopped herself in midair. She was starting to get angry. She started firing random ki-blasts from her hand, aiming them towards him. He gracefully leaned side to side, avoiding each and every blow.
Bulma jumped back and raised her hands, forming an energy ball in between them. She chucked it at him. Frieza stood still, as it came towards him, and then whacked it with his tail, sending it back to her. Bulma dodged the attack, as it flew past her. The ball exploded in the distance. She glared back at him. He was still calm.
"Tell you what: to make this more interesting, how about I fight you using only one of my hands? Maybe you'll fare a bit better than the Namekian I met earlier did."
She wanted nothing more than to blast that smirk off of his face. She closed her eyes and breathed. Nail always told her not to let her anger get the better of her. Getting upset will only make things worse. She breathed in and out. When she opened her eyes, Frieza was still looking at her, waiting for an answer.
"Fine," she said. "Have it your way."
Bulma rushed towards him, throwing a punch in his face. Frieza moved to the right, and the attack missed him. Frieza suddenly elbowed her in the back, catching her off guard. He grabbed her ponytail and pulled her up to him, so he could look at her.
He chuckled. "Come now, Bulma: where's all of that confidence you had just a few moments ago? Let me see that brilliant power you've been keeping hidden in you."
He let go of her hair and punched her in the gut, making her yelp. She held back tears of pain, and tried to jump back. She pulled her hands back, and fired two blasts at him. He disintegrated each blast with his right hand.
"That's not going to be good enough, is it? Are you still holding back or is this really your limits? Such a shame: you go through all the trouble of coming back and regaining your power, and this is all you can do. You really have been a disappointment, Bulma: first the Dragon Ball, and now this."
She threw her hands up and started firing random blasts at him, hoping that one would hit him. She didn't even come close. He didn't even need to dodge most of them. She lowered her hands, and slumped over, panting hard.
"Are you done with the theatrics, yet? I'd like to actually fight you, eventually."
She glanced down. Piccolo didn't look like he was done gathering his energy, yet. If she couldn't hurt him, she'd have to stall him.
"Tell me this first, Frieza," she said. "Why are you killing the Saiyans? Without them, you don't have any people to rule over."
If he had a brow, it would be raised at her question. Amusement glittered in his eyes. "You're curious. I don't see why not. First – how much do you know about my family – the Colds?"
Perfect. He was indulging her questions. She just had to keep this up for a little longer. "I know how feared you are, in the galaxy. Nothing much, besides that."
"My family has run a galactic-wide empire for generations. We offer planets under our control economic security and safety in return for tribute – usually goods and soldiers. A fair trade, on our account: they get more out of it than we do. However, then we get the planet that just can't keep up with the tributes. When that happens, we purge it. Do I need to explain that to you, as well?"
He was talking so casually about genocide and extortion. And it had been going on for generations. She never would have realized how closed off she was, back on Earth. "No. I get the concept," she said, her voice wavering, with anger.
"After the purging, we sell the planets to the highest bidder. If they can't pay up, the cycle continues. Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a part of this trade. However, my father named my brother as his successor. That's when I decided that I was going to take matter into my own hands. I went around from planet to planet, looking for a suitable place to start my empire – Planet Vegeta was the most suitable. In fact, I just managed to get a deal for another race to move in, once I've exterminated all the Saiyans. The easiest way to get the resources under my control was overthrowing the monarchy."
She rushed him, to punch him. He grabbed her wrist and kept her there, as she was seething with anger. He didn't make a move to attack her.
"So, you're building your empire on fear and lies. What are you going to do, once someone catches on and goes against you?"
He shrugged. "I'll kill them, before they become a problem. You've certainly taught me to contain threats early."
She lifted her leg to kick him, but he caught it with his opposite hand.
"What about Vegeta? Why are you keeping him, alive? You killed his father – he has every reason to go against you!"
Realization hit him. "So, you were the one I sent down to his cell, weren't you? I'll give you credit – I never would have guessed it was you."
"Answer my question," she yelled.
He let go of her limbs and circled her. "I was going to kill him, but then I realized how much potential he has – much more than the rest of the Saiyans. It would be a waste to kill him, before he reached his full strength. But I knew he wouldn't submit to any normal torture: he's far too stubborn for that.
"Instead, I locked him in that cell. My guards were all faceless and voiceless, leaving him cut off from any interaction with another human. Slowly, his mind would begin to break. It might take a while, but I'm a very patient man. Either way, the moment he broke, I'd be there to rebuild him into the perfect soldier – one that would serve me loyally without any reservations or emotions getting in the way. And with his limitless strength, he would slowly become the most powerful weapon I've ever owned."
