Ginyu's ship was placed into the landing bay as gently as it could before the man himself stepped out from the vehicle. Sorbet was there, waiting for him. "Everything went smoothly, I assume?"
"It went better than you can ever dream," Ginyu said, walking off the landing platform.
"Good, good. I assume you're finally free to look over my battle plans then?" Sorbet hastily replied, beginning to walk with Ginyu.
"Excuse you?"
"Battle plans. Ways to capture lost territory. Being able to recreate a stable empire."
"Do you really think I have the time to focus on that when the king's decree was explicitly to train his body?"
"Yes," Sorbet answered bluntly.
Sorbet was suddenly and forcefully grabbed by the neck. As the koala-faced creature gagged, Ginyu glared at him firmly. "Listen to me. You're in no position to give me such orders. You're not a man of style. You're not a respectable leader. And you're certainly no king. Let me tell you that you're a fool to think you're anything more."
"I-I'm the commander. I outrank you," Sorbet sputtered out between breaths.
"Not anymore," Ginyu said as he tossed Sorbet to the ground. "The king told me I'm now the Supreme Commander."
"W-What?!" Sorbet shouted. "Even if I believe you, do you sincerely think that focusing all our efforts on one backwater planet is a good idea? That's the forefront battle plan?"
"If the king orders it, then yes."
Sorbet's fist was now clenched and his face shifted into a scowl. Ginyu noticed this and began to pity him. At the very least, he'd attempt to reconcile with him just a bit. "I see I struck a nerve. Don't worry. As soon as this mission is over, the universe will be next on the king's list. Just be patient, and you'll get your chance to shine. You're still third in command, after all."
Sorbet began to collect himself as he thought about this. Yes, this was merely a setback. Ginyu was stuck training, so really, nothing would change. Sorbet would still be the commander. The only difference is that it was interim. Even then, once his command was over, everything would be focused on reclaiming the universe. He could even further flesh out his plans in the meantime. Yes, everything was fine. "Of course," Sorbet finally responded, rubbing at his neck.
With that, Ginyu began walking back to the training room alone.
As he approached the room, he could notice that light emanated from it. I was sure to turn the lights off…, Ginyu thought to himself as he started walking a bit faster. As he approached and opened the door. He could notice that the enhanced gravity was turned on. It took him a few moments to see that a man was training in the room - entirely focused on surviving the room's grueling conditions.
As the man threw out a punch forwards, Ginyu intercepted, catching the fist in the palm of his hand. Continuing, he pushed the man onto the ground with a decent burst of wind. "What are you doing here?" Ginyu shouted as he readied to kick the body on the ground. Hastily, the man flipped up off the ground, evading the strike.
"W-Wait, captain, let me explain!" the man said, outstretching his hands in a way that said "stop".
Ginyu, wanting to hear said explanation, stopped, but still had his fist raised. From there, he could notice that this assailant was Tagoma. "Alright, tell me what you're doing here when I told you, who in turn told everyone else, who in turn should be the person who knows the rules about coming in here the most!"
Tagoma took a respectful bow. "I-I'm sorry, but I've been training in here in order to improve myself for the mission!"
Ginyu lowered his arm, his face of anger shifting into that of curiosity. "'Been training'? You mean to say that you've done this for a while?"
"Yes, sir, about a week after you started training."
How was that possible? Ginyu trained there every single day...aside from sleep. That was it. Tagoma kept the schedule so ingrained in his mind that he knew exactly when he was able to train. Every single day while Ginyu slept, Tagoma trained for nearly 8 hours. It wouldn't surprise him if Tagoma also continued training during the off time - albeit in less strenuous circumstances. He even took the brief window of opportunity of Ginyu being off the ship to train even more. Needless to say, Ginyu couldn't help but respect the kid's devotion and spunk.
He turned around for a moment to turn off the gravity. "Strike a pose for me."
"I'm sorry?"
The gravity was now turned off. "I want you to give me your best pose. Put some real energy into it - something that shows your devotion to the cause."
