Cooler cackled out like a mad man as he floated through the haze of smoke in the air. The entire sky was thick with black clouds and the unending heat radiating from the fires of the surface only served to add to the miasma. But the smoke and fire was merely a consequence of battle, and for Cooler, the results of this battle meant everything.
His pronged feet gently touched the smoldering ground and Cooler didn't miss a beat as he walked on, his eyes locked on a lone mound of debris in the distance.
This battle had been everything to him. Everything that he'd worked for, everything that he could ever hope and dream of. It had led to this!
"You fought hard," Cooler declared over the hum of the fire around them. "You were every bit as powerful as I'd ever thought you'd be, but alas, one of us had to come out of this one alive and it could not be you."
Cooler walked right to the pile of smoldering rubble and was greeted by one lone, scorched hand that drooped lifelessly. He fought the urge to laugh.
"I've enjoyed you as much as I've hated you!" he called out as he grasped the appendage with one hand and formed a large orb of pulsing energy in the other. "But now, it's time we end this once and for all!"
With one sharp tug, Cooler pulled the body from the debris and readied to fire his final attack, to end this once and for all. This was finally over!
But…he stopped. Frozen in place as the body that he tugged out of the wreckage fell past him and lied on the smoldering surface beneath him.
"…no," he uttered as he shuttered in fear and looked down to his own corpse lying at his feet.
However, his moment of horror was cut short as he looked back to the blackened sky as a god awful cackle raked through his mind like nails on a chalkboard. And what he found above, positively petrified him.
"You're no son of mine," King Cold hissed in disgust while Frieza floated proudly at his side.
Frieza offered out another cackle as he watched Cooler take one fearful step back. "I told you, Cooler! I always win!" he declared before lifting one finger and forming a supernova instantly.
With no other hope, Cooler sped off at a breakneck pace, first running and then taking to the sky while Frieza's massive supernova chased him down, gaining more and more momentum and slowly closing the gap. Cooler could feel the heat, could hear the rum of roiling energy within. He was about to be swallowed whole.
"You'll never beat me, Cooler…"
Cooler startled abruptly and turned to the voice that seemed to whisper in his ear, half expecting to be swallowed up by the Supernova, but instead found a colossal Super Saiyan Goku standing larger than life before him.
The Arcosian prince only had time to shriek out in fear as Goku lifted a boot and proceeded to stomp Cooler out of existence.
Cooler nearly jumped out of his skin as he awoke from his nightmare. Travelling through the dark void of space, it took Cooler's eyes a moment to refocus within the dark space pod, and only after he tried to shift positions in the uncomfortable pod did Cooler remember his current predicament.
With a tapered sigh, Cooler reclined back into the padded pod and tried to relax. Judging by how tight his fists were clenched in that moment, Cooler could tell relaxation wasn't coming anytime soon.
He'd been out in space for a little over a month now, and he honestly thought that he'd been able to maintain his sanity better when navigating the somber vacuum of space all on his own before. Riding in this uncomfortable pod, though, was practically torture – for his body and mind.
With another sigh, this time much calmer, Cooler reached up to the screen before him to get a read out on his current position in space. He hummed pleasantly as he noted that he was finally entering into PTO territory, even if he were far out on the outskirts. However, his moment of joy faltered when the screen shorted out. With an angered grunt, he punched the cabin to get the screen to come back on. He wasn't sure what Goku had put the pod through before, but much of the technology within was faulty. It was a miracle that the actual piloting system functioned well.
Most annoying of all, Cooler was incapable of contacting Nosa or Onen, so he had no idea what was going on back at Arcos. He was sure by now that his father had gotten word of the cruiser's destruction and considering Frieza's shaky return, Cooler was sure that King Cold was far from being at ease.
"The sooner I get back, the better," he hissed to himself as he continued to press at the screen. Finally, the screen refocused and according to the reading, he was still about four months out from Arcos. Cooler sneered. "Wonderful."
"1700," Nosa spoke, standing atop the Cold palace's tallest tower once more.
He watched vigilantly, eyes cast to the dome above. A planet somewhere in the space boonies, he recalled the soldier mention earlier. Planet named Yadrat.
How long had it been now? Five…ten years since he'd been there? There wasn't a whole lot on Yadrat left for him these days.
"But the question still stands…" he spoke aloud to himself. He then looked to the left, where he could see a cruiser rising up to exit. He reached out with his mind, sensing the low-level soldiers moving about within. Cold certainly wasn't sending his top soldiers for this one. Still, they'd give the Yadratians a bit of trouble; several civilians would die. "…do they deserve a PTO invasion?"
The cruiser reached the dome and paused as the doorway pulled open. Slowly, it crept beyond the threshold and began to gain speed as it moved to Arcos's orbit.
Nosa could practically map out the entirety of the cruiser's interior as he detected the soldiers moving within. In the blink of an eye, he could be within its confines and with one energy blast, the mission would be over for all of the inhabitants.
A sigh breaking the tension, the Yadratian turned his head just as the cruiser launched into hyperspeed and darted out of sight. Not my problem, he thought.
Not casting a second glance, Nosa started walking forward, aiming to depart his perch above the denizens below.
"So, this is where you've been hiding?" Onen's voice suddenly announced.
