So far, every time Frieza's power had increased, he'd needed to transform to do it. But this time, after spending a few minutes getting pummelled by Gine, he simply found some breathing space and powered up— and just like that he was on top again.
Krillin swore. "What the hell is up with this guy?"
Kakarot ground his teeth. His mother was now more powerful than he'd ever dared dream of reaching, but she was also badly hurt. Her left boot squelched blood from a wound in her leg, and every time she screamed she spat blood. He had wanted desperately to let Dende heal her, but he couldn't risk the boy's life like that— not with his mother the way she was now. Whatever power she had unlocked had come at the cost of her sanity.
And it had all been in vain. Things were back in Frieza's favor now: him, bleeding power like he had an infinite supply; her, furious, unfocused and dying.
Kakarot thought quickly. He had barely been able to touch Frieza even at Kaio-ken times 20, and doing that had drained so much energy he'd been nearly unable to move. Increasing the multiplier would probably be outright suicide. There was the Spirit Bomb… But Namek was so empty of life he wasn't sure how much it would yield. Maybe if he gathered energy from nearby planets as well…?
"You know, I feel rather foolish," Frieza called. Kakarot snapped to attention. The battle had come to a lull only yards from where he stood with Krillin. "If this is all there is to the Legendary Super Saiyan then I should never have killed you all."
Gine snorted like a bull. Veins stood out along her neck and face. Blood spurted weakly from the wound in her leg. Frieza bowed.
"You've fought well, Gine." Hearing his mother's name in the mouth of this horror made Kakarot feel sick. Frieza straightened. "But this is where it ends."
He raised a finger.
Gine tensed.
His fingertip glowed.
She charged.
Frieza fired.
Gine met the beam straight on.
It lanced through her heart and was gone.
Gine's fist landed.
Frieza didn't even flinch.
Her fist slid down his face as she collapsed in a heap at his feet.
Dead.
Kakarot breathed in, and the sound was so loud it hurt his ears.
Dead?
No.
Limp.
Motionless.
Silent.
But dead?
Was she…?
Everything was silent.
The world held its breath.
And Kakarot.
Screamed.
"Mama? Is Grandpa Gohan a Saiyan?"
"Haha, no sweetie. He's an Earthling."
"And… we're not?"
"No. We're from a different planet."
"Which one? Where is it?"
"It's called Vegeta. It... isn't anywhere anymore. It got destroyed."
"The whole planet?"
"Yes. Right after you were born."
"What happened?"
"We took a spaceship and came here."
"But… I mean... how did it get destroyed?"
"..."
"Mama?"
"Someone named Frieza destroyed it. But don't you worry about him. He doesn't know where we are. He'll never find us. We're safe here. Okay? We're safe."
"O-okay."
"We're safe. You remember that."
"...yes, mama."
Kakarot raised his eyes from his mother, Frieza's cat-like grin coming into focus over her limp form. He stared at the tyrant in vacant horror for exactly one heartbeat and then, as he had done so many times in his life, Kakarot followed his mother's example.
He screamed, the sound coming from a place deep in his soul. He let the rage take him, as it had taken his mother, and in surrendering to it, he found himself buoyed up by it.
Power, the likes of which he had never imagined before today, rushed up inside him, filling and filling and filling and spilling over and never stopping. He felt hot, the overflowing ki emanating off his skin as raw heat. The wild energy threatened to carry him off with it, but Kakarot resisted.
"Krillin!" he shouted. "Get ma to the ship and take off."
When Krillin failed to do so immediately, Kakarot screamed, "Now! While I can still control myself!"
Chanting under his breath, Krillin ran up to Frieza. Frieza smirked and pointed a finger at him. Instantly, Kakarot was there. He grabbed Frieza in a full nelson, and held him in place while Krillin scooped up his mother's body (he prayed it wasn't her dead body) and flew away.
Once Krillin was away Kakarot released Frieza, who immediately turned around.
"Goodness gracious, not you too!"
With his eyes, Kakarot watched Frieza. With his energy he felt Krillin moving toward Chi Chi and the kids. Once they were all safely away, then he could let loose. Until then he needed to keep it together.
"Is this really the Legendary Super Saiyan transformation? Again?" Frieza wondered aloud. "I was given to understand it only happens once every thousand years. Of course, I was also given to understand it was a threat to me, and we both saw how that turned out."
Kakarot seethed. He understood now. He was stronger than ma like normal, so he was stronger than her in this form as well. He'd be able to kill Frieza easily. If only ma had just focused on her training she could have done it herself, but no. The rage threatened to overwhelm him and he pushed it back. Just a few more moments and he'd be able to let go, but not yet…
"Does this form deprive all you Saiyans of your ability to speak? It's getting quite irritating the way you go all silent like that." Frieza shook his head. "No matter. I'll kill you just the same."
"No, you won't," Kakarot growled. Frieza raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, you do speak. Then perhaps you can tell me why you're standing there like you have a chance when you saw what happened to the other one."
"The other one?" Krillin was at the ship. They just had to take off. Then Frieza could die. "Are you talking about my mother?"
"That was your mother? Well, that explains why you were screaming like that. I would apologize, but we didn't exactly have time for introductions. Is this," he gestured at Kakarot's hair, and the entirety of him, "something you've always been able to do, or is it new?"
Chi Chi's ki grew agitated and did not move. Kakarot ground his teeth and lightning bolts snapped to the ground around him. He felt like a twig spinning in an eddy at the top of a waterfall. He hadn't fallen over the edge yet, but when he did it would be disastrous.
"Well, alright, if the conversation is just going to come and go we might as well wrap things up. Goodbye, monkey."
Frieza shot a death beam and Kakarot slapped it away. Frowning, Frieza shot another one. Again Kakarot parried it. He was about to fly into a million pieces and he clenched every muscle in his body to keep from doing so.
Frieza muttered something under his breath, but Kakarot didn't hear. They were finally taking off. The little group of ki signatures was rising steadily away from the planet's surface. Distantly Kakarot became aware that Frieza had punched him.
"Wh-wh… What is this?" Frieza hissed, shaking out his fist. "I've seen the limits of this form for myself. This isn't possible."
The others safely gone, Kakarot turned his full attention on Frieza.
"This is for everyone you killed."
"I beg your pardon?"
Kakarot punched Frieza so hard he felt bone crack under his fist. Frieza went flying, and Kakarot phased into his trajectory and slammed him into the ground. He peppered the tyrant with ki blasts, Frieza's body jerking with every hit.
"This is for the Saiyans!"
He landed hard next to Frieza and grabbed him by the tail. Frieza was powerless to stop him as he spun him around and around, finally releasing him to fly head over tail into the sky and out of sight.
Kakarot whispered, "And this is for my ma."
He cupped his hands beside him.
"Ka...me…"
He could feel Frieza up there, outside the atmosphere, somehow still alive. His power was rising again.
"Ha… me…"
But it didn't matter. Kakarot was stronger. He would always be stronger. This nightmare was over. Frieza just didn't know it yet.
"Ha!"
Kakarot thrust his hands out before him, radiant blue energy coursing from them in a beam so massive he couldn't see around it. He felt it hit Frieza, felt him struggle, felt him resist.
Felt him die.
But Kakarot didn't stop. He didn't know if he was so angry he didn't want to stop, or if he was simply unable to stop. He just kept firing until there was nothing left.
Empty, he fell to his knees, and felt the fiery ki that had sustained him fall away.