With that, Tagoma went from a bow to a pose. He held his thumbs up to his chin - his hands held tight. At the same time, he crossed his legs, stretching his left out a bit further than the right. Finally, he gave a little tilt to his head, now parallel to his left leg.
Ginyu put his hand on his own chin in consideration. He then began adjusting Tagoma's pose slightly - moving his thumbs closer to his mouth, further outstretching his left leg and tilting his head a little more. With that, he stepped back to take in this slightly adjusted pose. "Yeah, you got potential, kid."
"Really?" Tagoma said, stepping out of his stance a bit.
"Keep that pose held for just a few more seconds, please." Tagoma did as he was told, trying his best to mimic the adjustments Ginyu gave to him. Another few seconds passed as the teacher gave a little nod.
"You do have a good sense of style. I'd rate your pose an 8.5/10."
"Thank you, captain."
"It's commander now, actually."
"Really?" Tagoma exclaimed, nearly just as surprised as Sorbet had been.
"Yes." Ginyu paused one more time. "Alright, you have my permission to train with me."
"Really?!" Tagoma's question had much valor in it. Ginyu smiled.
"Training with another person makes for better gains," the commander said, beginning a few stretches. "It's lucky that this happened so soon after my meeting with the king as well."
"What do you mean?"
Ginyu finished up his stretches. "I mean, now I know this body can be pushed much further than I would've ever thought." Suddenly, Ginyu began to power up. Tagoma struggled to stand his ground, holding up his arms to take the overwhelming pressure. This went on for minutes on end as Ginyu's began to shift. Finally, it clicked. Ginyu's armor shot out as the transformation was complete. His body was now a beautiful sleek sheen of white. This was Cold's true strength. The power of a king.
"Alright, kid," Ginyu proclaimed. "Let's begin."
Things counterintuitively grew easier as he went on. King Cold's body became stronger, day after day. Having a partner to spar with under what must have been thousands of times the universal base of gravity certainly helped in those endeavors. Of course, the poor soldier's body didn't always allow him to keep up as long in those rough conditions, leading him to sit out training to rest every few hours. Still, it was enough for Ginyu to be quite satisfied with his performance.
The King's premonition was right, although Ginyu never doubted him. His body was full of potential just waiting to be drawn out, and Ginyu almost felt ashamed that he would feel King Cold's body in its glorious powered-up state before the King himself.
There was another tipping point, however, as the Tokusentai song hit its 8,902nd or so repeat. Ginyu thought about the old force. He thought about how they were all gone now. He thought about how he was the only one who remained. He thought about how easily he could've died alongside them. He hoped that they were still posing and keeping the Ginyu Force Super Elite tradition alive in the afterlife. There, of course, was the possibility that he'd end up there himself someday. No longer on the plane of the living. If it came to that, he could only hope that his demise would be noble: that he'd perish on the battlefield, in a combat pose, in the name of his King.
In time, Cold's body was perfected, thickly muscled and brimming with power. The gold that ran through his veins now moved as swiftly as his blood. The epitome of power and finesse with no drawbacks. This was no fool's gold like the Super Saiyan; this was True Gold. As Ginyu lowered the king's power, he couldn't help but smile as the perfect revenge was about to be enacted.
Ginyu rushed out of the chamber with newfound speed. "Sorbet, I'm ready to switch back!" he said gleefully to the koala-faced creature.
Pogran's body was alive only in the technical sense; bloated and nearly nonverbal, it was barely distinguishable from a corpse. His mouth gurgled with a sickly-colored foam, as his bloodstream was filled with innumerable diseases and drugs, a monument to Cold's boundless hedonism. The froggy body was kept on life support, in the deepest part of the ship's medical chamber. Even with the vast technology at their disposal, there was only so much the Planet Trade Organization could do, and what King Cold had done to Pogran's body was beyond even their capacity to cure.
"Perhaps...I went too far." Cold said.
Ginyu stood over the half-dead frog body, saddened to see his king in such a state. In a way, it reminded him of that last look Pogran gave to him before he was killed. He quickly brushed away the thought of that old body and contemplated what to do next.
"Why didn't you tell me the king was in this condition?" Ginyu asked Sorbet firmly.
