Chapter 31: Autognosis
Author:Rocket (a.k.a. Roketto/RyunoOhi); Continuity Wizard: Saucemonkey; Editors: Elbadj, Renalto
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A tree branch splintered violently, a sharp shard digging into his bloody knuckles. The shot of pain elicited a harsh cry from his raw throat, as he lashed out in blind fury. He smelled burning, but ignored it. Only the need to rip, crush, break all about him mattered. Frieza swung his tail through a concrete structure of some sort, pulverizing it. 'I'll kill him! I'll find him, and I'll rip him apart!' his mind shrieked as he laid waste to the mountainside with a blistering wave of ki. His left arm throbbed insistently, maddeningly, and it only spurred him to rage all the more, driving the metal limb through a rock edifice. The Arcosian pummeled the strata mindlessly, blow after blow, until the ancient rock finally fell before him. He looked down, panting, at his arm. It was smoking, the hexagonal web of lights along it flickering weakly. Some of the metal digits were bent and twisted, and he could not fully uncurl the fist he'd made. Frieza snorted, turned, and rammed it into another rock face, fully intending to break this one down too. A crunch and the tinkle of broken components within the limb signaled its failure, and he looked at the limp, uselessly swinging arm in silent despair for a moment. Then two. Then three. Suddenly, without warning, he let out a roar of frustration, and powered up beyond his exhaustion to attack the landscape again, the broken prosthetic flailing at his side.
SHHFFT!
"Oh man..." Goku took in the scene of destruction, aghast, before his eyes fell on Frieza, covered in blood and dust, frantically pummeling what was left of a cliff face with one hand. "Piccolo said he'd been out here for a few hours while we were getting everyone healed, but I can't believe he's still going, and in his condition even..." The Saiyan's face hardened as Frieza leveled a half-broken tree, screaming as he did so. "Frieza," he called out, "that's enough, it's time to go home!" As he feared though, the Arcosian did not so much as acknowledge him, instead laboring to destroy the nearest boulder instead. Goku sighed. 'Looks like I gotta snap him outta this...Kooler warned me, but he's gotta be getting tired by now, so I should be okay,' he thought as he strode towards the alien. Picking his way through the debris, he circled around Frieza as he would a cornered animal. "Hey Frieza," he tried in a cheerful tone, "come on, let's get you back to Capsule Corp — aw man, Bulma's gonna be mad; looks like you broke your whole arm. Whaddya say?"
The short Arcosian took in a deep, sucking breath, and coughed, spitting out some blood. He shook his head. "Leave me...alone..." he forced.
"So you are in there! I was worried," Goku smiled, "But you can't stay out here all day. You look like you could use a Senzu...oops, I forgot, we don't have any...but Dende can heal you! You've gotta come with me to the Lookout though, okay? After that, we—"
"Shut the hell up," Frieza said, in a slightly slurred voice, thick with blood and hatred, "It's my fault that Gero got away. My fault that...that..." He struck the boulder in front of him again, and Goku winced as his hand came away, leaving a deep scarlet smear.
"Hey, hey, it's okay, it'll all be fine." Goku stepped closer, hands up placatingly. Frieza watched him with unfocused eyes. "Don't worry about Gero, we'll get him soon enough," Goku asserted, "and as for Tenshinhan, we're already planning to bring him back, you'll see. It'll all work out, I promi—"
"You can't promise a goddamn thing," Frieza hissed indignantly, "You can't see him coming, you don't know if or when he'll attack again, and you can't protect anyone from being taken! You did nothing to stamp him out when you had the chance! You couldn't do a thing when he had Tenshinhan in his clutches! And even now, you're just sitting back, waiting for him to strike, instead of hunting him down and ferreting him out of whatever hole he's hidden himself in! Your promises of security are empty," he finished with a sneer, his tail lashing angrily to punctuate his disdain.
"I know," Goku said, looking down, "It's my fault Gero has gotten this far. My family could have been killed last night, and I'm not giving Gero any chances if I see him again. But until he shows up, you're right, I can't sense him. I'm not just gonna sit around waiting, though. I'm gonna train to protect everyone, and I'll need your help and Vegeta's to do it."
A flash of what the doctor had said hit Frieza, deepening the angered lines of his face. 'He wants to use me to train, just so he can pull that much farther ahead of me,' he thought angrily.
"...Hm? What's wrong?" Goku asked, noticing the darkening look on the pale Arcosian's face, and his shaking fists.
"Maybe Gero was right about you," Frieza spat, barely above a whisper. His tail lashed angrily behind him, as he turned and stalked away.
"Wait, where are you going?" Goku asked, starting to follow Frieza.
"Away from you," Frieza growled, clutching his left shoulder as he quickened his pace.
"Aw, we're not gonna do this again, are we?" Goku sighed, "Look, just let me take you to the Lookout to get you fixed up, and then I'll leave you alone, okay?" He caught up to the short alien, putting his hand out over Frieza's shoulder.
"Touch me and I'll rip your damn hand off," Frieza warned, pausing to thump his tail emphatically.
Goku frowned, but withdrew his hand. "Well, at least I got you to stop destroyin' everything for no reason. That's what had your brother worried — that's why I came to check on you. If you say you wanna be alone, I'll respect that. But Frieza," he said, pausing as the Arcosian turned to meet his eyes, "don't beat yourself up over Tenshinhan's death. It wasn't your fault, and nobody blames you for it."
SHHFFT!
Frieza let out a shaking breath as soon as he heard the telltale sound of Goku's departure. "It was my fault," he told himself, "Why did I hesitate?" The world was silent save for the wind, and his mind clearly whispered, "You hesitated because...he was right, wasn't he?" He shook his head, clutching his temple and gritting his teeth, trying to silence the mocking truth.
Videl's eyes snapped open. She sat up and looked around her. Far away stretched the horizon, at such a distance she could almost see the curve of the earth. She appeared to be on a platform of some kind, white stone tiles beneath her. The area was large and circular, and in front of her was a strange palace flanked by palm trees.
"Good, you're awake," a voice said.
She looked over and flinched backwards at the smiling green face that was so near her. "I was really worried about you for a moment; thought there might be some internal bleeding, but it seems you're okay," the alien cheerfully continued.
"I'm okay..?" Videl furrowed her brows, confused. She stood up — and then remembered that her leg was supposed to be broken. She looked down sharply to find that, though it was still crusted with blood, it was otherwise completely fine. She looked at her hands and over her body: no damage of any kind. Visible signs of it, but she didn't feel any pain. She looked over at the alien, who was now standing. "Who...are you?" she asked.
"Ah, sorry, introductions. I'm Dende. I'm, well, a friend of Gohan's. And God, apparently."
She stared at him dumbfounded. "You're...God..?"
"Yeah. It's not a great job though; I can't answer prayers and I just get blamed for things that go wrong." He laughed self-consciously, "I can heal people though, so that's cool."
"Oh, right, I...thank you." Confused as to the etiquette when talking with a god, Videl did a half-bow, then paused and frowned.
Dende flapped his hand at her. "Oh please, you don't have to be so formal, really. Nobody else is, after all. To tell the truth, I'm just an alien from another world. The planet Namek actually. Like Piccolo."
"Pika-who?" she asked in confusion, before the sound of footsteps on the pristine tiles caught her focus.
"Videl!"
Her head snapped to the side in relief and joy at hearing the familiar voice of Gohan. Before she could react, the boy had thrown his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug in relief. Videl returned the hug, delighted that her friend was still going. "You're okay," she stated, assessing his face and body. There wasn't a single blemish, though spots of dried blood and dust remained.
"I'm so glad to see you!" he said, pulling away and smiling, "I was so worried that you wouldn't make it. Mom told me how brave you were! Pulling her and Goten along despite having one leg badly damaged. You're...amazing."
Videl blushed and twiddled with a strand of her hair. "Yeah, it was... Well, I had to get them out of the way of the fighting."
Gohan gripped her shoulders. "Videl, I'm serious: if you need anything, anything, you just tell me and I'll help you. Flying lessons, ki lessons, whatever, I'll do it. I won't ever forget what you did back there." There was an edge and seriousness to his voice and a determination in his gaze that surprised Videl.
She smiled to put him at ease and pointed at her hair. "Well I don't suppose you can teach me how to turn blonde can you?" she asked with a hint of a smile.
"Ah, well," Gohan looked a little sheepish. "No, that's...not something that a...human could really do."
"Nuts. I was hoping to avoid having to buy hair dye," she giggled.
Gohan looked at her puzzled for a moment. Then he seemed to get it and he laughed. "Oh yeah, that reminds me of when Mom first saw me like that...she was so worried that I'd joined a gang or something!"
"You? A gang? Not a chance, golden boy," she teased, "Where is this by the way?" Videl asked, looking around, "It feels like we're really high up, like that time I climbed a mountain on vacation with my Dad."
"This is the Lookout. It's a safe place we go to." Gohan looked out across the endless horizon. "Dende can heal people, so we brought everyone up here to get patched up. After the fight...well, most of us weren't in good shape."
"Yeah, no kidding..." Videl rubbed her arm and thought she felt a spike of pain through her leg — just her imagination, though. Suddenly her eyes widened in realization. "Oh shit! My Dad!" She stuffed her hand into her pocket and brought out her phone, mercifully undamaged. Sure enough there was what she dreaded: four missed calls. "Hey Gohan, is it okay if I say I'm staying over at your house?" she said.
The boy blinked, uncomprehending. "Uh, I think so—"
"I mean, would your mom be okay with it and be able to tell my dad? Videl pressed.
Gohan gave her lopsided smile. "After you saved her and Goten, I think she'd be happy to put you up for a month."
Videl hit redial on her phone with a laugh. "Just let her know I might need her to cover for me, if I wave, okay?" She put the phone to her ear. Gohan smiled and walked towards where his parents were sitting a little ways away. Chi-chi was holding Goten in her arms and the baby had fallen asleep. Goku was standing nearby, looking protective and pensive.
"It's not your fault Goku," Chi-chi said, "There was no way you could have known that was going to happen."
Goku made a grumble of dissent. "I know, but... Well, I should've been more alert. Not being able to sense Tenshinhan... And questioning why he was back just like that. I knew he'd been taken but..." He paused. "Chi-chi, do you think I'm too naive?"
Chi-chi raised an eyebrow at him. "Who taught you that word? Naive? You? The man who thought marriage was a food until he was twenty?"
Goku chuckled. "I said too naive." He sat down next to her, on the siding around one of the trees.
Chi-chi frowned. Normally, Goku would have laughed at her ribbing about the marriage thing, but his face...he looked a million miles away, so uncharacteristic for him. "What's brought this on?" she asked carefully.
"Something Frieza was saying," Goku replied, looking up at the sky, "That if I'd been more ruthless and killed Gero earlier then Tenshinhan wouldn't have been taken. I guess he kind of has a point. Maybe I do go too easy on people."
"Hmm…And did Frieza mention what would have happened if you'd been more ruthless with him?" Chi-chi said.
Goku's brows wrinkled in thought. "I... No... What do you mean?"
Chi-chi sighed. "Well...if it were my judgement I might have defeated all your enemies and made sure they stayed defeated — if I had your strength." She paused. "Regardless, Goku, if you were more ruthless with people, Vegeta wouldn't be here, neither would Frieza and nor, possibly, would Piccolo, perhaps even Tenshinhan himself. And if that had been the case, who knows what might have happened? Could you have really defeated the androids you fought today without their help?"
"I guess not." The Saiyan looked down with a dour, thoughtful look.
Chi-chi put her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "Don't get caught up in what that old Frieza is saying, Goku." She held her tongue momentarily, ruminating on how to put this. 'He's a bad influence on my Goku,' she thought, 'but truth is next to Vegeta, he's the strongest fighter to have his back.' Much as the former tyrant gave her the shivers whenever they crossed paths, she saw the utility of keeping him on their side. Besides, even Piccolo had mellowed out, albeit after a few years. "You're very...ah, different people. You're not ruthless like Frieza, or Vegeta. And that's what I love about you. I wouldn't want you to be any other way. Nor would your children."
Goku smiled. "Thanks Chi. I think...I needed to hear that." He looked up as Gohan approached. "Hey Gohan. How are you feeling?"
"Better. Healed," he smiled, "Oh, Mom, Videl needs your help. I think she needs to convince her father that she's staying over and nothing bad happened."
"Oh that's no bother, she's a delight to have around." Chi-chi passed Goten over to Goku and stood up, brushing her dress down. "I'll just go over and speak with him." She walked towards Videl, who was having an animated conversation on the phone whilst glancing over in their direction.
"Yes Dad, for the last time, I'm okay! I was out hiking and there was no cell service away from the Son house, that's all," Videl explained in an argumentative tone. She nodded and waved at Chi-chi's approach. "Yeah...uh-huh...here, you can talk to Mrs. Son right now; I'm putting her on." She cupped her hand over the receiver and whispered to the older woman, "Okay, story is that I went over to Gohan's to study, then you invited me to stay to have dinner, and to kill time me and Gohan went hiking, so I didn't get his calls. Sound good?"
"Airtight," Chi-chi whispered back, taking the phone from her and putting on the voice she used to intimidate salespeople who thought she was too naive to see their price gouges. Videl looked mildly impressed as she proceeded to talk over her father, nodding and gesticulating occasionally, before handing the phone back. "He says good luck with your studies, and just remember to call and say goodnight," Chi-chi announced proudly.
"Uh...yeah Dad, Mrs. Son is really cool with all this...mhmm...okay, love you too...I promise...bye." Videl ended the call and sighed, mouthing "thank you" at Chi-chi. "You're a lifesaver," she smiled.
"In comparison to you? Just barely," the older human smiled, "But I know what's it's like to be a worried parent, so I knew just how to handle him. I was surprised, really. For someone so famous, your father is very..."
"Suffocating? Controlling? Extreme?" Videl supplied with a tired grin.
"I was going to say caring, actually," Chi-chi replied, "Most celebrities you read about seem to have the most awful dysfunctional families...but your dad really cares a lot about his daughter, and I get the feeling he'd move heaven and earth to protect you."
"Yeah, I guess you're right about that," Videl smiled wistfully, "It's just that sometimes, I wish he'd let me do stuff. When I grow up, I want to join the police force. He'd flip out if I told him."
