Saiyan of Legend
Ch.7- Caulifla; the red-hot saiyan beauty! "Don't ever underestimate me!"
A crack of thunder alerted the Z-warriors that a storm was coming, yet none of them dared to take their eyes off of the overwhelming force that had, moments ago, landed on Earth. Frieza's father, King Cold, stood over them all from the ramp of his ship and stared down the bridge of an aristocratic nose at each of them as though they were nothing more than filthy rodents.
Yet, ever observant, Vegeta and Piccolo could also see the underlying fires of rage flickering wildly behind the Frost Demon's wine-red eyes. Both fighters from space had a good idea of just what, or rather, who was the cause for this fury and had their suspicions proven true when the giant monarch began to speak as his ship's ramp began to move, bringing King Cold closer to the group.
"Tell me; have any of you ever heard of a 'Super Saiyan'? Answer truthfully, aid me in my search, and I may even spare each of your lives when my business on this miserable rock has concluded."
He spoke with a heavy accent that none of the Z-warriors had ever heard before, as even Vegeta was never actually given an audience with the true ruler of the Planet Trade, and Cold wrinkled his nose in distaste as the horned terror mentioned the Earth. When the alien's feet came within inches of touching the ground, he kept himself off the forest floor with the lightest bit of levitation while scanning each and every one of the smaller warrior's faces.
The true ruler of the Planet Trade quickly recognized the saiyan prince, and he internally scoffed at noticing a namekian among the brood; these were the warriors who'd given his son such a hard time!?
But then King Cold's dismissive snarl slipped, falling from the alien's face to be replaced with a mask of wide-eyed intrigue as he narrowed his gaze against one warrior's head of familiar black spikes. More than enough data-pads had been passed into Cold's hands with readings and reports about a saiyan who looked just like the one standing before him now.
'Well, well…'
"Tell me," he called with an eyebrow raised, "you in the strange orange uniform; what is your name?"
Goku's own dark eyes tightened at the corners as he tensed his muscles, "My name is Goku, and you're trespassing on this planet. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave Earth in peace and go back to whatever world you came from; I wouldn't let Frieza conquer Earth, so I'm not about to just stand by and let his father have it either."
"Hmm, so Vegeta told you about me then, did he?"
"Honestly," Goku gave a sarcastic smirk, "I'd have guessed who you were just by the theatrics of your entrance; Frieza liked to grandstand too. Now I see where he gets it from."
King Cold's amused visage shattered like glass as his face was once more twisted into a snarl. The alien overlord's biceps bulged as he tightened them over his broad chest, and a flare of his malevolent KI sent Cold's cape whipping about as lightning cracked overhead.
"You're a mouthy little thing; as I should expect. Tales of your father painted a similar picture; crass and without manners. A true saiyan savage. But, perhaps you'll be smarter than that fool; tell me where the Super Saiyan is hiding. Do so quickly, and I'll only kill you for the impudence you've displayed."
"Pfft~"
This amused scoff drew all eyes to Caulifla, who stood beside Goku with her hands planted firmly against her shapely hips. She was staring up at King Cold, a cheeky smirk stretched across that pretty face, and coal eyes lit in sassy mischief.
"You sound so tough, but I'll bet I can beat ya with one arm tied behind my back, let alone Goku. Whatdya say we go, just you and me, and if you manage to get passed the second strongest warrior in the universe then I guess you're allowed to challenge Mr. Super Saiyan over here~"
King Cold's sharp, wine-red eyes quickly shot back over to Goku, "So you are the Super Saiyan!"
His teeth were bared, and he flexed a single, clawed hand as veins pulsed along the alien overlord's arm.
"You'll pay for what you've done, you filthy animal!"
Frieza's father vanished in a burst of speed, and all but Vegeta and Goku only managed to catch sight of their latest foe again when he was stopped in his tracks by Caulifla. The young female warrior was blocking Cold's large, meaty fist with a slightly shaking forearm and that ever-present grin on her face.
"Hey now, what did I say? You've gotta fight me first Lord of the Lizards. Besides, I could really use a warm-up before we take on your pal hiding away in that ship."
King Cold's eyes grew bloodshot in their fury, though he tried to calm himself with heavy breath, "Very well then, mongrel, I'll humor you for a little bit before I take my revenge. Now then, let's see how well you do against this!"