"The king's orders were for you to train. And so, I let you focus entirely on training."
"I'd say that the king's life is more important than any training!"
Sorbet gave a small smirk. "I'd say that you shouldn't contradict yourself, commander. That body's training is the order the king gave you, and so you should follow it, yes? You don't have to worry about something not ordered to you. I can take care of that."
Ginyu scowled. Despite Sorbet's logic being relatively sound and his tone seeming sincere, he was obviously goding him. He was about to throw a punch at the upstart before being halted. The king himself entered the conversation, gasping and coughing in between his words. "At this point all I'd like is to get out of this feeble body. That shouldn't be too difficult, no?"
Ginyu regained his composure as he answered the king's question. "To change with that body, we'd have to take off the mask...and I'm not quite sure if I'd be able to survive after that. Going into a body in such a precarious state could put me into shock almost instantaneously..." Ginyu paused, but quickly stood proud. "But if that sacrifice has to be made so that my king achieves this perfect form, then I'll do it!" The leader of the force was about to pull the mask off of Pogran's body, but Cold interrupted.
The king coughed and through the mask, he managed to gasp out, "Ginyu...I believe I know a way that the two of us can live".
He retracted his arm. "Go on, my lord."
"I was thinking, we can bring a foot soldier in here to die in my place. Then you can swiftly take their body before this one gives out". He paused for a few seconds with laboring breaths. "No, a foot soldier wouldn't do you justice; I would like to reward you for your efforts, after all. Sorbet, bring in the strongest soldier we have for Ginyu to change with."
"Tagoma, correct?" Ginyu noted, turning towards the muppet man to fully confirm this.
Sorbet was startled at this. For all his work, for all his effort, this was how he'd be repaid? After months of putting up with this ridiculous mission, this is the respect he gets? His strongest and most loyal soldier killed for the sake of this...relic?! They didn't care - they didn't care now and they certainly wouldn't care once the mission is over. Yes, they'd probably just try to focus on finding that mysterious Saiyan that killed Frieza and Cold in the first place - keeping Sorbet as the audience to their meaningless escapades. An endless cycle.
This was the last straw. Now, at this point, Sorbet couldn't look at Pogran's broken body without struggling to hide a scowl.
What power did Cold have over him? What did he have that Sorbet didn't at this point?
Nothing.
This was no longer a king. This was a mere peasant. A peasant who didn't deserve to stay in his ranks.
As Sorbet reached out towards the mask, he then glanced at Ginyu. The koala-faced creature paused, and lowered his hand onto the bed's railing. He sighed, continuing to look at Ginyu. "Right away, my lord," he said, struggling to hide any sort of contempt, and scurried off to find his greatest subordinate.
When he got to Tagoma's room, he knocked on the door. "Tagoma. It's me."
The door slid open and Tagoma, body still somewhat scuffed from training, saluted. "Commander Sorbet! I wasn't expecting you!"
Sorbet looked down at the ground with regret, thinking about how to deal with the situation carefully. After a while, Sorbet responded by silently saying, "Follow me…" And so, with no questions asked, Tagoma followed.
"If you don't mind me asking, where exactly are we going?"
"We're going to see King Cold and Ginyu."
"Really, the King? Why?"
Sorbet stopped walking, confusing Tagoma even more. "I just want you to know that you've been a great asset to the Planet Trade Organization," Sorbet said.
"Well...thank you! I've tried my best!"
The commander gave a small smile and continued walking. When they returned, Tagoma was shocked to see the nearly dead King Cold. "I-Is this what happened to the king? I heard rumors, but..."
Before Tagoma could continue, Sorbet gave a slight nod to Ginyu, leading the man to take off the oxygen mask. "Change now!" Quickly, two beams of light shot out of Pogran's and King Cold's body. The elite soldier wasn't even able to react before Ginyu turned his head and whispered "Change". Just as quickly as the second change happened, Sorbet's elite was dead.
As Ginyu and Cold celebrated their success, Sorbet couldn't keep his eyes off of Pogran's body. Those bulging eyes, those flimsy muscles, that skin laced with the residue of beer and vomit. He spat on the creature. His emperor was dead.