"Honey, that's just what parents do — they worry and fret about their babies, even when they're all grown up and more than capable of taking care of themselves," Chi-chi said, pointedly looking over at Gohan.
At the other side of the Lookout, Piccolo stood gazing out over the Earth. Kooler sat beside him, his legs hanging over the side. Dende moved over to them and peered over the side. "Your brother's tantrum appears to have quieted," Piccolo remarked.
"You can see that far away?" Kooler asked.
"Not precisely, but I can sense the fluctuations in his energy, and being up here somehow magnifies that. There's a reason we call it the Lookout." Piccolo drummed his fingers on his arm. "I just hope this is a passing thing, and not him snapping back to his old ways."
"I don't think we should be too worried," Dende said. "He's much different from how he was. The experience in the room...it clearly changed him at some deeper level."
"That would be my feeling," Kooler said. He tapped a finger at the side of his head. "Frieza has always been...emotional. Prone to reacting badly to things not going to his desires. He used to take it out on his subordinates or those around him though, so... this is certainly progress of a sort."
Piccolo raised a brow at him. Kooler sighed. "He is...stable. But I recognize your concerns. I will speak with him, once he's had time to calm down. I just hope that this new behavior of turning his punishment inward at himself won't become the norm..."
Clink. Bulma paused, her hand on the doorknob to the kitchen. 'Who else is up at three in the morning?' she wondered. The scientist had been unable to sleep in the wake of the day's turmoil, and so had spent the dark, quiet hours tinkering away on her secret prototype project until a need for coffee had torn her away. Clink. Another sound, that of a glass touching the countertop, followed by what sounded like a cough. 'Well, I'm not imagining things,' she thought, 'Maybe Dad couldn't sleep either.' She opened the door, fully expecting to see her father hunched over his own cup of coffee. Instead, Frieza's wide, red eyes met hers as she froze. "Frieza? How'd you get in here, and what are you..." Bulma trailed off, her eyes adjusting to the dim light cast from the array of electronic appliances. "Your arm...what in the world did you do to mangle it like that? And your face! Did you not go to the Lookout with the others? Or did Dende not—"
"Leave me alone, I'm not in the mood for dealing with you right now," the Arcosian interrupted her bluntly. He grimaced, and lifted a tumbler to his lips, took a long drink, and replaced it on the table in front of him. Clink.
"Wait, is that..." Bulma trailed off, brushing off Frieza's rudeness when she saw the full state of the situation. "You know normally, I'd be beyond pissed if someone broke into my house, stole the good whiskey, and told me to go away when I showed concern like a normal person," she began, pulling out the chair opposite the alien, "but given the circumstances, I'm more pissed that you wrecked your arm and didn't come straight to my lab. Doesn't it bother you like that?" She gestured to the twisted metal limb, largely dark save for a few remnant flickers of auxiliary power.
"My arm hurts, but...not that one," Frieza sighed in a tired tone. He took another drink, draining the glass, and set it down, reaching for the bottle.
"Whoa, whoa, slow down buddy, how much have you had already?" Bulma cautioned, eyeing the level of liquid left in the bottle. She made to reach for it, but thought better of it when Frieza let out a small growl of challenge. "Okay, fine, but don't expect me to feel sorry for you tomorrow," she grumbled, "Jerk."
"I don't expect anyone to feel sorry for me, that's how it works," Frieza stated, slurring monotonously, "you can go now."
At this, Bulma shoved her chair out with a screech, standing up arms akimbo. Glaring at Frieza, she burst, "I can go now?! You do realize this is my house, and my whiskey, and my hospitality you're so blithely taking advantage of?! What the hell is your problem?!" Frieza said nothing, dropping his eyes back down to his drink. "Well?!" Bulma pressed, "After all this time, you're still self-entitled to anything and everything, huh? Is that it? Just waltz in and take what you want, consequences and etiquette be damned? If this is how you treat people who're your friends—"
"I didn't think you considered me a friend," Frieza stated, "Perhaps you are the one with a problem, not me."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Bulma yelled, "Look, I'm not Goku, but I do like to think people who trust me enough to make them a whole new limb are a little more than just a client or acquaintance. And yes, that includes uptight royal jerks like you, for the record."
"You're too trusting, then. More like Goku than you'll admit. How naive," Frieza smiled mirthlessly.
Bulma sat and gritted her teeth, massaging the space between her brows. "Okay look, I get it, you're trying to drive me away. But you're drunk, and you're hurt, and this is my house. I'm not going anywhere, so why don't you cut the c—p and tell me what the real problem is, other than your attitude."
Frieza swirled the whiskey in his glass pensively, silent for a moment. "It's nothing that should concern you. Just something that the android doctor said to me. It..." He took a drink. "...struck a nerve, you might say. Made me realize that nothing's changed."
"Nothing's changed how?" Bulma asked, calmer now.
Frieza winced, disguising it with another sip of whiskey. "As I said, it's not your concern. He baited me, and I... I fell for it." He clenched his bruised hand, hard enough to make his loose metal prosthetic rattle.
Bulma eyed his arm with concern. "Well if you don't want to share details, I won't ask. That doesn't explain why you're still beat up, though."
"I didn't go to the Lookout. After Gero escaped I just..." The Arcosian prince trailed off, holding his hand over his face. "I finally came here, because it was the only place I could avoid everything, at least until you decided to bother me."
"Hey, I'd hate for you to kill yourself drinking at my table, so if that means bothering you, I aim to annoy, if only to avoid any insurance hassles," Bulma quipped, "Speaking of, that one's a dead soldier. You really were in a bad way, huh?" She got up, crossing to the cabinet. "I promise I won't bother you, if you do two things for me."
"What would those be?" Frieza asked tiredly, holding his head in his hand.
"First," Bulma said, "I'm going to make you some tea, and you're going to drink that instead. Second," she paused to turn on the stove under a tea kettle, "When you're done you're going to come with me to the lab so I can patch you up. It just kills me to see one of my genius creations in such a sorry state. Do we have a deal?"
Frieza sighed, nodding in the affirmative.
A few moments later the tea was brewed and Bulma shoved the cup into Frieza's hand and then all but frog-marched him down to her lab. Frieza sipped at the tea and grimaced as the taste mingled with the whisky and started creaking the gears in his head. Bulma kept a watchful eye on him, to ensure that he kept drinking. She sat him down on the reclining chair in her lab and scooted a stool over to the chair. The blue-haired woman pulled her tray of tools towards her and began to pick at Frieza's metallic arm, opening it up and fiddling with the damaged components. After a few moments of silence, save for the tinkering and the sips of tea, Bulma glanced up at Frieza and asked, "So are you going to tell me what was bothering you?"
"I don't have any particular inclination to," Frieza replied, looking away.
"Well whatever it was, it was something that caused you to feel shame," she observed, "and that's unusual for you...no offense."
Frieza's tail twitched. "What makes you think I'm feeling shame?"
"You were drinking, annoyed at yourself, and you keep looking away when I'm asking you a question." Frieza said nothing. Bulma sighed. "I'm not out to judge you or anything. You said Gero baited you? How did he do that?"
Frieza was silent for a long moment. "He...offered me a deal and I hesitated," he said, slowly, "And that hesitation allowed him to escape and because of that...my chance for revenge went with him."
"Hmm...that doesn't sound like you," Bulma said.
"What doesn't?" Frieza bared his teeth in irritation.
"Wanting to get revenge for a friend," Bulma gave him a smile, chuckling when his face flushed in response. She pried apart a twisted bit of his arm, adding, "You may not want to admit it, but we humans are rubbing off on you." She avoided saying that Goku's influence had rubbed off on him — that was sure to make him defiant, even if it was true.
"Hmph. Perhaps," Frieza muttered, drinking his tea. "Tenshinhan is— was— useful to me. I simply value him for that. It angers me when someone steals or breaks such a useful tool, you see."
"Oh come on," Bulma sighed, "He's more than just a tool to you; quit posturing. Why are you so averse to the idea of friendship? Is that like...not a thing with Arcosians, or what?"
"It is," Frieza said quickly, "just not for me. I have my reasons." He narrowed his eyes, staring into the bottom of the tea cup.
"Okay then, Mr. Antisocial," the scientist replied, "Anyway, your arm's fixed. Only problem is that it's been without power for a few hours, so it isn't going to respond normally until it's recharged. Normally, your kinesthetic movement and ki do that naturally, but it's dead as of now. If you want, I can remove it and charge it manually overnight — otherwise, when you get up tomorrow, it'll still feel like your arm's asleep. Which would you rather?"
Frieza rolled his eyes. "Do whatever you need to in order to return function to it," he ordered impassively.
"Right, guess I'll disarm you then," Bulma joked, reaching for a spanner to unfasten the bolts near the top of his shoulder.
"If you wanted to do that, you should have given me more whiskey, not tea," Frieza chuckled, "Even short a limb, I'm still more than capable of defending myself."
"Oh I don't know about that," Bulma replied slyly, "Remember that time I nearly killed you by exsanguinating you? Granted, that was accidental, but if I wanted to, I could do some real damage with this baby." She removed the arm and paused, holding it up. Then, giggling, she used it to punch ineffectively at the Arcosian's chest.
"What are you doing?" Frieza asked, quirking a brow ridge incredulously.
"Defeating the great Lord Frieza by his own hand," Bulma grinned impishly, "Get it? By your own hand?"
"Hilarious," the Arcosian deadpanned, pushing the metal limb away from his chest with one finger. "Hurry up and recharge it, and I'll return the attack in kind. But first, I need to recharge the rest of my body." He turned, yawning. "Is that room I usually stay in available?"
"Sure is," Bulma replied, "I always keep it empty, just in case you drop by. We've got enough guest suites I can afford to keep one on demand for you, your highness."
Frieza sighed. "Why is it that even when you speak with the proper respect, it sounds like you are mocking me?"
"Oh come on, you know I was just joking. Y'know, you and Vegeta both get hung up on that royalty thing. I can't help but tease you two, because your response is so predictable," Bulma explained, "Think of it as payback for whenever you two are snarky to me and ungrateful for the help of the most beautiful tech goddess Earth has to offer."
"For being a 'tech goddess,' I should think that a personal mute button would not be outside your expertise," Frieza smirked, his tail tip flicking up with the joke.
"For me, or for everyone who annoys me?" Bulma challenged, "Be careful what you wish for. I'll mute you both."
"I'd like to see you try," Frieza laughed, hand over his lips. "Tomorrow, though."
"Whatever, smartass. I already unlocked the room earlier because I figured you guys would all end up here, and the key should be on the dresser. You remember how to get there from my lab, I'm sure, so I'm going to head to bed too," Bulma announced, "G'night."
"Goodnight, O exalted 'tech goddess' of Earth," Frieza snarked with a facetious bow. Shaking his head with a small smile, he padded through the silent halls of Capsule Corp. towards his room.
After the tumultuous battle, the fighters of Earth assembled at the site of the battlefield to summon the dragon. Where Tenshinhan had died, a pall of solemn anticipation lay over the still-burnt landscape. Chiaotzu, Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, and Frieza were there along with Dende. The seven balls sat gathered together, and were gently humming and resonating with one another. "Shall I summon Shenron?" Dende asked.
"Not quite yet," Piccolo replied, "We need to get ourselves ready."
"Ready for what, Piccolo?" Goku asked, "We're just reviving Tenshinhan, why would that be a problem?"
"Yes, Goku, but which Tenshinhan? We don't know what the combined effect of Gero's manipulations, dying, and being resurrected might do to him. He could come back as we knew him. He could come back in the same muddled state. Or..." He paused.
"He could come back as the Crane assassin..." Chiaotzu whispered, "The way he was before we met Goku."
"Yes. That's my fear," Piccolo affirmed, "That mindset plus an android's powers would be dangerous, to say the least."
"Wouldn't we just be able to make another wish to the dragon?" Frieza suggested, "To restore his memories the way they were?"
"I don't think that will work," Dende said, shaking his head, "Ten's power and Gero's both far exceed mine, so I doubt the dragon would be able to do something like that."
"Besides, how would that work?" Gohan put in, "It's not just a matter of us making the wish, it's also a question of how does the dragon interpret it?"
Frieza looked over at the boy. "Meaning?"
Gohan blinked, then sighed. "We've never made a wish like that before. Nothing more complicated than bringing people back to life, or bringing someone from one planet to another. On Namek, we wished Mr. Piccolo back to life, then used the second wish to bring him to the planet. Only we didn't specify where, so he got dumped in a random place, far from us and the battle. As for this proposed wish... Well, uh, let's say you wanted to wish for immortality. What does that mean? Does the dragon interpret that as immortality and eternal youth, or just immortality? In which case you could live forever, but then become old and end up a consciousness trapped in a husk of degraded muscles and bones unable to move. And what happens when you get cut or injured? Do those injuries heal up, or do they stay? If you got obliterated would your body come back together or would you just be a consciousness hanging around the universe unable to interact?"
Frieza swallowed involuntarily, his tail sinking to droop near the ground. 'Existing as a spirit in the dust...I never even considered that,' he reflected with trepidation.
"Wow Gohan, you really thought all that out," Goku marvelled, "You're so smart! Guess Chi-chi was right about you bein' a great scholar someday soon."
Gohan blushed at the compliment, then continued. "The point is that phrasing a wish to restore Tenshinhan's memories would be very difficult," Gohan continued, "Especially as we don't know which ones were taken away, which ones were tampered with, and what Tenshinhan's memories were before we met him. It'd be way too risky, especially with the interpretation problem." Gohan sighed again. "Besides, even if we could wish for that in a perfect way, would we really want to? Wouldn't we just be repeating what Gero did by rewriting him to a blank slate?"
Frieza thought about it and nodded. "That...I suppose is true..."
"Whatever memories Tenshinhan comes back with, it doesn't matter," Chiaotzu said with determination, "I will help him. Even if he is the assassin, I will remind him of what he lost, what he chose to become, and I'll bring him back to the way he wanted to be. The way he really wanted to be."
Frieza nodded. "And I will do the same. Whatever it takes." His tail flickered behind him.
Piccolo smiled at the group. "Well, I think that means that we're ready." He turned to Dende and nodded.
Dende turned to the Dragonballs. "Shenron! Come forth and grant our wish!" he declared.