With wide eyes, Caulifla pushed off the ground as her enemy's tail came spearing towards the young woman's face; Goku having moved back during their talk. That drill-like tip smashed into the earth, before shooting out at Caulifla's back, and she was forced to dive forward to avoid it a second time.
On the palms of her hands now, the female saiyan sent a burst of KI into the ground and shot herself into the air.
"Get back here, coward!"
Even in the pouring rain Caulifla managed to watch as her enemy came racing like a shooting star. A thrust of the hand sent volleys of crimson orbs through the air, and dark eyes followed as King Cold wound his way through each and every one of them before aiming for a knee-strike to Caulifla's stomach.
The throbbing ache in her arm reminded the female warrior though that clashing with this particular enemy was a bad idea, so instead Caulifla kicked off the open air and pushed herself out of range.
"You're gonna have to do better than that!"
A shot of KI to the ball of her foot sent the cheeky girl barreling forward again, but all sense of bravado was crippled when King Cold disappeared before Caulifla's eyes and she soon felt an immense pain explode at the center of her back!
The overlord's elbow sent his petite foe dropping out of the sky like a meteor, but he wasn't about to let her get away. In swift succession Cold passed the female saiyan just enough to drive a knee into her gut.
"Gahrgh!"
"How about this, wench, or do you need another demonstration!?"
Thick fingers gripped dark spikes with ruthless strength, and King Cold laughed maliciously as he yanked Caulifla's head up before smashing it into his knee. Relishing the feel of warm blood gushing from a broken nose against his skin, the tyrant drew Caulifla back again and this time sent her flying with a swift backhand.
"Come now," he taunted while shooting after the female saiyan, "where was all that talk from before!? Perhaps now you're starting to realize you've bitten off more than you can chew; well it's too late now! You asked for this, and now I'm going to take my time breaking you apart!"
Caulifla's eyes snapped open just as she felt his shadow overtop of her, and she forced power to flood her system just as Cold's deadly claws came slashing down.
"W-What!? Where did you go!?"
From a safe distance above Caulifla watched as her after-image was torn to shreds, and even while wiping the rivulets of blood from her nose the female saiyan still managed an eager smirk. Seeing how lost the horned giant seemed though gave Caulifla an idea, and she quickly shot into the thick, dark storm clouds as King Cold continued to howl for her to show herself.
"Let's see how the pompous buffoon likes my new trick~ I'll have to find the proper way to thank Goku for telling me about this one…"
Of course, she was modifying the Super Saiyan's sneaky maneuver a little, but as she sent out numerous red balls of energy Caulifla couldn't keep herself from giggling whenever she thought about the looks on everyone's faces when they got a load of what was coming next.
Whipping his head back and forth from below, King Cold ground his teeth as the alien's own nails pierced the flesh of his palms. Where was that bitch!?
"Show yourself girl; you can't hide from me forever!"
Scanning the skies, but finding no signs of the crafty little warrior, Frieza's father decided there was a better way to draw her out and turned his attention back towards the ground. Seeing his soldiers standing with their weapons still trained on Goku and his group, King Cold shouted for them all to start killing them all.
"But leave the Super Saiyan; his death will be by my hands!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!"
King Cold turned sharply at the battle cry, and found his opponent firing from the clouds like a bullet with her fist cocked back.
Tensing every muscle, the alien fiend rocketed forward to meet her, but sputtered when she stopped on a dime before him and twirled around the tyrant's large body.
"ARGH!"
A powerful backfist came crashing against King Cold's armored back, but he didn't tumble forward very far before Caulifla grabbed his tail and gave it a painful yank.
"Round and round Lizard Lord," she laughed, "try not to barf before I let you go!"
Six rounds in the 'Dragon Throw' seemed to be enough for the saiyan beauty, and she tossed her larger enemy back into the open sky. Her surprise attack had been left hanging in the air, but this was just as satisfying; no one was gonna kill Goku if she had anything to say about it!
King Cold flipped along like a skipped stone before finally managing to catch himself, and as the horned villain twisted right-side-up Caulifla couldn't keep from giggling at just how purple his face had grown in rage.
"Y-You look like a freaking plumb hahahahaha! O-Oh man this is too much! You've gotta change your name to Plumb Lord now!"