Nosa was startled ever so slightly as he shot a glance over to where the young Saiyan floated. "How did you…"
Onen dismissed the Yadratian with a scoff as he floated over and allowed his boots to touch the surface of the roof. "Call it a hunch," Onen responded matter of factly, walking until him and Nosa were a few feet apart. "This seemed like a very you place to be."
Choosing not to be offended by that comment, Nosa replied with, "I was going to ask how you snuck up on me without being detected, but now that I think about it, I'm sure Cooler taught you a few things; if for no other reason than to make you a decent training partner."
A brief flash of anxiousness appeared to wash over Onen then, but as quick as it came, it was brushed off. The Saiyan timidly said, "Well…actually no. I just kind of picked it up by watching Lord Cooler train." Onen could see another question forming in Nosa's mind, so he hurriedly continued with, "I'm not here to talk about me. I told you I needed your help, Nosa."
The Yadratian's face fell, having forgotten about the request. "And I told you no," he replied and made a move to walk off again, only for Onen to step in his way.
"It's a really simple request!" the Saiyan pleaded and began stepping backwards to keep pace in front of Nosa, who was avidly trying to ignore him. "There are a few planets that have been found to be harboring refugees, and initial reports have determined several power levels scattered throughout the three that are above 20,000. That's not even considering if anyone has the ability to transform."
"That sounds like a Cooler problem, and he's not here." Nosa then stopped abruptly, surprising Onen, who also paused. "Has he spoken to you, by the way?"
Onen shook his head. "No, and that's why I need you."
Nosa continued trying to walk around Onen.
Growing frustrated, Onen stopped the Yadratian with a firm hand against his chest. Nosa gave Onen a very unamused glare, but the Saiyan pressed on. "Lord Cooler had begun making plans to cleanse them, but was sidetracked with Frieza's return. Reports are growing more volatile on the planets, and with few hands that can tackle the potential threats, I feel the need to act. This way, once Lord Cooler finally returns, it'll be one less item on his agenda."
"What does that have to do with me?" Nosa stated simply and shot one final glance down to Onen's hand.
The Saiyan removed the appendage and offered, "I need someone to watch over command while I'm gone. I'll be taking all of Cooler Command's top soldiers to aid me, so there's no one else that I could trust to watch over."
"You do realize I know less than nothing about operating a command station, right?" Nosa stated, bluntly. "I'm sure you could find a rock somewhere on this planet more qualified for the position than me."
That earned a smile from Onen that quickly evaporated when he realized Nosa wasn't trying to make a joke. "Believe it or not, the same can be said for most everyone else. At least in your case, Lord Cooler has demonstrated trust in your abilities, even though they are more combat related. I figure if he can trust you, so can I."
"Easy there, Onen; you might actually make my heart melt," Nosa retorted, blandly. Onen offered a frown in return. With a sudden instant transmission, Nosa appeared behind Onen, making the Saiyan nearly give himself whiplash as he turned.
"Fine, I'll do it," he said, looking over his shoulder. "Just stop pestering me," he added before walking on.
Unable to hold back his smile, Onen opened his mouth to express his gratitude, only for Nosa to disappear once more without a trace.
Perched perfectly on an outgrowth of the Tree of Might, Amond sat with his legs crossed. The scarlet-skinned warrior appeared deep in meditation, his only sign of movement coming by way of a gentle breeze stirring his hair.
Far above, however, the scene was much different. Hidden in a large cavity of the humongous tree were Daiz, Lakesei, and Rasin rocking out to tunes from a nearby boom box. Next to the stereo, rested Cacao with a spread of disassembled gadgets in front of him and one in hand that he was tuning up.
Even farther up, standing high above the world below on one of the many large branches of the tree, was Turles. The skulking Saiyan looked down upon the planet, seemingly with disapproval as he watched it slowly deteriorate.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think this damn tree is getting slower at killing off these planets," he griped. Unwrapping and then rewrapping his tail, the Saiyan began pacing the length of the branch. Stroking his chin, he appeared deep in thought as he walked back and forth, but his pacing stopped abruptly when he made note of the pink-skinned being sitting on a branch nearby.
With a sigh, Turles faced Frost and said, "I was really hoping the fruit would be ready before you arrived."
Frost hummed tentatively and allowed her feet to sway back and forth as she watched the Saiyan carefully. "Was that as a courtesy to me?" she finally replied.
A brief pause ensued between the two as they watched each other, like two animals preparing to square off.
But then, Turles armed himself with a dangerous smile, and said, "Hell no. I just wanted first pick of the harvest."
Frost first smiled and then released an unexpected laugh. "Well, screw you, too," she jabbed in return before leaning over so that she was stretched along the length of the branch. Propping her head up with her arm, she continued with, "Joking aside, it's time to prepare for the next phase."
"Oh, really?" Turles folded his arms and lowered himself down to sit on the branch. "I thought Frieza was back."
"He is," she retorted and then absently checked her nails. "But not for long; Cooler's going to make sure of that." She looked back to Turles then, who was grinning from ear to ear. "And as for dear big brother, he won't be a problem for long, either." It was Frost's turn to offer a Cheshire cat smile as she said, "I'll make sure father takes care of Cooler."