A blinding flash of light rippled out and then shot up into the sky. It lengthened, stretched, curved, and then resolved into the body of Shenron. The dragon looked down upon them with rutilant eyes. "YOU HAVE SUMMONED THE ETERNAL DRAGON," he boomed, "STATE YOUR WISH. I WILL GRANT ANY TWO THAT YOU DESIRE."
Dende indicated to Chiaotzu. The tiny human took a few deep breaths and then stepped forward. "Please, revive my friend, Tenshinhan!" Chiaotzu shouted.
The dragon's eyes flashed red. A moment later Tenshinhan appeared beneath the dragon, warping into existence. The group looked at Tenshinhan in silence and anticipation. Tenshinhan looked back expressionlessly at the assortment of aliens and humans. Then, he took a step towards them.
"Oh hey, I just had a great idea!" Goku burst, excitedly stepping up to stand beside Chiaotzu. Tenshinhan flinched, freezing in his tracks. Goku flashed him a grin, then turned his attention to the dragon. "Shenron! Can you undo all the damage, physical and mental, caused by Dr. Gero and all th' other androids?"
"HMM..." The great dragon hummed in thought. Then, he shook his smaragdine-scaled head decisively. "I CAN UNDO THE TANGIBLE DESTRUCTION, BUT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ARE OUTSIDE MY RANGE OF POWER."
"Oh..." Goku said, crestfallen, "...Well then, just fix what you can, okay? That's our second wish!"
"IT SHALL BE DONE. ALL OF THE DAMAGE PERPETRATED BY THE ANDROIDS WILL BE RESTORED." His eyes glittered, then lit up from within as he granted the wish. A clattering sound drew everyone's attention as the ruins of Goku's destroyed house became whole again, the burnt timbers and plaster restored as though in magical reverse. "IT HAS BEEN DONE, YOUR WISH IS THUS GRANTED. NOW, I BID YOU FAREWELL." With that, Shenron gaped in a roar as his body dissolved into light, the Dragonballs lifting and spinning briefly, before shooting off like meteors.
"Well, at least Chi-chi'll be happy the house is fixed," Goku mused.
"That was a remarkably well-thought out wish for you, Goku," Piccolo said, "I had assumed we would just dismiss the dragon, but this shouldn't be a problem." He returned his attention to Tenshinhan, who still remained frozen in uncertainty. "Hey," he called, "Welcome back, Tenshinhan." He watched, gauging the man's reaction to the friendly greeting.
"...You people revived me," Tenshinhan finally said, as if digesting the words as they came out of his mouth, "Why?"
"Because...because you're our friend, Ten," Chiaotzu said, cautiously floating closer, "What do you remember?"
"There was...a pain in my chest..." the three-eyed human said in a sleepwalker's monotone, "then I was dead. Gero. Gero did it. I heard him in my head, right before..." He closed his eyes, clutching a hand to his face. "Nothing makes any sense. Something's wrong in my head. He did something, or you people did something, and I just..." He trailed off.
"It's okay, Tenshinhan. We're gonna help you, no matter what it takes," Goku offered determinately.
Tenshinhan raised his eyes to stare blankly at Goku. "You... Gero said you tricked me, used me. But... I think he did the same. I don't trust you. Any of you." His voice held a hint of anger, even as Goku's face fell at his statement.
"In your situation, I don't blame you for your paranoia," Frieza finally chimed in, "I understand completely."
Now, Tenshinhan stared at Frieza, his brow furrowing. "You're the one who refused to fight me, aren't you? I don't have any records on you, nor any memories. Who are you?"
"If I were the sentimental type, that might hurt," Frieza stated airily, "Forgetting Goku and his associates is one thing, but having trained and lived alongside each other as master and student should have left some impression."
"Master and student?" Tenshinhan repeated, "So you were my master, then? But that's...no...Shen was my only master."
"I'm afraid you've got it backwards," Frieza said patiently, "You were the one training me."
Tenshinhan shook his head. "I have no recollection of that, or of you. But, more than anything, I feel that I do know you...somehow."
"Well, that's a start," Piccolo grumbled, "Aside from the progress, we should be grateful that he didn't come back with Gero's programming after all."
"So...you think you can think real hard and remember us, Tenshinhan?" Goku asked.
Tenshinhan glared at Goku. "I sense that something's off, but I still don't trust you. You, Chiaotzu, Piccolo..." He shook his head violently. "You're all dangerous unknowns to me, and as an assassin, my training's screaming at me to keep my distance. But you," he said, his eyes landing on Frieza, "You're the only blank spot. A wildcard that Gero either thought I couldn't or shouldn't remember at all for whatever reason. He suppressed everything about you, and I want to know why. When we fought, I had a strange feeling the whole time. I think he considered you the biggest immediate threat to my loyalty," Tenshinhan concluded.
"Then it's settled," Frieza declared, "We agree that you need to get to the bottom of this, and given that you aren't keen on going with Goku, you will accompany me. I promise that I will restore your memories, so that you may see the truth for yourself."
"Hold on, accompany you where, exactly?" Piccolo asked, "We've already established that the house in the mountains is no longer safe; Gero could isolate and attack you there at any time. And if you're not planning to go back to Capsule Corporation, then where?"
Frieza smirked. "Oh, I plan to take him somewhere safely out of Gero's reach. You underestimate my pull in the greater universe, Namek. I still have resources at my disposal, and I anticipated that Tenshinhan might still have memory loss when he was revived." His tail curled behind him with pride. "There are still those loyal to my name, and I plan to use their expertise to help you," he said to Tenshinhan. "Of course, we will still need a ship, but I'm sure Bulma would be willing to accommodate us."
"Wow Frieza, you've got this all planned out? That's awesome!" Goku cheered, "I haven't been to space since I went to Namek, so—"
"You're not going," Frieza cut him off, "and I do not wish to argue with you on this point. It's clear to me that your presence puts Tenshinhan in a state of uneasiness, so for his sake, I'm removing him from your vicinity to facilitate his regaining his memories."
"Awww, but that's not fair!" Goku protested childishly, "I've been his friend longer than you, an' besides, what if you run into any trouble out in space?"
Frieza regarded him with a long-suffering expression of exasperation, before sighing and kneading the spot between his brows. "You insult me so, Goku. Not long ago, I was the number one threat in space. And I still am, despite my lengthy absence from my duties. If anything, my time on Earth has made me stronger. Not to mention, I plan to keep in contact with Kooler, just in case there are any unforeseen bureaucratic hiccups — he deals much better with those than I ever have, and has been gone from those circles for a briefer time than I. Between the two of us, I highly doubt that there is any obstacle we cannot surmount."
"Hmph. Alright then Frieza, you've got a plan, and it sounds like you're not going to just run off," Piccolo stated, letting the implications hang in the air between them. Frieza curled his lip in disdain, prompting a smirk from the green alien. "Just confirming. If you did, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to catch up to you anyway."
"I'm not the type to hide from an obstacle, Namekian," Frieza said through a polite smile and gritted teeth, "Now, enough of this. Tenshinhan, let's get going. You want to regain your memories, and I am eager to see you whole again. We should make haste."
Tenshinhan nodded resolutely. "Right. Frieza, was it?" The Arcosian nodded. "I don't know what to expect from this journey...but I get the sense that this will help me, one way or the other." Without a word, Frieza lifted off the ground. Tenshinhan followed suit, and followed the white-skinned alien into the sky.
"An impressive ship," Kooler said, looking up at Dr. Briefs' creation. The module design was similar to the pods that the PTO used, only bigger, the ship looking like it could accommodate up to five people. "And can this one turn into one of your capsules?"
"Oh, no," Dr. Briefs said, wiping his hands with a cloth. "I didn't have time to fit that technology in back when Goku first used it, and I didn't bother when I rebuilt it." He put his hands on his hips and looked upon it with pride. "Still, I think it's my greatest creation. After all both Goku and Vegeta were able to travel and train in this model and it survived."
"Trained in it?" Kooler shot him a questioning glance, "That seems...dangerous."
"Well if they'd wrecked it, I consoled myself that the vacuum of space would be their punishment." Dr. Briefs winked at him and then turned away, waving over his shoulder. "I'll leave you boys to it— I'm not such a big fan of crowds."
Kooler shook his head with a wry smile. "Strange man, but I like him. I wonder if he'd accept a job?" he mused.
Sauza laughed. "I doubt it," he said, "Everyone who lives on this planet can't seem to escape its gravitational pull." His scouter beeped and he glanced up at the sky. "We have a visitor."
"Frieza?" Kooler queried.
"I think so." Sauza squinted and tapped at the scouter. "Doesn't look like he's alone either."
"Ah good, so he has managed to convince Tenshinhan to come," Kooler nodded. This was a good thing. Frieza had related his plan to him earlier on, hence why Kooler had gone to check on the transport. But he hadn't been sure whether Frieza would succeed or not. Nor what failure would have done to his mental state. 'Thankfully that's no longer an option that needs to be contemplated…'
A moment later Frieza and Tenshinhan touched down on the ground. Without pausing Frieza strode towards the ship, anxious to be off but masking it well, though Kooler was capable of spotting it. "Is the ship ready?" he demanded.
"Yes, Dr. Briefs has completed his checks," Kooler replied. He put a hand on Frieza's chest, halting him. Frieza's tail flickered in anger but Kooler ignored it. "Slow down brother," he whispered, "I know you want to be away as soon as possible, but think about Tenshinhan. He's following someone he believes to be a complete stranger into space. He might need a moment."
Frieza started to object, but then took a deep breath and calmed himself. Kooler had a point. The last thing he wanted to do was put Ten off at the last moment. He looked over and saw the human looking at the ship in curiosity. He wasn't moving closer, but it didn't look like he was having second thoughts. "Tenshinhan," Frieza called, drawing his attention, "Are you okay to board? We can wait a moment if you would prefer."
Tenshinhan thought for a moment and then shook his head. "No, I'd like to get going," he said, "I'm not sure about any of this, but I think if I give myself to long to consider it I might change my mind. And something, instinct maybe, is telling me that I should go."
Frieza nodded. "Then let's go. I'll get the ship fired up."
"Good luck brother," Kooler said, exchanging a glance with him, "If you have any problems, get in touch with me. My men and I will remain on Earth until you return, so you should have no trouble reaching us through the ansible. Remember, you're not alone in this."
Frieza inclined his head and walked to the ship's entrance, Tenshinhan following him now.
Sauza's scouter beeped. "Hold up," he said, "There's someone incoming."
"Don't tell me that infernal idiot is breaking his promise already!" Frieza snarled, whirling around and preparing to smack Goku upside the head. To his surprise, it was Chiaotzu who dropped out of the sky. Frieza immediately cooled down and stepped back. He wasn't too happy about this, he was worried about anything that could trigger negative reactions in Tenshinhan, but he knew what this friendship meant to Chiaotzu. He had the right to see his friend off.
"Tenshinhan...I'm glad...you're still here," Chiaotzu said, a little out of breath.
"Chiaotzu," Ten replied, giving the diminutive human a strange look, as two parts of his mind started warring with each other.
"I'm sorry, I know you probably don't want to see me because of— well, because. But I just had to. You...I know you don't remember it, but you are my best friend and you mean so much to me. I just...had to." He looked down and forced the tears back.
"Chiaotzu, I..." Tenshinhan began. He paused, and then started again. "Thank you, for coming to see me off. I can see what it means to you and that...that means something to me, I think." In his head, he had twin urges — to attack, and to reciprocate the obvious emotion the jianshi showed so plainly, without apparent artifice. 'To see me off as a traveler on an uncertain journey...even after I rebuked him, after I attacked him before with killing intent... If this is a trick, he is far more invested in it than I would be.'
Chiaotzu looked up in surprise. He hadn't been expecting this. 'Is it possible that some of Ten's memories, the real ones, were beginning to stir?' he thought hopefully, 'No, I'd best not get my hopes up too high.' He schooled his expression to be neutral, not betraying the brief flash of relief. "Get better Tenshinhan," he said, "And when you come back, I hope you can remember me. Remember me as who I really am, as your best friend."
Tenshinhan nodded. "I...hope so too," he said hesitantly, the words feeling as though someone else had spoken them through his mouth. 'Why did I say that?' he questioned himself, 'It's like it was automatic, a remembered response.'
Chiaotzu thought a moment. He opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it and shook his head. He'd been about to tell Ten that he'd killed Tao but...if he did that he had no way of knowing how he might react. This was important, he had to get on that ship. And he wouldn't risk saying anything that put that in jeopardy. "Just get better," he finally said.
Ten looked at him curiously, but shrugged and turned to Frieza. "Shall we go?" he asked.
"Yes," Frieza replied. He inclined his head to Chiaotzu and then turned and walked up the ramp, Tenshinhan following him. "By my calculations, with the speed of this ship, we should be able to make our destination in a day."
After they ascended, the ramp closed behind them. A few moments later the engine started up and the ship leapt into the sky. The three left behind watched it, until it passed through the atmosphere and out of view.
The man in a suit paused as he walked down the street and nervously looked over his shoulder. "Hello?" he called. "Is there anyone there?" A faint clatter in the alley to his left had made him jump. "...Probably just a stray cat," he reassured himself, unconvincingly.
The man had peered into the deep, blue-black recesses of the alleyway, but didn't see him. He was amid the shadows, hidden, cloaked in the darkness that had become his home. He smirked in satisfaction. 'Easy prey. Barely worth the effort,' he thought smugly. But he had a job to do, and he was professional. He would not do anything that allowed this prey to slip out of its fate. The man turned back and continued to walk, clearly on edge. 'Good.' The watcher ran up the wall and hopped across the rooftops, aided by the barest hint of flight. 'They never think to look up,' he marveled. He would drop down and one quick blow would end it all. He got ahead of him and waited. Waiting until he was almost beneath. Then Tenshinhan jumped off the roof and dove down and down, his hand ready to strike as the man seemed to sense something and looked up, too late—
Ten's eyes flickered open and he sat up in the bed and held his head. 'What...what was that?' he thought, rubbing his temples and shaking his head. 'A dream or...something else..?' His body was sweating, and his hands still shook with the sensation of the dream. It had disturbed him badly, engaging unconscious systems that both his assassin training and Gero's enhancements normally suppressed. He shut his eyes and slowly brought his breath under control. 'A memory maybe. A job that I did? Before... Before the tournament?' The three-eyed human stood up, and then seated himself on the cold floor, crossing his legs. 'Meditation. That will bring me some peace. I need to be in a good condition before this...before whatever tests that I'm going to be doing.' With his body still, his mind blanked, and some kind of internal peace returned to him.