The color of his face deepened as Frieza's father flared his nostrils, and with a mighty roar he was enveloped by malevolent crimson energy while the tyrant's armor exploded.
"You filthy bitch! I've had it! I'll make you wish you'd never been born; do you hear me! Prepare for a most painful death!"
xXx
Down below, the rest of the Z-warriors had been scattered by King Cold's forces. Piccolo had managed to stay close to his student, while others like Tien and Yamcha found themselves split apart by the overwhelming rush of alien henchmen.
"Damn it all," Vegeta growled as he finished off another soldier, before deflecting blaster fire from another, "you pests are really starting to annoy me!"
Goku chopped one enemy in the back of their neck, before a wave of KI from his palm sent another sailing into the treeline.
"I know whatcha mean; they're not even making for a good warm-up. Now I'm starting to wish Caulifla had let me fight Frieza's father."
"You might just get your wish," the prince scoffed as he took the head off another enemy, "I can feel him starting to power up, and if Cold transforms your little pet is going to be in over her head."
A smirk tugged at the low-class saiyan's lips, and he chuckled while ducking an elbow to the face.
"Nah, I've seen what Cauli can do, there's no way he's gonna beat her after what she's learned from me."
Vegeta rolled his eyes at the younger saiyan's claims, but took note of his rival's affectionate tone when speaking about Caulifla.
'Good, it's about time Kakarot found himself a better wife.'
xXx
Back up in the sky, Caulifla's eyes were wide as she watched her foe begin to shift and morph his entire body. Yet the thing Goku's apprentice found the most interesting, was that King Cold seemed to be getting smaller!
His horns vanished, the beefy muscles shrank, leaving behind a more sleek, but still buff, and sinister killing machine.
'He looks a lot like Frost, honestly… But much taller and more buff.'
The only major differences were the lavender skin rather than blue, and shiny white 'armor' that was plated more than worn like a suit with some of that 'armor' covering a quarter of the end of his tail; making it resemble the tip of a long blade.
With the light show over, Cold glared menacingly at his opponent and gave a chuckle that promised horrible pain.
"It's been a long time since I've had to get serious; try not to die too quickly."
Caulifla's face was a puzzled mask as she felt the power radiating from her foe, then the girl shrugged and got into a loose fighting stance.
"I think that's supposed to be my line, but sure, we can start round two whenever you're ready, big guy."
The tyrant chuckled, "It's a shame I don't have a scouter with me to help show you just how outclassed you are; maybe then you'd truly understand the frightening gap between us."
"Well, if you stop talking and fight me, maybe then I'll find out~"
Cold's lips twisted from their condescending smirk, into a furious snarl.
"Insolent wench!"
Caulifla blinked, and the next thing she knew was pain as the king's knee came crashing into her stomach.
A hand in her hair kept the girl from flying back, then Caulifla was served a knuckle sandwich that left her mouth filled with blood before being hammered over the head and sent rocketing towards the ground below.
"Ahh!"
"Grah!"
But Cold's tail snagged her ankle, and Caulifla was swung back up to catch an energy blast to the stomach.
She flipped through the air once, twice, before managing to catch herself and settle among the stormy skies.
King Cold just stared his opponent down, arms crossed and a superior smirk on the tyrant's lips.
"You see now, girl, a weak human like you could never hope to stand a chance against the likes of a frost demon. Perhaps, if you apologize and beg forgiveness, I could be persuaded to take you on as a pet; but I'll only make the offer once. What do you say, hmm?"
"I think I just threw up a little," Caulifla wrinkled her nose as she spat out a mouthful of blood.
Frieza's father then found a finger pointed at him as Caulifla growled, "And watch who you're calling a human, Lizard Brain! I'm a saiyan!"
"That would explain your disgusting sense of manners," the tyrant scoffed, "though I'm surprised so many of your kind managed to escape my son's grasp."
With the wind whipping at her, Caulifla took a deep breath and began to draw on the feeling of power in her gut.
"He underestimated us," she shrugged, purposely leaving out being from a different universe, "and Goku made him pay for that...just like I'm about to do to you!"
A flash of lightning struck the sky as Caulifla's aura flared to life like wildfire, but instead of her usual violet halo, this energy was red-hot and blazed as if summoned from Hell itself.