Something inside of Bulma snapped, as he spoke. Just when she thought Frieza couldn't get anymore cruel and heartless, he talks about turning Vegeta into a weapon. Her fists were clenched so tightly her knuckles were white.
Frieza's tail slithered underneath her chin, turning her head towards him. He tsked, as she glared at him, with clenched teeth. "Don't make that face. I could have killed him, but now he has a new opportunity to gain – you should be relieved, really."
That was it.
Bulma's fist flew forward, and she landed a punch right in his jaw. She brought her hands up above her head, and slammed them down on him, sending him falling to the ground. Her palms flew up, and she formed another energy beam in her hands.
"MASENKO, HA!"
She sent it down towards Frieza. He only barely managed to grab onto it, still shocked by this sudden burst of power. As he pushed it back, she pushed more and more of her energy into it. She was ignoring every lesson she had about conserving energy, but she didn't care. She even forgot about Piccolo's attack. This monster needed to be killed, and she had to be the one to do it. As it got closer to the ground, a crater began to form. She kept pushing every drop of her energy reserves into this attack.
"DIE, YOU MONSTER!"
She finally heaved the last of her energy into the attack towards him. The ball hit the ground and it exploded into a bright cloud of dust and smoke, completely leveling the ground beneath it.
Bulma was panting, as she was slowly descending to the ground. She barely had enough energy to fly. She stared at the smoke cloud, waiting for it to clear.
As it cleared, she panicked. Frieza wasn't there, at all. There wasn't even a hole where his body might have been. That couldn't have been enough energy to destroy him like that. It wasn't.
She heard a teleportation whoosh, from behind her. She turned around, with a snarl on her face.
"Well done," Frieza said. "You actually did have a bit of power in you. I'm honestly impressed. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough."
He suddenly grabbed her neck, and squeeze. Bulma kicked and struggled to get free, but Frieza had her in a death-lock. He pointed his finger towards the middle of her face. She could feel the heat radiating from it. She glared at him, daring him to kill her and be done with it.
Right when he was about to zap her, he was hit by a ki-blast right in the back. He dropped her, and she went falling towards the ground, like a dead weight. Before she hit, Piccolo caught her, in his arms.
She blinked, looked up and Piccolo, and then around quickly. "What happened?"
He practically dropped her on the ground, and looked back up at Frieza. "Someone hit Frieza right when he was about to kill you. I don't know what. Now, I need you to hold this." He handed her a small corked bottle, with an inscription on it. It simply read 'demon seal'.
"Is it ready?"
"As ready as it will ever be. Hold that and open it when I tell you to. As soon as I get him in, you seal it, again."
Frieza was up in the air, looking around frantically. "WHO DID THAT," he yelled. He glared at Piccolo. "WAS IT YOU, SLAVE?!"
Piccolo smirked. "On your left."
He turned around and nearly keeled over in shock. The Namekian he had left to die was standing there, pointing his palm towards him.
Bulma beamed. "It's Nail!"
Frieza stuttered. "H-how did you?! You were half dead!"
Nail chuckled. "It wasn't thorough enough."
He clenched his teeth. He could not believe that these pests kept coming back. He sped towards Nail, ready to rip out his heart.
Piccolo crossed his arms, and pointed his pointer and middle finger upwards, stopping his charge. Frieza looked around; trying to figure out what was stopping him.
"Take this," Piccolo yelled. "MAFUBA!"
He threw his hands out towards Frieza, and a long green wave emitted from it. It spiraled around him, completely engulfing him. He shrieked, as it began to stretch him and pull him out from where he was standing. He tried to break free, but the wave was too strong. His screams became more distorted, as he began to cry and curse his adversaries for outsmarting him.
"DAMN YOU, VERMIN," Frieza screeched. "I AM THE MIGHTY FRIEZA! YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU CROSSED ME!" The wave spun him around and around in a spiral, trapping him with no hopes of escaping.
"Now, Bulma!"
Bulma uncorked the bottle, opening the top. Piccolo brought his hands up, and threw them downwards, aiming it for the bottle. As the wave hit the cap of the bottle, Bulma braced her feet to the ground, feeling herself pushed back by the force of it. The wave was forced into the bottle until there was nothing left. As soon as it did, Bulma secured the cork and pushed it down.
Several tense seconds passed, and they could all breathe a sigh of relief.