Tenshinhan looked pensively out the porthole at the planet growing larger beneath the descending ship. In the background, he heard Frieza conversing with ground control in an increasingly annoyed tone. He watched the alien out of the corner of his eye, the way his long, muscular tail twitched with ire, and his black lips drew back as he leaned over the console, glaring at the face of a pudgy alien. 'Why did Gero want to erase this person from my memories?' he wondered, 'What's so special about his influence, more so than Goku or any of the others?' He seemed, for lack of a better term, alien to Tenshinhan's entire existence. Nothing about the way he spoke or carried himself betrayed some bond that would make Gero fear rebellion. The human turned, frowning, as Frieza's annoyed demeanor escalated into bared-teeth anger.
"What do you mean a change of ownership?!" Frieza snarled, struggling to keep his rage in check, "Is this not Frieza Planet 23? Surely you are not denying me clearance to land." The blob-like alien blubbered something about official records and a change of title to 'Kooler Planet 103,' then timidly inquired about the model of ship — it was far from Imperial, or even anything known by the Galactic Standard, and they had been having issues with pirates in this system. Frieza barely heard any of it, fixating on the apparent takeover his brother had engaged in. 'That bastard! Stealing my planets right under my nose! I'll kill him for failing to mention this!' He ground his teeth together, tail lashing dangerously close to the Capsule ship's control panels. He forced stillness into his body, then calm into his mind, breathing evenly as Tenshinhan had taught him. "Alright, let's try this again," he said, calmly this time, "Do you have any idea who I am?" When the goggle-eyed blob of an alien merely gaped in response, he gave a sharp exhale. "Truly...I have been gone far too long, if this level of disrespect has been allowed to perpetuate throughout my ranks." He met the alien's water-colored eyes with his sharp, scarlet ones. "I am Lord Frieza, of the Planet Trade Organization. You would do well to show me proper respect, and grant me unlimited landing and executive access for this outpost, under penalty of treason and subsequent death." The alien blanched, going almost transparent, and stammered an order into his scouter. Frieza leaned back from the vidscreen with a patronizing smirk. "Now that wasn't so hard to understand, was it?" The alien, apologizing profusely, looked to be in tears. Frieza cut the feed in the middle of the minion's begging, and addressed Tenshinhan. "Good news, we finally have clearance to land."
"Interesting tactics you used," the three-eyed human noted with an unreadable expression, "Belittlement and intimidation. Not a hallmark of any of Goku's close allies. If I didn't know better, I'd almost guess that you were one of his enemies."
"I never said I was his ally, did I?" Frieza responded with a flick of his tail, "He and I do not see eye to eye by any stretch, and frankly, I rather enjoy making my power work for me." He shrugged, a wistful smile just barely touching his lips. "I've missed this."
"So you won't even pretend to be a righteous warrior?" Tenshinhan smiled in disbelief, "Here I am, a blank slate, and you didn't even try to mold a better impression of yourself to take advantage of my ignorance?" He shook his head. "Interesting..."
"Believe me, if you had all your memories of our past history, you'd respect me more for this small act of honesty," Frieza said, steering the ship into the antigravity dock atop a gracefully-curved spaceport spire. With a slight thunk, they came to a halt.
After being met at the capsule ship's gangplank by a caped officer who bowed and scraped before Frieza, begging for leniency, they summarily ignored the harried man, leaving the hangar. As Tenshinhan followed Frieza through the halls, he quietly noted the behavior of the other aliens: although the base appeared to be crowded, they parted around him like so many timid mice, scattering in the shadow of a hungry cat. For his part, Frieza seemed to take no notice, marching purposefully forward, ignoring the undisguised stares and whispers in his wake. "Goodness, you'd think they were seeing a ghost," Frieza broke the silence, relishing as a gaggle of whispering soldiers jumped at his words.
"They thought you were dead?" Tenshinhan asked, looking at the cowering men and wondering if he should pity them.
"Perhaps. Though they would have no way of confirming that, and it would be treason of the highest order to spread such damaging rumors," Frieza said. A tall, wispy alien who resembled a lavender plant appeared to faint to his left, and was quickly dragged out of Frieza's path by his cohorts. The Arcosian chuckled. "Oh dear. It seems I may have to look into such nasty rumors, and nip them in the bud. How troublesome..." He stopped before a three-paneled door, palming it open. "Come on, this is the medical wing." He waved Tenshinhan inside, then closed the door behind them. A mottled brown alien in a long white robe under his armor started visibly, nearly dropping a tray of instruments in his clawed hands. Frieza waved the man to be silent as his jaws began to open with the promise of more terrified blubbering. "You are the head doctor here, I take it? I would like you to examine this human's brain. He has suffered significant memory loss, and it is imperative that it is recovered in as expedient a manner as possible, with minimally invasive techniques. Can you do this, doctor?" He met the alien's eyes unblinkingly, as if challenging him to refuse.
"L-lord Frieza!" the man sputtered, "I heard from the hangar control that you had arrived — I deeply regret not having ample time to prepare properly for your presence, my lord." His hands shook as he put the tray down, and clasped his claws together in front of him. "My name is Mansikka, and I am indeed the chief physician on Kooler Planet one-oh—" He faltered as Frieza's face darkened, thinking better of it, before correcting, "—uh, I mean...Frieza Planet 23, sire. Ehh...this human you wish for me to examine, may I take a look at him?"
"Certainly," Frieza said, his tone even and polite at the doctor's manners, "Tenshinhan, I'll be here the entire time, unless you'd rather I weren't, understood?"
"It's fine," the human said, following the alien doctor over to a cot. After a few minutes of examination and questions about human physiology and Tenshinhan's background, Mansikka led him over to what looked like an analogue to an MRI machine.
The mottled brown alien stood uncomfortably by Frieza while Tenshinhan lay in the machine. "Lord Frieza, if I may say so, I am most overjoyed at your return," he ventured nervously. The Arcosian only grunted in response. Mansikka eyed the scars on his temple and chest, as well as the clearly prosthetic arm by his side, wondering what kind of power could have even touched him, much less injured him enough to leave a mark. "I-it's just that, it'll be good to get some discipline back in this sector," he rambled, "There've been some pirates, or raiders, or cultists — goodness, I have no idea with all the rumors swirling — regardless, these upstarts have been responsible for more desertions from the PTO than I've ever seen, in all my time with this organization. With you back, sire, I'm sure they'll crawl back to whatever depths of backwater space they spawned from." The machine beeped, and Mansikka jumped to the readout screen to avoid Frieza's silence. "Ah, here we are," he said, eying the scan, "Hmm, this is most unusual...I've never seen anything like this, in all my years..."
"What is it?" Frieza asked, tapping his tail against the floor impatiently, "Can you identify and fix the problem?"
"Uh, well...identify, yes, but fixing it may be more difficult," Mansikka said, poking at some bright parts of the screen with his claw. "Do you see these bright spots? They are not organic, like the surrounding brain tissue. From what I can tell, these are...I would guess some sort of highly technologically advanced bioaugmentation. They're implants that integrate seamlessly with the normal neurons, but for the life of me, I cannot deduce their purpose, if they were implanted when the brain was otherwise healthy."
Frieza let out a soft growl. "Gero...so his tampering extends this far. Can you remove these components without harming him? What about his memories? Can you recover them by taking those out?"
Mansikka's mottled face fell, as sweat appeared on his temple. "Well...Lord Frieza... This is more advanced than anything I, or any of the Planet Trade scientists, can safely examine. Master Tenshinhan has significant augmentations throughout his entire body, and removing, or attempting to remove, any one of them could cripple him. Whoever did this work was a biomechanical savant, a genius at marrying flesh and technology. It is remarkable craftsmanship, but tampering with anything could—" He squeaked as Frieza's tail slammed into the tile, shattering it.
"That...bastard..!" the Arcosian hissed, wheeling to face Mansikka fully, "So. You cannot remove those parts, nor can you restore his memories, then? Well?!" He stared at the alien, who looked petrified. "Answer me!" he snapped, swinging his tail and catching a rolling cart of machinery, sending it flying into a wall, where it left an ugly dent.
"M-my lord, I-i'm sorry," Mansikka stammered, "It would kill him! If I tried to excise those components, especially from his brain, he'd hemorrhage in moments! As for the memories, the placement of those pieces may indicate that they are artificial intelligence chips — there simply are no memories to recover. With the introduction of those chips, his memories have probably been completely altered, er, rewritten, or erased fully. The biological neurons that may have held those memories are gone, and even with our healing technology, they simply cannot be recovered. I'm...I'm sorry, my Lord, for my outburst, but you must understand—"
"You have failed me," Frieza said in a low, seething tone. Mansikka's knees buckled, as he dropped to the floor, eyes wide and pleading. Frieza curled his lip in disgust. "Fine. Get up, and get Tenshinhan out of that useless machine." When the alien hesitated, mouth open, he yelled, "Now!" The brownish alien yelped, and scrambled up to hit the release latch for the MRI analogue.
"Well? What did he say?" Tenshinhan asked, exiting the machine, "Can my memories be restored?" When he saw the doctor quivering, nearly in tears, and Frieza, on the verge of strangling the hapless alien, his face took on a grave expression. "...So that's it, then," he quietly concluded, "It's alright, Frieza," he tried to reassure the shorter being, "We both knew this could be a possibility."
"I will not accept this!" Frieza said, sweeping his arm out, an invisible wave of psychic energy crumpling a row of machines, their lights sparking explosively. In a crouch in the corner, Mansikka let out a terrified pule as his scouter shattered with the power of Frieza's roiling ki. "He cannot get away with defiling you and robbing you of your past! I won't allow such an insult!"
Tenshinhan calmly placed his hand on Frieza's shaking shoulder. "It's not a problem. I can tell, just from your reaction, that you're sincere, and I have no reason to distrust you, or think that you're trying to fool me in any way." He thought back to how the Arcosian had seemingly relished the cowering of his minions — someone like that was cruel, yes, but then cruelty of that sort was all too familiar to Tenshinhan. Tao, Shen, and others in his life shared that cruelty, but not Frieza's seeming honesty about it. As assassins, they would feign fealty and even mercy when it was convenient for them to manipulate people. Not so with Frieza — he took it as a matter of course that people should fear him, and react accordingly, and he never once made any apologies. Under his touch, Frieza's quivering rage receded. "We'll find another way," Tenshinhan said, uncharacteristically optimistic, "I'm not giving up."
"Good," Frieza said, a growl choking the word, "I don't plan on letting Gero's brainwashing get the better of me either." He slipped from under the human's hand, and stalked out the door of the disheveled examination room.
"So you just left the room, just like that?" Kooler said through the ship's vidscreen, "How unlike you to leave only property destruction in your wake. Though I suppose for you, that's a vast improvement."
"If you were here, I'd more likely be directing my wrath at you, dear brother," Frieza said in a biting tone, "Kooler Planet 103? Just when were you planning to tell me that you had annexed my territory? And don't lie and say that it was a clerical error — I've been checking the planetary grants, and you've systematically renamed and appropriated over thirty percent of my property."
Kooler gave a sheepish grin. "Alright, you've caught me. That was all done in the interim between when you disappeared on Earth and I came to retrieve you. In all honesty, it had slipped my mind until now."
"It just 'slipped your mind?' Really?" Frieza droned in a tone of utter disbelief, "My honor truly means nothing to you, does it?"
"Oh, don't pout, Frieza," the older alien cajoled, "Things were very different for us both, not so long ago. We should be focusing on the future, not past disagreements. Speaking of, I'm truly sorry that you could not devise a solution using PTO resources." He was silent, studying Frieza's face through the comm screen, but his brother was withdrawn, inscrutable. Kooler hummed in thought a moment. "What if...the problem can be solved, but in a different way? You said that the doctor told you that the biochips implanted in his brain are functioning as neurons — that's why removing them would do more harm than good. It might work both ways, though."
"What are you thinking?" his younger brother asked.
"Just an idea. It may work, or it may not, so I wouldn't want to raise your hopes," Kooler clarified, "but if you had Tenshinhan perform tasks, activities, rituals that you used to do before his capture, it could be enough to bring something of him back. Muscle memory is memory, after all, and I highly doubt that Gero could have eradicated all of his skills and techniques, then systematically rewritten them perfectly. Do you follow?"
"Maybe. If you're right, this could work to spark any suppressed memories," Frieza said, "The doctor did say that some of his memories were rewritten...or written over, or something like that." He sighed, wishing he had Bulma here to interpret this. It was all too technical for his comfort, but she would undoubtedly grasp it immediately, and be able to offer a solution. "Anyway," he continued, "if it's a familiar task or ritual, then training with Tenshinhan is the obvious option. We spent the most time together doing that."
"It's worth a shot, then," Kooler agreed, "You should probably find a place to train that's like where you two normally were, environment-wise. Immersion might help things."
"Excellent point. Somewhere mountainous, with very little civilization or development," Frieza murmured, already pulling up a list of worlds and scrolling through biosphere descriptions. "Here," he declared, after a few minutes, "Kooler Planet 115 — or should I say, Frieza Planet 35." He glared at Kooler through the feed. "Says here that it's a rural Class 4 world. Purged and prepared for development, until a series of shifting tectonic plates and subsequent quakes made development impossible at cost within the timetable. It sounds positively quaint, and we should be the only people there, aside from the initial PTO outpost, if it's even still staffed."
"Well then, good luck, little brother," Kooler smiled, "Though given your stubbornness, I doubt I even have to tell you to keep trying in the face of hardships. Good men are motivated by pride and honor, but you're fueled by pure spite." Kooler thought, 'He really is just as ruthless as before. Only now, though I doubt he himself realizes it, his interests are aligned with others.'
Frieza chuckled. "What can I say? It has allowed me to survive and thrive this long, in the face of a cruel universe. And soon, it will allow me to kill that android, along with anyone else who opposes me." With a curt nod of final acknowledgement, he cut the feed.