King Cold felt the warm sweat beading at the base of his neck as he watched Caulifla's creamy skin darken to an almost malevolent crimson tone, and the tyrant hardly had time to hear his enemy's battle cry before all he knew was pain.
"Kaio-Ken X4!"
Before her enemy could think to blink, Caulifla was on top of him and wheeling into a devastating spin-kick.
Then, grabbing his tail, she flung King Cold further up into the air where Caulifla shot to meet him with her elbow.
"Gahargh!"
Feeling his spine nearly break in half only lasted until he suffered a knee to the stomach, followed swiftly by a hammer-strike to the back of the head.
Plummeting to the earth like a comet, King Cold's entire world was a sea of white as he tasted where he'd bitten into his tongue…
"Now take this!"
"Ahrk!"
Only for the blood to fly through the air as he screamed under Caulifla's knee driving back into his spine.
The next thing Frieza's father knew was the taste of dirt, as he crashed back into the earth with Cauli's weight pressing down on him.
Even as she floated back to her feet, the malevolent tyrant found himself struggling just to get back to his hands and knees, and he blinked hard to stop the world from spinning before finally managing to take a look around.
"W-What...what happened here; how are you all still alive!?"
Besides some minor wounds on Yamcha, the rest of the Z-warriors stood around the scattered bodies of King Cold's small army of enforcers. Blood stained the ground as mother nature dried her tears, leaving behind wet grass and a chilling breeze, one that carried the stench of death on its tail.
"I already told you," Caulifla scoffed as she powered down, "there's no way a weakling like you could take on one saiyan, let alone six; your invasion was a failure from the start."
That's when King Cold took a second look at the group who'd opposed him, and his stomach dropped as he realized the girl was right!
Even without tails, the tyrant easily recognized how lithe and sculpted the boy and girl standing beside Vegeta looked, as well as the boy's familiar armor. And although Cold wasn't entirely sure who the sixth could be, he knew his enemy had no reason to lie.
But this did nothing to quell the tyrant's anger, rather, the truth only added fuel to the fire and King Cold howled furiously into the dirt.
"AAAARGH!"
His fists slammed into the muddy ground, "No! No, this can't be! I can't be defeated, not by a filthy ape, I won't allow it!"
Bloodshot eyes darted over to the ramp of Cold's ship, and the ruler of the Planet Trade quickly noticed that three of his soldiers had actually neglected to fight.
"Salza, what do you and your men think you're doing!? Why weren't any of you fightin!? Did you really think you could stand back and simply watch!?"
Calculating amber eyes stared down an aristocratic nose as their owner scoffed.
"We did not engage because we were not commanded to do so; it is that simple, sir."
A vein in Cold's neck throbbed, and he fisted mounds of slick mud as he began to nearly foam at the mouth under Salza's dismissive address.
"Fine," he roared, "then as emperor I command you to eradicate these disgusting saiyans and their earthling pets!"
Everyone watched then, as the blue-skinned soldier chuckled mockingly while brushing back his blonde hair from his eyes.
"I'm sorry, but you misunderstand; we do not take orders from you. My group is known as the Cooler's Armored Squad for a reason you imbecile. We follow the true ruler of the universe."
King Cold's mask of disbelief quickly contorted into a hideous face of rage, and as he struggled to his feet the tyrannical overlord cursed the three warriors who dared to defy him.
"How dare you; did you forget who I am!? I could end your life with the snap of a finger, you little worm! The true ruler is me! Now do as I command or else!"
"Or else...what?"
All eyes snapped towards the hull of the ship, each of the Z-warriors silently cursing that they'd become distracted enough not to notice a new presence.
Yet as each and every one of them turned back into the world around them, what they discovered horrified earth's defenders to their core.
'This...this is the evil we were sensing!'
Salza and his two comrades swiftly turned, and kneeled into the mud as they bowed deeply to this new character.
"Hail, Lord Cooler!"
Still hidden among the shadows, all one could see were his eyes, but as Goku stared up into those ice-cold rubies from Hell he began to feel a very nasty twist in his stomach.
Memories of a lush, green planet torn asunder by eyes like these came rushing back, and for a moment Goku was staring down the might of a fifty-percent powered Frieza... Again.
Only this time...it was like there were ten of them.
Even trading blows with Jiren hadn't frightened him this badly, and the son of Bardock couldn't help but wonder:
Would the power of a Super Saiyan really be enough this time?