On the other end, Kooler still sat, staring at the black screen. 'Though he talks a big talk about the android doctor opposing him, in truth he wasn't affected at all. Maybe, in his own selfish way, the demon can care for others,' he mused.
Frieza found Ten by one of the station windows, staring out at the landscape and stars beyond. He swallowed as took a few breaths, preparing to talk to him. He had a feeling it might not be so easy to convince him this time, seeing as the first plan failed, but he had to try. He had to make him see. Frieza had never been accused of being a consummate diplomat, and there enlay the issue: how should he approach this? Demanding compliance was more his style, but something told him Tenshinhan would be defiantly resistant to taking orders. The Arcosian shook his head of what-ifs, walked up to stand beside him, and had a quick glance between Tenshinhan and the space outside the window.
"Well, there is one thing I can be sure of," Tenshinhan said, breaking the silence.
"Hmm?" Frieza turned his head towards him.
The human gave him a wry smile. "I've definitely never been to a different planet before."
Despite himself, Frieza chuckled. "At least there is some certainty," he replied.
Tenshinhan turned his gaze back to the outside.
Frieza allowed the silence to stretch on a moment before he broke it. "Tenshinhan," he said, the human turning to him at his voice, "I have another proposal. One that may work better, but may well take longer." Tenshinhan said nothing, but indicated that he was listening. "I think...one of the first things that we did together was train," he continued, "You trained me at your home, and I think replicating those circumstances, even a little bit, may help you to recover your memory. By repeating the exercises it may be that things come back to you, as the muscles remember. I've found a place suitable, and it wouldn't take us long to travel there."
Ten was silent for a long moment, and then he sighed and rubbed his face. "I'm really not sure," he said, "This has...offered answers. I do now have it confirmed that my brain was tampered with, but in what way? I don't know. And I don't know if this will enable me to recover my memories, or find a way of sorting through which ones are real or not, or whether they're just gone. That this is all that I have." He shook his head. "I just don't know..."
Frieza could feel anxiety sweeping up his body. He tightened his fists, trying not to let it show. "Tenshinhan...I can't guarantee that this will work, I can't guarantee that anything I try will work. However..." He paused, valiantly searching for the correct words. "You...are valuable to me, the way that you were before Gero stole your memories and warped your mind — and though you can't trust that what I say about that is true, know that I would never lie. Not about this. I do not want to offer false hope, but this could be a breakthrough. It's an opportunity, one that might well work. Trust me. Give me a chance to return you to yourself." He gazed up at him, trying not to let his desperation show.
Tenshinhan regarded him. His eyes caught something: though Frieza was trying his best, his tail with taut and shaking with tension. 'He really is desperate. He really does want to try this and maybe as many things as he can until this works. I can't remember anything about him, but this...surely this means something.' He closed his eyes for a moment and then made a decision. "Alright, Frieza," he announced, "We'll give this a try. When do we leave?"
Frieza grinned, in relief more than anything, before his face returned to its normal haughty, self-confident mask. "We can leave now; I've got the location settled, and the ship is already prepared to depart."
The dwelling was located near a mountainside. Taking it all in, Tenshinhan had a strange sense of déjà vu filter over him. 'This place does feel familiar, but not quite the same...' He glanced around the area, taking in the smells and sounds of the place. The planet was large and quiet, save for the noises of several herds of cow-like animals tramping and lowing to one another. The ground was cracked severely in places, and as they'd come through the area, he'd noticed many places where there seemed to be significant damage, including large, bowl-shaped craters, as from huge impacts. In the face of that, the dwelling, a small house-like structure that had several components for collecting sunlight and water, stuck out badly.
"Well, it isn't the luxury I am used to, nor is it the spartan dwelling you seem to relish, but all we'll be using it for is shelter and sleep," Frieza remarked, "Everything else is stored in the ship, but if we run out of food, the native wildlife appears to be edible, at least according to the reports. If we should need anything else, there is a supply depot on a station not far from here."
"What happened here anyway?" Tenshinhan asked, "I can't believe such a resource-rich planet is completely uninhabited."
"It fell through the bureaucratic cracks, so to speak," Frieza explained. It wasn't a total lie. "At any rate, the desolation is comparable to where we trained, so it should be perfect. No distractions. Shall we start?" He stretched his arms above his head, undulated his tail behind him, and then twisted at his hips, arms swinging. "Stretch, loosen your body. We'll start with...hmm...stretching, breathing, meditating, then light sparring," he rattled off the exercises in the order he recalled.
Tenshinhan nodded, and followed suit, beginning to stretch. "You said I trained you before, hmm?" he interjected between hand and wrist exercises, "I can't imagine being a teacher, or anyone's master."
"It was difficult, especially at first," the Arcosian replied conversationally, "I was in a similar state as you are now — confused, thinking myself among potential enemies, and unsure what my fate would be. You were kind enough to remove me from Goku's presence, and took it upon yourself to train me, and gain my trust and respect."
"Did it work?" Tenshinhan asked, swinging his leg up in a stretch kick.
Frieza paused, smiling. "Better than any of you could have hoped. In fact," he stopped stretching momentarily, turning his full attention on Tenshinhan, "You were the first human I respected, and even admired. Otherwise, I might have resigned you to decathexis, and let Goku and his try-hard friends deal with you after your revival. Someone as important as you are though...I could not bear to stand by and let them ineffectively strive, and risk making your situation worse. Though they have known you longer, I suspect that Chiaotzu and I are the ones who know you better. Not just your strengths, but your weaknesses. Your faults, your flaws, your failings. While Goku and his ilk fixate on what makes you admirable, I was drawn to the other side of the coin. The assassin, the killer, the schemer, the opportunist. They would try to deny you that, but I know — that is your true self, as much as your virtues are your true self."
Tenshinhan stared at him, a look of intrigue written on his features. "Heh," he finally breathed out in a laugh, "You sound as though you speak from personal experience. I'm guessing your past isn't so upstanding either." He had a sudden flash, of sitting on a moonlit rooftop beside this mysterious alien, of gazing at the stars and talking in low, hushed tones. "...Huh," he blinked, looking at Frieza, "I think I... Did we ever...sit on a roof and...and talk? Forget it, it sounds silly..." To his surprise, the Arcosian's eyes lit up.
"You remember that night?" Frieza inquired, "Truly?" A triumphant grin split his face, his eyes crinkling around the edges as his tail rapidly oscillated, like an overjoyed dog's. "You do remember!" he crowed, pointing a finger at the human, "I knew Gero couldn't erase you entirely! Ha!"
"Ah...so that was...my real memory..." Tenshinhan said, an uneasy smile gracing his stoic features, "It seemed...much clearer than all the rest, for some reason, and it just came to me."
"Artificial memories can't compare to the real thing," Frieza said matter-of-factly, "Let's see about uncovering more of them, shall we?" He put his finger on his chin, thinking. "Most of the breathing and meditation were solo exercises, so...what do you say to skipping those, and moving on to sparring? That should spark something," he said, thinking back to all the times Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu had so cleverly avoided and countered his much-stronger, but unrefined blows.
"Okay," Tenshinhan said, his confidence evident, "I may not be able to go easy on you though, being an android with infinite energy."
Frieza grinned. "That's fine. I'm not planning on pulling my punches that much either, now that you can take it."
"Heh. Let's see if you can back up that big talk," Tenshinhan said, a competitive tone rising in his voice, "Here I come!" He dashed at the alien, leading with a straight punch. When Frieza predictably moved out of the way of the obviously telegraphed attack, he twisted around into a kick.
The Arcosian blocked the heavy strike with his metal arm, grinning as he wound his tail around Ten's ankle. "Since training with you, I don't fall for such obvious tricks any longer," Frieza chuckled, tossing Tenshinhan onto his backside with a flick of the powerful appendage. With a whirl of his legs, Tenshinhan was up again, circling, on guard. "Good, now you know not to underestimate me."
"Oh yeah?" Tenshinhan countered, slapping Frieza's guarding hand to the side, angling in with a punch. It hit home on Frieza's cheek, erasing his good-humored smile. The human followed that with a sidekick, pushing the alien bodily away. "Got you!" he yelled, pursuing his opponent with a knifehand chambered by his ear. As he reached him though, Frieza recovered, crouched, then sprang up into the air, landing behind and to the side, where he returned Tenshinhan's sidekick.
"Not bad, not bad," Frieza egged him on, wiping away a small dot of blood at the corner of his mouth, "You probably think you've got a great advantage as an android with no ki, but the truth is, I've never been able to sense the stuff." He parried a punch by Tenshinhan, catching and holding his fist. "In fact, your training was instrumental in honing my awareness — of my environment, my opponent, and myself." He slammed a fist into Tenshinhan's gut, then lashed his tail into his side to throw him back.
"Khh... Is that...so..?" Tenshinhan coughed, "If I could remember, I think I'd be regretting that about now, haha..."
"You will," Frieza smiled confidently, "Who knows? Maybe if I strike you about the head with enough force, that will shake loose some memories. Let's test that!" With a yell, he flew at Tenshinhan, forcing the man back on guard.
Hours later, the two were soundly exhausted— or as exhausted as an android with infinite energy and an alien with superhuman stamina could get. At any rate, their bodies felt the weariness of the strenuous bout, and both were covered in cuts, bruises, and other marks of a battle evenly fought. Breathing heavily, Frieza sat suddenly, unceremoniously, on the bare ground. Taking this cue, Tenshinhan followed him down, sprawling in the dirt and panting. "Haa...haa...I think we should adjourn for the day," Frieza gasped, "I could go longer of course, but it's almost dark. What do you say?"
"Sure," Tenshinhan said in a more even tone, having already gotten his breath back, "That reminds me...are there medical supplies in the ship? I don't remember anyone saying anything about supplies other than food."
Frieza rolled onto his back with a groan. "Of course, that's what those idiot humans forgot! There were no Senzu when we departed, and when Goku and Vegeta used this ship, that was their first aid... Damnit, I suppose I'll have to check the outpost, see what they have on hand..."
After trudging to the bare-bones PTO outpost building and searching it thoroughly, they only managed to find some triage medigel — past its suggested expiration date. Tenshinhan refused it, saying that Frieza clearly would benefit more. With a scowl, the Arcosian complied, the gel doing a fair job of erasing the surface wounds and bruises within twenty minutes. "Alright, we can't go on without proper supplies, so I'm going to the trade depot I told you about. I should be back within a few standard hours, so until then, I suggest you just rest, and recuperate your strength."
Tenshinhan was about to protest, and remind Frieza of what infinite energy entailed, but he decided against it. "Fine by me," he agreed, "Be careful." Frieza laughed mockingly at him, reminding him again of his power and status compared to the rest of the universe. The human watched the round ship until it was a dot high in the stratosphere, before he returned to the outpost. After aimlessly poking around the alien structure, he went back to the barracks sector Frieza had showed him when they first investigated the place. They'd decided to spend the night in there, in order to conserve the ship's heating and cooling units. He sighed, sitting down on the edge of a bed he'd earlier claimed. "Whatever tomorrow holds, and the day after that, I hope I can uncover some more answers," he told himself. That sensation earlier, of that genuine memory, stuck with him, and he turned it over in his mind, trying to concentrate, and think of memories that felt similarly real. After a futile few minutes, he decided to take Frieza's advice after all, and swung his legs up onto the cushy, but not overly luxurious, bed.
He woke up with a strangled cry, bolting upright, his body tensed to attack or defend. The room was pitch-black, and he shakily fumbled for the lights. When he finally succeeded in locating a switch, he winced at the flood of illumination, because he half-expected for it to reveal his hands as bloodstained. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw only the untreated bruises and scrapes from the earlier sparring match. Tenshinhan slumped out of the bed, struck by a sudden feeling of claustrophobia, of wrongness. Though his enhanced android senses let him perceive things much more clearly than a normal human, he felt disoriented, stricken by the feeling of unreality. He stumbled out the door, weakly pushing it closed as an afterthought. 'I have to get centered,' his mind insisted, 'Something is wrong with me, and I need to meditate,' he reasoned, leaving the outpost and heading for the tall, jutting mountains on the opposite side of the small valley.
Frieza arrived at the dwelling and stepped through the entrance, moving the cart of supplies he'd picked up from the support station telekinetically. He let the cart down at the entrance and glanced around. Almost immediately, he felt that something was off. A low wind moaned through the entrance, slightly ajar. He frowned and stepped further in, heading over to the section that had been marked off as Tenshinhan's space, where the light was on. "Tenshinhan?" he called, "I've returned with the supplies. Should be enough to keep us going for a week. We can always hunt; I've heard there's a particularly delicious specimen of..." He stopped. Tenshinhan was gone. 'No..! But he was just resting, I wasn't away for that long was I?' Immediately, he darted outside and took to the air, scanning the area. 'Blast! Even if I could sense ki, I'd be unable able to find him, now that he's an android! Grrr...there's no telling where he's gone to!' He grew increasingly panicked as he tried to work out where he should go. Then he paused, remembering some of the meditative exercises Ten had taught him, and took his time. 'He showed no inclination to leave, and he did come here of his own volition. That means that if he's gone somewhere, it's probably nearby. Now, where would be the best place to go if he was wanting to clear his head..?' He scanned the dark area again, with clearer eyes. Then he spotted it: a waterfall, not too far away, tucked between two mountain peaks.
Frieza shot towards it and, sure enough, Tenshinhan was there, sitting under the waterfall in a meditative pose. Frieza breathed a deep sigh of relief and dropped out of the sky, being careful not to disturb him. The rumble of the waterfall was loud, but oddly soothing, and Frieza sat down cross-legged and waited for Tenshinhan to notice him.
A few moments later Ten opened his eyes and regarded the Arcosian. "I'm sensing that I made you agitated," he remarked.
"I was...caught off guard when I came back to find you gone," Frieza replied, "I thought perhaps you had...changed your mind."
"Sorry, I maybe should have been more aware of that. But no, it was never my intention to leave." He scrutinised Frieza, still unable to get a handle on this strange blank in his memories. A blank that, nevertheless, felt familiar.
"What happened?" Frieza asked after a moment.
Ten was silent a moment, gathering his thoughts and wondering how much he should divulge. "I've been having...nightmares," he said, carefully. "After we trained, it seemed like something was dislodged in my brain and... The dream was vivid; I killed someone in it. But it felt more like a memory than a dream. It didn't have the strange logic of dreams, it felt more concrete. Like something that had really happened." He paused. "I think it may well have been something I did, and that's what worries me. I don't know who I am at the moment but...I don't think I'm comfortable with the idea of who I used to be."
'Damnit...what I said earlier, about his flaws and failings, mentioning he was an assassin— I probably triggered this.' Frieza kept quiet for a moment, the only sound the thud of the water. Then he licked his lips and spoke. "Tenshinhan...we both in our past have done things that we're no longer proud of. Regardless, we have both changed since then, and we don't need to be defined by what we did in the past, or what was done to us in the past. And if I've moved beyond that, it's largely thanks to you and thanks to the way that you helped me. I know you don't remember any of that, but if I can I would like to do the same for you. So, if you do have these memories and they bring you pain, know that I too have gone through that. Together, we can get you through it as well."
Ten considered what he had said. He nodded. "Thank you," he said, "I appreciate your honesty. You seem to me to be a very prideful, private person. You wouldn't be telling me this so easily unless you already trusted me to keep it in confidence. And I think you're right. There may be some things I've done that I regret, but that's just something I need to face. And if what you're saying is true, then it's something I have faced before, and moved beyond before. I can, I'm sure, do it again."
Frieza smiled at him. "You will. We will."
Tenshinhan inclined his head. "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here a moment longer on my own," he said, "I want to meditate a bit more, and see if I can sort out what is real and what isn't in my head. Maybe later, you can help me fill in the blanks, but I want to try by myself first."
"Of course," Frieza stood up, "I understand completely, and I won't disturb you until you return."
Ten nodded his thanks and then shut his eyes.
Frieza flew into the sky and back towards their dwelling...but he couldn't help casting a worried look back over his shoulder. 'I hope that I'm not pushing him too hard, too quickly,' he considered, 'After all, I'm no stranger to lost memories of things I did.' He still had no memory of many times he'd transformed, in a berserk rage. Sometimes though, seemingly at random, a conversation, or a smell, or some other random trigger would bring a flash of bloodshed with it, vivid and repulsive to his rational mind. He had long since learned to ignore these flashes and move on, but for Tenshinhan, this was a new, invasive sensation. He would have to be patient.
The familiar, soft whistling sound rung in Piccolo's ears, and he turned his head to find Goku standing behind him on the Lookout. "Goku," he said, furrowing his brow, "I wasn't expecting you. Is something up?"
"Not really," the Saiyan replied, rubbing the back of his head, "I was just wanting to come and check up on whether there was any word from Frieza and Tenshinhan?"
"There hasn't been a great deal, but Kooler can fill you in." Piccolo indicated for Goku to follow him and the two walked into the central building of the Lookout. They went up the tower and, at the top, Kooler sat at a desk, a computer in front of him, tapping away and working at it. He looked up as he heard them approach.
"Ah, hello," the Arcosian said. "I presume you've come for an update?"
"Yeah, if there is any," Goku replied.
Kooler sat back and crossed his arms. "A little. The tests confirmed what we already knew, that Gero tampered with Tenshinhan's memories. Unfortunately the process by which this is done would be...difficult to reverse if not outright impossible. For that reason Frieza is trying a different tactic."
"What's he up to?" Goku asked.
"We thought that training, running through the same routines that Tenshinhan did with him when he first arrived on Earth, might spark some recollections in Tenshinhan. Not enough to do anything major, perhaps, but maybe enough for him to get a handle on which memories are real and which are false. They've gone to a planet that resembles his home in the mountains."
Goku crossed his arms and looked up, pondering. "Maybe I should head out there to check in on them?" he mused, "Just to see how things are going."
"No, Goku. I don't think that would be a good idea," Piccolo said, stepping in, "I know that you want to see how things are going and you really want to help, but I think at this time the best way to help is just let them get on with it. If you were to just suddenly appear, Tenshinhan might read it the wrong way. Remember, Gero's grudge was against you— that means that most of Ten's altered memories are going to focus on you."
Goku thought for a moment and then nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Darn!" He swiped his hand through the air. "I just feel so useless not being able to do anything."
Piccolo smiled. "Goku, doing nothing is a choice that we make. And sometimes it is both the right choice, and the bravest choice that we can make."
Goku reflected on this a moment and smiled. "Wow Piccolo, that's quite a wise thing to say. Kami must be really rubbing off on you in there."
Piccolo snorted. "I've always been wise, it's just that you're actually listening to me now."
Goku touched his fingers to his forehead. "You're right, I guess I just have to wait and see what happens. But keep me updated on what's happening, okay?"
"If we have any news I'll be sure to let you know," Kooler promised. With a final smile, Goku disappeared. Kooler gave Piccolo a wry look. "So, do we want to start placing bets on how long it'll be before he turns up again?"
The village was on fire. It was a fast and effective way to carry out the task, there being no real warning system or fire brigade to solve the problems. Many had already perished in the fire and now, with the rest running and panicking, it was an easy task to pick them off as they ran. "Good job Tenshinhan," Tao crowed, "You've completed this assignment admirably."
Had he? Tenshinhan wasn't sure. It hadn't been complicated, but he hadn't felt the sense of achievement or satisfaction at completing the task. They'd been hired to take care of the village that stubbornly refused to move out of the way for an oil refinery, and were to make it look like an accident. The job was done, with the usual efficiency and skill. But the feeling he had...was something else. Something that unsettled him. "Yes, Master Tao," he said, stepping through the ruins and across the corpses. It seemed like it was all done. The flames flickered up into the night sky. "Time for us to leave, no?" he said, trying to hide his eagerness to go.
"Ah, wait, hold on a moment," Tao said, almost with relish, "I think there's still one more to go." He pointed to a building that was half destroyed and mostly ash, only a few pieces of timber holding up parts of the building. Tenshinhan and Tao walked over and he peered into it.
In the corner was a soot covered child, a girl, huddled up and crying, trying to make herself invisible. Her eyes opened wide in fear as she saw the two of them standing before her.
"The last one," Tao said, slipping backward, "Take care of her Tenshinhan."
Tenshinhan hesitated. "She's...she's just a child..." he said.
"That makes no difference," Tao said, flipping his black braid over one shoulder, "The assignment was to take care of the whole village, no survivors! Now kill her."
Tenshinhan made a snort of dismissiveness. "But, Master Tao, she can't—"
"She's seen us!" he hissed, "If she gets away, then everyone will know that the village didn't succumb to an accident, and our Crane School will be exposed. Now take care of her! Kill her and honor your role as a Crane!"
Ten stared at the girl. He slowly raised his hand and his finger hovered and shook as he pointed it at her—
Tenshinhan woke with a start. His body was covered in sweat. He rolled out of bed and nearly crashed onto the floor such was his disorientation. It took him a moment, his heart pounding, to get a sense of himself and where he was. No fire or village. No child. Just his room in the outpost, with Frieza silently slumbering in the next room, oblivious to the terrifying vision. He took a deep breath and put his hand to his face. 'What was that...just a dream this time, or a memory?' He tried to bring his breathing under control, but though he managed it, it didn't quite bring him calm. 'I couldn't have done something like that, I wouldn't have. Surely... Even if I was hired, and had Master Tao there, I wouldn't have done something like that...' He stared into the darkness and pondered on it for a long time. He couldn't find an answer.
Sleep did not come easy for Tenshinhan, so that when the deep red alien sun rose above the mountaintops, he was already sluggishly awake to greet it. Glancing over at Frieza, tightly curled up tail to nose on the bed on the other side of the room, he sighed. Meditating passed the time until Frieza awoke, and after a light breakfast, Tenshinhan morosely followed the alien outside to begin the day. 'I haven't remembered any more than a single isolated memory,' he thought, 'What if I never recover any more? Perhaps that one was a fluke, something Dr. Gero skipped by accident when he was rewriting my mind.' Worse yet, the nightmares had become more vivid and frequent. "Frieza, can we go easy today?" he asked.
"Why? I thought you were bragging yesterday about your 'infinite energy,' weren't you?" Frieza challenged, his tail waving high over his head in a confident manner.
Tenshinhan shook his head. "It's not that, it's just... I still can't remember much, and worse, my dreams—"
"Oh enough of that," Frieza cut him off, "We've already established that this is progress, and I intend to push forward until you're back to your old self. Ignore the damn dreams and focus on recovering your old self. Everything else is just a distraction!" With that, he leapt forward into an attack, forcing Tenshinhan to defend himself.
"Frieza...just— Ah! Just stop!" Tenshinhan cried angrily, charging and firing a Dodonpa without thinking. It whizzed by the Arcosian's cheek, opening up a thin line of red. The human's eyes widened. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I know you're invested in helping me recover, but..." He averted his gaze, his shoulders slumping, "It's futile."
"What's the meaning of this?" Frieza growled lashing his tail angrily as blood seeped down his cheek, "You're not the type to give up, just roll over and accept your fate! That's not the Tenshinhan I know! You're going to—"
"You're right, I'm not the Tenshinhan you knew," the three-eyed human ground out, "I'm me, but I'm not. I'm not able to tell the difference between memories and dreams, and I could still turn against you— I could be a liability in the future, if you ever have to face down Gero. He could very well have put some device in my head that would flip a killswitch, and undo everything you're trying to do. It might be better to remove myself from the equation, to keep you and the Earth out of danger. You said this planet is uninhabited, but it's still close enough to a supply station for me to survive. If I stay on the planet and live out my life, separate from the others, then—"
"Are you insane?!" Frieza roared, "A liability? You? Pah! If it came down to it, I could take you out instantly, but until then, I am trying to fix you, you ungrateful wretch of a friend! I'm not abandoning you here in this backwater wasteland!"
"...What did you say?" Tenshinhan said, barely above a whisper.
"I said I refuse to abandon you!" Frieza snapped, his tail lashing madly.
"No, before that," Tenshinhan shook his head, "You called me a wretch, but...that's the first time I've ever heard you call anyone your friend." He watched as the Arcosian's eyes bulged, and a scarlet blush crept across his face. "...Somehow, I feel like I've just angered you further, but I swear, I'm not trying to ridicule you."
His tail swept in an agitated arc, and Frieza gnashed his teeth, emotions wildly conflicting. "If you ever tell anyone I said that, I'll rip your tongue out personally," he growled, "but...you've caught me, so to speak. You're more to me than a master, o-or a sympathetic mirror. I-I..." He wiped the back of his fist across his cheek, smearing the red. "I have failed you, and this is my atonement. It was my fault that Gero kidnapped you, my fault you were even put in that position. J-just like the others..!" He clamped his hand over his face, shaking with anger, and a mix of other, subtler emotions. "I don't... I don't want you to be another in a long line of failures...the people close to me...it's all my fault...that they're all gone..." Curling his tail around his shaking form, Frieza sank to the ground.
Tenshinhan watched this display blankly, before a sudden, sharp recollection spiked through his brain. 'I've seen this before,' he thought, 'When his father died...then later, when his brother was also killed... He acts like he doesn't value relationships of any kind, but in truth, he cherishes people far too much, and when they're ripped away from him...he blames himself.' He knelt down, putting his hand on the Arcosian's shoulder. "I remember now," he said softly, "I'm sorry I tried to give up. I wasn't giving up on you, and now, I realize that I can't give up on myself. I just had another memory come back, and it was about you." Frieza looked up, his red eyes full of constrained emotions, pain the only thing apparent. "Now I remember who and what you are, I think. Now that the puzzle piece that is you is in place, I think I can put the rest together. I'm ready to begin again, Frieza." He rose, and offered his hand to the Arcosian, in a gesture that felt like another strong, real memory. Conflicting with that memory, this time Frieza accepted the hand.
Frieza gave him a crooked smile. "So, you think you finally figured me out, huh? If all it took was the naked baring of my soul, I should have had a breakdown earlier, and saved us some time. Alright, let's get started with training. And Ten," he added, "remember, not a word of this, to Chiaotzu, or anyone else. Especially Goku. I was serious about ripping out your tongue."
"I don't doubt you in the least," Tenshinhan deadpanned, "After all, that's the kind of person you are."
Hello my loyal SoD readers! It's been a tumultuous few months, & I've had a lot of personal things piling up, including but not limited to my dog Hazel being diagnosed with terminal cancer, & my thesis stalling until I can rework the idea. Thankfully, I've got a super-awesome team to support me, including Renalto Lifecraft, SoD's new editor! Give him a warm welcome, & please keep writing reviews & asking us questions. On to the Q&A!
Q: Awesome and Frieza and android 21 as a couple in this story as well is my suggestion as well. Until the next chapter then.
A: Somehow I doubt she's his type. Why's everyone gotta be paired off, anyway?
Q: You know, I predicted Gero having a kill switch in his androids to prevent him losing control of them. I mean, if you're going to be working in living weapons it would be kind of stupid not to. I'm not going to lie, I'm curious how Cell is developing in this universe; Considering that the original plan was for him to absorb 17 and 18 to reach full power (a dickish design from Gero if ever there was one), I wonder how the good doctor has altered what was honestly one of his better creations in canon.
A: Gero always has a backup plan. Curious about Cell? Aren't we all... ..deviously laughs..
Q: Don't usually have much to say in these immediate reviews so I'll go with jokes and memes. Thirteen was not his lucky number, it looked like he had mastered the art of dodging but alas, Liberal Vegeta could not withstand the unrelenting force of destruction that is the Republican Death Bomb. Ohh right in the testicles, Senzus ain't gonna help with that much, now we know why he doesn't have a third child. Gero escaped Karma yet again, perhaps Freeza should hire Mueller? He'll come closer every day to taking Gero down. Gero proposing to Make Frieza Great Again? That's it for jokes now. Serious question; Goku really recreated a Death Ball? Anyway, this chapter was good, and the fights were great.
A: Oh no, you've discovered my love of memes. It's not republican just 'cause it's red, lol. Groin shots are a literal low blow, but seeing as how this was freaking canon, I couldn't resist. Poor Goku. Yup, Gero is both a Magnificent Bastard & a Karma Houdini. For how long, who can say? Gero sees Frieza as a potential weak link, a way of getting at Goku that Tenshinhan failed to do effectively. Whether he'd be great is up to how much Gero decided to tinker with him, & how much Frieza himself could tolerate. Yes, Goku accidentally turned a Genki Dama into a pseudo-Death Ball, by infusing the borrowed energy with his own unconscious emotions. It's not exactly the same mechanics as Frieza & Kooler's technique, but the outcome is the same.
Q: Great chapter ! But how will cell become perfect if you killed off tenshinhan and tao(btw nice of you to let chaozu have a moment to shine) ? Also,how many years has it been since the androids attacked?
A: That's the million-zeni question, isn't it? How will Cell become complete, & what form he will take, is yet to be revealed, but rest assured, I know all Gero's dastardly plans! I love giving little moments like those to minor characters, & I love revenge scenes, so Chiaotzu killing Tao was only natural.
Q: Good, Goku knows the difference between when it's time to try and push his limits and when it's time to just get shit DONE. He's an Idiot Hero, but fighting is the one thing he's good at. I wonder, why do the Z Fighters never wish for an unbreakable bag with unlimited Senzu beans? Or ask Korin for one to give to Bulma for study? Goku not thinking of that is one thing, fine, but, Piccolo's pretty smart and Krillin's usually dispensing the beans, you'd think they'd think of such a thing at one point. It'd save their bacon a LOT. It would kill a lot of the dramatic tension, but, between Genre Savviness and dramatic tension, my choice is clear. Goddammit Vegeta, could you NOT Leeroy Jenkins for once? Kinda wonder how a Barrage Dodon Ray would fare against Frieza's Barrage Death Beam? What is it with big villains and tanking hits? Saiyans I get, it's a pride thing, idiotic as it may be, but Super 13 isn't Saiyan. Final Flash early, nice. Good to see Gero is smart enough to NOT let Super 13 try and tank that, because even if he could, it's easier to dodge. Ah the Solar Flare, no matter how strong you are, a flash of light is always blinding. Hm, now I kinda want to see a fighter whom that wouldn't work on, a blind martial artist with super developed senses and who can use his ability to sense ki almost as a radar. Kinda like Daredevil. I'm fairly certain it's Namekians, not Nameks. Then again, Nameks COULD be a slur, I dunno. Yeah, being able to regrow limbs like that is VERY useful. It's saved Piccolo's ass quite a few times. I wonder, do Namekians who regenerate a limb have phantom sensations, perhaps of scars on the old one, or preferring the old one, despite knowing the new one is genetically identical? And what's that green stuff when they regenerate? Not blood, that's purple. More than meets the eye? But Frieza's the one who can transform. "Just how many transformations do these people have?!" Well, Goku right now has 2, although if we count later Z and Super and GT, that's 5 more. SS3, 4, God, Blue, and Ultra Instinct. Frieza has a total of 4 transformations from his first to his augmented Fifth, as does Cooler, if the Kaioken counts, then Goku has 6 more, and I don't think the humans can transform yet so, a bunch. Ah, the SS Deadly Bomber, one of the few moves that tracks in DBZ. He punched Goku in the dick. That's gotta hurt. Krillin just combined, the Chain Destructo Disk Barrage, with the Hellzone Grenade. I have nothing clever to say to this, that's legitimately clever. Well played. Oh, he's combined it with Kooler's telekinesis, clever. I always forget he has that. Wonder if he's ever tried to use it on a living being, oh my god, Kooler could potentially Force Choke someone, that's great! The Blender, could be worse. Hm, how about Kienzan Cage? "It's nice to be on the opposite side of it for once." I can only imagine. Ikari Dama, Ball of Rage. A fury powered Spirit Bomb and oh shit, that really is a Death Ball. Goku with the Death Ball. Huh. Also a better ending than the actual Super 13 movie. It burned Vegeta's gloves, that's, impressive. Yeah, Vegeta's hands are in awful shape, his nose is broken, he's had a day, he's low on energy, he NEEDS that Senzu. Of course, the bomb in the chest. Gero always has a backup. Chiaotzu killed Tao. That, was fitting. Death Dodonpa. Note to self, never fuck with the guy who can immobilize you with a mere thought. Ah Android 21, both beautiful and terrifying. And sometimes just plain old creepy. She seems more stable now than in FighterZ though. For better or worse. Gero's probably dead now, kinda wish Frieza had just Death Beamed him in the head before he got a word in to ENSURE he died. Ah well.
A: Yes, Goku may love fighting, but his loyalty to family & friends is greater. They've probably never wished for something like that because Shenron couldn't do it. Bulma likely has tried to study Senzu, but since they're magical in nature, she probably couldn't reproduce the effect. Vegeta is the king (prince?) of barging into a fist with absolutely no thought whatsoever. Dodonpa & Death Beam seem like equal techniques, so if they hit each other, you'd probably get a cancellation of both. Namekians & Nameks are both correct, but you're right, one is more "polite" than the other. I doubt they have phantom pains, because unlike other species, they naturally regenerate. The fluid probably has to do with the regeneration process itself, if I had to guess. Poor Tao has to hang a lampshade on the transformations, because he's jealous he doesn't have any. xD Android 13 has no honor, class, or compunction about striking below the belt. Telekinesis is kinda like the Force, so strangling someone psychically isn't out of the question. Kienzan Cage is actually pretty good, I may use that. In the heat of battle, Krillin isn't the most creative, lol. Vegeta's had A Heckuva Day, & he needs a Senzu with a drink to chase it. I still need to brush up on my familiarity with Android 21, but I'm glad people like her addition to SoD canon. Gero is most certainly not dead...& Frieza's definitely regretting letting him get into his head.
Q: So ends the battle with Android 13. Tien's death caught me by surprise. Chiaotzu killing Tao did as well. Can't wait to see what happens next!
A: Knowing Gero has a penchant for suicide bombs implanted in his creations, I didn't figure this would surprise anyone. Well, none of them ever detonated in canon, I guess - that might be why. Chiaotzu doesn't relish killing, but when the opportunity to kill an old childhood monster arises, you get your hands dirty.
Q: I don't think I've ever blazed through a chapter faster than with this one, haha. The action on the first half felt as creative and exciting as last chapter, although some scenes felt rushed in the sense that you would expect to see more fanfare around them (namely the Final Flash, which is iconic for its 3 minutes of charging time and epic soundtrack). From the moment of the Ikari Dama and forward (interesting concept btw, makes me think of what Cell would have actually created when he claimed that he could use the Genki Dama) the intensity of every moment hits hard. Ten's death and specially his realization of having a bomb inside him without spelling it to the audience felt genuinely grim, and I kinda want it to stick even though I don't know how you could justify it in a natural way. Chiaotzu's revenge was just... that weird moment of epic catharsis you didn't know you needed in your life until you've had it, and Frieza's rage when going after Gero alone, plus his confusion when tempted by the doctor... yeah, exactly as raw and visceral as I would have imagined it. Now I just wonder if this concludes the current arc and Gero will once again go into hiding until he has a somewhat functional Cell, thus letting the plot focus on Arcos (probably) or if the protagonists will find a way to stick to the doctor and finish him. I do hope he somehow lives long enough for us to see him interact with some version of Cell, because I don't think I've ever seen a story properly explore how the bioandroid would act if his creator was still around to give him purpose after obtaining perfection.
A: Charge times in writing often seem truncated in comparison to drawn manga pages or fillerized anime episodes, so that's why the Final Flash was presented in such quick fashion. Being blown up is certainly not a natural death, so there's a 100% chance they'll try to revive Tenshinhan. Glad you liked my interpretation of the Ikari Dama, & the implications for if Cell attempted similar. Chiaotzu saw an opportunity, & he took it. He doesn't relish killing people, but someone like Tao, who terrorized him for years, had it coming. I like cathartic scenes like that, because sometimes you've just gotta kill the really slimy, unrepentant creep who ruined your life. Frieza is sinking back into a sea of self-doubt again, & without Tenshinhan's influence to keep him afloat, this could spell bad news for him... I too want to depict how Cell & his "father" would interact, so you can bet that Gero will manage to stay alive until the time comes to groom his creation for world destruction & domination.
Q: Tenshinhan NOOOOOOOOO! D: I want Frieza to get revenge so badly. He needs that satisfaction/closure before it drives him maaaaad! I see what Gero is up to though...and it's kinda brilliant. Thank you for another great chapter and for continuing this story 3
A: Trust me, Frieza feels the need for revenge too. So, you think you can predict the evil genius & his machinations, hmm? We shall see...
Q: Well well. I have to say I loved this chapter for sure! Especially the surprising ending to the fight- Ikari Dama was very interesting indeed, and much more fascinating than how the battle ended in the movie- while still finishing it with the same sort of blow. I suppose that sort of thing is why you need to have a pure heart to use the move, or it'll destroy quite a bit more than intended... And then there is Chiaotzu killing Tao in a very impressive and ruthless display of skill and technique. I always thought the Dodonpa looked a lot like a Death Beam- so much so I have trouble telling them apart- so combining the two is a cool way of doing basically what Frieza would have done to the guy while still giving it that Crane School touch. In any case, it was a great chapter, and I can't wait to see the next one. See you next review!
A: I'm all about those surprise endings/twists on canon! òᴗó~✧ I always found it interesting that the Genki Dama requires a pure heart, & of course then I wondered, what would happen if someone not-so-pure tried it? I believe in one DBZ game, Cell makes good on his manga claim that he could use the technique, but...it's still the same technique. Yawn. I figured there ought to be a reason for the "pure of heart" restriction. As for the similarities in the Dodonpa & the Death Beam...they're the same technique, just with different names! I find it hard to believe that two ki users couldn't devise such a simple technique on two different planets — it's like convergent evolution.
Q: *grabs chest dramatically* Tien died?! What?! WHAT?! Honestly, I saw it coming, but WHAT. Poor Freeza, always stripped of his revenge... Dr Gero really has it coming to him. And I hope his death will be satisfying. I'm curious to see more of Android 21 as well; is she going to play a major role in this arc/story? If she does, will it be the same or similar to the one she plays in FighterZ? Will you include Majin 21 as well? And I wonder what's going to happen to Cell... does he even still exist in this universe? I've forgotten, whoops. The fight in this chapter was done so seamlessly that it cannot be ignored. But now that the action is over, I'm looking to see everything mellow out a bit. Maybe a few slice of life and comedic scenes before we get back to the drama and fights. I'd like to see more of Videl, Hercule, and Gohan as well. I love the way you write them; they seem so real and in character, especially the way you portray their relationships with one another. Huehue... I wonder if we'll ever get a glimpse of Gohan in high school in this fic. With Freeza in it, that would surely be interesting. Things will be blown up. Sharpner's masculinity will be questioned and/or in danger. Eresa will fawn over Cooler and Freeza's human forms. Anyway, I can't wait for the next update. See you then!
A: Yup, he died & is now itty-bitty bits of dust & shrapnel. Trust me, you'll get to see much more of Mr. Satan & Videl, & Gohan too, of course! I'm sure that this timeline won't affect him entering high school, so there's a distinct possibility of Sharpner & Eresa showing up in later chapters.
Q: Awww, darnit! Great chapter as always, but with the loss of Tenshinhans cyborg body also goes any hope of him being relevant in future battles, a shame!
A: Hmm, we'll see what condition he's revived in. Maybe he'll still be relevant. Also, don't forget that for a mere human, he's still more than a match for most enemies that don't require a Super Saiyan to kill.
Q: This recent arc with Tenshinhan being kidnapped and turned into an android by Gero is...inspired, to say the least. It's a good replacement for the fiasco that was the Buu saga (great potential, and a beautiful bit in there about Vegeta, but otherwise a fiasco), and has wonderful implications for future chapters as far as amount of juiciness. Reading a good story...scratch that. Reading a fine piece of literature is akin to eating a delicious meal. You can really "sink your teeth" into both. And both will leave you satisfied, yet still wanting more. You've done that and more. I daresay that if your writing skills were transferred to cooking, you'd soon put Gordon Ramsey out of business. Hell, transfer it to anything and you'd put everyone in that field out of a job. You perfectly capture how someone as broken as Frieza can be put back together and learn to bond...and you beautifully show the absolute, incarnadine rage that such a person can experience when the one person who has truly accepted them for who they were and shown a vested interest in them is taken away. I expect that Gero will die rather...painfully.
A: Hehehe, I always get a kick out of reading your vividly descriptive metaphors! Even more ironic because I'm a terrible cook. ὺ‸ύᶸ
Q: I cannot WAIT to finally get Cell in this story! The interactions between him and Frieza are really going to be something, I imagine no villain could screw with Frieza's mind more than one that actually has his DNA and knows his thoughts.
A: Oh yeah, you & me both. Due to the timeline, it'll be a while yet, but when it happens...things are gonna get real.
Q: When or if you do Dragon Ball Super, will Frieza's role change in the Tournament of Power? And I think having them in BoG would be good. I suppose having Cooler around could change the roster for Universe 7 just a tiny bit, like this: Goku, Vegeta, Frieza, Cooler, Gohan, Tien, Krillin, 17, 18, Piccolo. Like I said, IF you do DBS. It's your choice. This story is still awesome! And besides, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Keep going, Ryu No Ohi! *Cuddles you*.
A: I'm still not sure if/how I can incorporate all of Super, but there are definitely some interesting ideas to consider there.
Q: Welp, gonna have to take time for another entry under "Wham Episode." I'm enjoying this darker and edgier trend you've got going here, and it's perfectly justified considering that the movies are canon on top of your own personal twists on the formula. I can't wait to see how 21 is going to shake things up even further.
A: Darker & edgier, but not so edgy you can cut yourself on 'em. I just look at DBZ from the perspective of semi-realism. Who knows how 21 will affect things, now that she & Gero are still at large? We shall see...
Q: I wish you wrote Frieza during Super if I'm being honest. Just the progression and character development of not just Frieza but the entire cast is noteworthy. Thank you for being an inspiration for other fanfic writers.
A: You're very welcome; I am happy to give budding writers the push they need to pen a great fic of their imagining, just like I did when I was inspired by those who came before me. On your first point, heck, I wish I'd designed & written Frieza for Super, because at least then he'd make sense as a character.
Q: Finally I have read the rest of your story, and it is not inferior to the previous part. In fact, there are memorable moments. - Haabu arc. I regretted his horrible death. Yes, he was a bastard and had to die. His behavior towards his underlings was a clear signal of his evilness. Anyway, he was evil mostly because his idiocy (still had responsibility, evidently) so I wished a less painful death for him. Of course I know that ugly endings can be better suited for the story (Game of Thrones is a good example), and it was useful to show Freezer's problems about controlling his new form. Quite paradoxical that if Haabu hadn't been so silly to kill his tripulation, the revenge that he dreamed would have been possible. At least the dream helped him to make his death less horrible. XD - Pui Pui. Nice way to introduce Babidi's complot, Vegeta USSJ, and Cooler's troops adventures. Don't worry about possible power levels incoherence, Pui Pui DBZ "seems" weaker than Freezer 100%, but no enough info provided in canon to confirm if he is weaker than Ginyu Forces, nor stronger than C16. True that I like Pui Pui, so I'll hardly complaint about turning him a true badass. Anyway, the best in the arc were the interactions among Vegeta and Sauza & Co. - Cooler Resurrection! WAU! I accepted his death because it fitted well with the plot. I am glad plot allows his return. After Bills, he is one of my most favorite villains (others are Blue and Murasaki). Nice his interactions with Freezer, Yamcha guessing their aspect were not real, training with Ten, and the encounter with Sauza. It had been great an apologize towards his men to endanger their lives in his first arriving, perhaps Cooler has got too much proud. - Cyborgs Salade. Super A13, Tao Pai Pai, Ten Shin... I don't know C21 because I haven't played her game, but I'm sure you'll make interesting things with her. Anyway, the most important thing in my review is to advice you NOT to hurry your next update. Every adult person has responsibilities that can delay a work made just for hobby, and any non-adult person who don't understand it, well, it's their problem. I have to recognize that my advice is quite selfish: my priority is not fast production, instead I prefer you keep your quality. :) Congratulations for your writing!
A: Congrats on catching up! Glad that the rest of the story is holding up to your first impressions of the prior chapters. Haabu was my first taste of writing a complex villain who wasn't "supervillain" material - he's an incompetent braggart who got kicked upstairs, but due to his ego, he fails to see & correct his flaws. He did have a pretty grisly death, which was VERY fun to write, hehe. Vegeta & the Armored Squadron had some fun interactions too, & I always love writing Sauza & his cohorts. A lot of people were surprised by Kooler's revival - I actually had it planned from the start, so I'm happy it caught so many readers off guard! I like Colonel Blue & Agent Murasaki too, but sadly I don't see any plausible way of reviving them in this story. :^/ I haven't played Dragonball FighterZ either, but I loved the idea of Android 21 since her first reveal, & she had a lot of potential. Thanks for encouraging me to focus on quality, not speed of release. ^_^
Q: HEEEEETAAAAAPPPP. The fact that Gohan struggled to hold up some rubble is incredibly annoying, just a reason make him a SS
A: The beverage of champions. xD Glad you appreciate the reference. Well, SSJ requires a "need" for power, usually as an extension of trying to protect someone. Combined with Gohan's feelings of inadequacy lately, this was a reasonable trigger.
Q: Holy shit I'm glad I found this story. I've always been a Frieza fanboy and getting info about his past, homeworld, and even his relationship with Kooler is super satisfying. I suppose I can wait until June 30th, I'll just be taking my frustration out on DBZ Fighters ranked mode:P. Krillin, Buu, and Frieza are climbing the ranks one hard won battle at an time! Good luck on your graduate work, I know how hard that stuff is(Helping Wife through her graduate program).
A: I'm glad you found it too - & I love your username, as I'm Rocket as well! I hope that June 30th holds up to all your anticipation.
Q: "sigh" Should've done this earlier ( or maybe I've but can't remember) but which movies for this? Also, GT/Super? Supplementary content (as if I'm not mistaken you didn't fail to include 21 or somesuch)?
A: I'm doing my darndest to include all the movies I can. If you haven't seen it yet, I'm just doing them out of order from canon, & there's a good chance I'll incorporate it, so please be patient if your favorite villain hasn't appeared yet! However, I'm not planning on following either GT or Super's plotline.
Anonymous Reviews for Ch. 29: Grassation:
Q: Yet again, great chapter! Although it's exceedingly obvious this was planned before FighterZ came out, it doesn't really matter as long as it's well written. Do you have any plans for Frost or Kuriza? I doubt you have any for Kuriza, but seeing Frost and SoD Frieza together would be cool
A: Yeah, I first saw the promos for FighterZ & put Android 21 in SoD, but I think I'll have to read up on the game's lore to make sure she's still somewhat canon. I have no plans to include Frost, or anything from Super really, but Kuriza is a possibility, maybe. In a way, at least.
Q: Writing this review for both this chapter and the previous one because I had to catch up on both today. So 13, 14, and 15 couldn't have been done any better in my opinion. Really enhanced the conflict from what would already have been a great struggle with Tenshinhan and Tao for our heroes. I liked better speech for Super 13, that's an improvement. Ikari Dama went over much better to me than Genki Dama absorption also! I love Sauza, Krillin, and Yamcha highlights a lot too especially Sauza (keep him active more in the action!). I think the only thing I'm really skeptical about is Android 21's inclusion in the story. I didn't really like the character in FighterZ that much.. but it doesn't matter I guess because you've already identified to me that you can take characters/relationships/moments in the story that I otherwise wouldn't have liked and make me acknowledge it was excellent writing. I will concede I enjoyed 21 and Gero's interactions just before Frieza arrived at Gero's lab. And oh boy, that confrontation between the two. For moments, Frieza actually weighed his options and that's true character development in my opinion. None of this artificial inhuman "oh yes I change my mind this easily!" or "oh no I would never change a detail about my current self!" that I see so much in stories today, but I wouldn't have expected any less from you because you've always provided proper character development. It's very realistic that he'd have actually had to think about it, and certainly at an earlier point he may have even accepted Gero's offer. However, Frieza's own prideful nature also makes me doubt that notion. With Super 13 down, that's another movie villain check marked off of the list. You've already covered Broly, so that leaves.. Bojack? Hatchiyack? I'm a fan of Bojack but with no Kai planet explosion it might take some extensive backstory editing to make him possible, but still I would like to let you know that he's something I'd like seeing in SoD if possible. Bojack's a good foil for the Super Saiyan 2 form to get highlighted more, right now it's kind of felt lacking, and his gang are good characters to use for even more side character interactions. I mean look at Bido, Zangya, and Bujin's teamwork skills in the movie! That's begging for a three versus three battle that I know you would be able to write excellently if presented with the challenge. Your knowledge of how to write fighting in fanfiction is truly impressive to me honestly, it's one of the reasons why I still return to this site to check on this fanfiction when it updates! Oh and as for Hatchiyack (since I droned on about Bojack), I don't know. On a surface level he's just sort of a bland team buster, but the Tuffles are an incredibly great creation in the franchise in my opinion. There was too much for Toei to work with that they didn't with only providing Hatchiyack in the special and Baby in DBGT. You've already had the Tuffles present in SoD, and I genuinely appreciate that, but I sincerely hope that's not it. If it is though, I concede you did good lore expansion with their moment in the sun. I'll try to not have to catch up on multiple chapters next time, but I definitely don't ever plan to drop this series. I found you from your mentions in the fanfiction Honor Trip, the fanfiction Break Through the Limit, and your comments on the Dragon Ball Multiverse pages. I'm glad I did.
A: Doing the movie androids was fun, so I'm happy you like their more fleshed-out characterizations. The Ikari Dama was an idea we came up with because the movie's version just...didn't seem right. This was a much more interesting way to win, & it added, rather than subtracted, dramatic tension. Sauza does his best, but unfortunately he got K. earlier in this battle than he'd have liked. I do try to keep him relevant, though. I'll admit I need to do more research on Android 21, as when I first put her in SoD it was right after the first promo images of her came out. Hopefully I can make her appealing while keeping to canon. Frieza may well have accepted Gero's help earlier in the story, but it would have to be on his terms due to his paranoia. I want to do Bojack justice, so maybe I'll be able to fit his movie into SoD, & I'll agree that I like his gang's designs & powers a lot, so I'd love writing them in battle. Hatchiyak is more than a possibility in SoD, but not in the way that you think. I know I'm being cryptic, but I don't wanna spoil it. You haven't seen the last of the Tsufuru in SoD. I'm glad you found me & my humble story, & have decided to follow us for the foreseeable future. I look forward to your review in two months when I update!
Q: Please keep Buu as is. If you do anything to change my favorite bundle of cuteness I swear...
A: We're still a long way off from dealing with Buu, but I assure you, he'll be given the full SoD villain treatment, 'cause I love villains.
Reviews for Previous Chapters:
Q: Chapter 1: Revenants: Does Kuriza exist in your story, or will he. I think he's a pretty interesting character, and since he's a kid in canon (Toriyama says he's canon) you can decide how badass he is via his being raised by Frieza. If he is going to be in your story, will he be Goten and Trunks' rival (if so) or Pan, Bra and Marron's rival. If you plan to write that far I think he'll make an interesting story.
A: Hnnnrrrrgh...I wanna tell you, but it's a super-secret spoiler! Tough luck - you're just gonna have to keep reading SoD to find out!
Q: Chapter 1: Revenants: You misspelled namekian Namek is there planet
A: You misspelled "their," so I think you have no room to critique. ~_^
Q: Chapter 1: Revenants: Krillin disgusted me this chapter. Frieza IS a monster. But if you can't comprehend that different alien races have a different way of honoring the dead. That different cultures! Have different mourning methods. Then you are an idiot. You can be disgusted, that's fine. But Krillin Pissed me off. I don't think any adult who is supposed to be a monk would react like this. It seems a tad bit unrealistic. That is sooooo weird. Different people are capable of being in to different things. But I just want to say, that Bulma finding a human look alike attractive (Zarbon) , doesn't automatically mean she'd find frieza's appearance attractive. Not even remotely impossible for said attraction to exist, as I said earlier, different people different taste, but still there is no real connection.
A: Normally, I would agree. However, this is Krillin. He was tortured & killed by Frieza, so everything he perceives about him is colored by that bias. The knee-jerk reaction to the Scattering is compounded by his feelings towards Frieza as an individual. I think you'll find that his perspective changes significantly in later chapters, though. Well, uh, we know she has a xenophilia thing for Vegeta, & Zarbon...so is Frieza that much of a stretch with beer goggles on? Keep in mind her inebriation in this equation.
Q: Chapter 3: Discomfiture: I swear the only thing I can see while reading this is a lizard hanging down from Goku's hand like an angry and terrified puppy.
A: That's exactly the correct mental image. UòᴥóU
Q: Chapter 9: Obsequy: Oh my gosh, Bulma. You. Are. Crazy. Gurl.
A: Mad genius, or just mad? You decide.
Q: Chapter 23: Solatium: Gosh, I just super love how you write this. I feel like I am completely immersed into your writing as I read it. You've written the characters so well and they don't feel out of character at all. Freeza still holds that personality of his even though he's becoming a better being. I have been reading this any chance that I get and because the chapters are so long, I am spending all day on just one chapter despite myself being a very fast reader. I love long chapters and you most certainly deliver.
A: Thank you so much! I try to create a believable universe & characters, without any political commentary or virtue signaling that jars you out of the immersive world I've crafted. Glad you also love the long chapters!
Q: Chapter 25: Xenapistia: "I have nothing to do with those." It seems all special forces need to have their own battle poses.
A: Yes, yes they do. Much to many peoples' dismay & chagrin.
Q: Chapter 27: Reprisal: I was gonna review at the last chapter but I have to say my thoughts. Everything has been great and surprising. You made all the movies that didn't make sense in their place in the timeline and had them all unite, that was genius. It hurt to see Gohan die and Goku holding his son's corpse, then Goku became Super Saiyan 2. You also had Hercule break up a fight between two of the three strongest in the universe, even though he's the weakest of the bunch I always liked how he made friends with Buu and helped destroy Kid Buu. Then you brought back Cooler, which was great since I started missing him. I also love how the two bicker and talk like well brothers. It's refreshing to see. So I'm guessing Slug had a Majin symbol on his forehead. I'm guessing he resisted Babidi's control since Dabura was able to do it to some extent. And now we have Mercenary Tao as an Android. Huh, never thought I'd see that. The only way to top that is to find a fic where Hercule becomes an android. Lol. Anyway everything's great so far and I'm gonna keep reading.
A: I like the challenge of fitting the non-canon movies in somehow, because they contain interesting characters & plotlines in many cases that I would've liked to see in canon. Mr. Satan being able to talk Goku down is just canon to his personality, like you pointed out, & it's one of his big strengths as a character. I find that the more I write him, the more I appreciate him instead of just finding him annoying, y'know? Kooler & Frieza's sibling rivalry is a blast to write, & I like placing Kooler as a foil/contrast to his brother & to Goku as well. You'll find out more about how Slug came to act on his own, despite being marked by Babidi, in a later reveal! I always considered Tao an android or proto-android after his second appearance in Dragonball, so linking him to Gero was just intuitive. I'm not sure I've ever read a fic with Mr. Satan being turned into an android, but I distinctly remember one where he's made Guardian of Earth in Dende's stead.
Q: Chapter 30: Psychomachy: I immensely enjoyed this fanfic. Frieza's Redemption Arc and actually joining the Z Fighters is what I wanted to happen in the anime in Canon unfortunately Toriyama had other plans. Still after reading this far I'm a little angry that Frieza got the future Gohan treatment. Couldn't he just wish to Shenron to bring him back his arm or something or give him regenerative capacities? I'm on tenterhooks waiting for chapter 35 hope it's even better.
A: Well with how Super's playing out, I wouldn't be surprised if Frieza follows Piccolo's & Vegeta's canon example & becomes first an unwilling ally, then an antihero, then a grudging part of Goku's little friend group. As for why Frieza hasn't wished his limbs back, keep in mind that immediately after that incident, he was still untrustworthy, & there was no way Piccolo in particular would let him near the Dragonballs. After that, well, Shenron can't restore him because his prosthetics are now a part of him, so to speak. Unlike his full-body prosthetic, which he never accepted as part of himself, he's willing to alter his self-image to include his new arm...the fact that his faishin is encapsulated in it probably went a long way toward that unconscious acceptance.