Chapter Fifty

Cooler sat restless on the first of three thrones sitting in the midst of a barren terrain simulated by the latest technology in his personal Frost Industries line. Using photons in the atmosphere, some of his scientists were able to fool the naked eye into perceiving an area into any chosen environment. The technology had worked wonders after the elder Cold Prince adapted it into the training regime of his men via live training simulation. Profit and efficiency had shot through the roof in the short couple of months that the terrain transformer had been developed and deemed functional.

To his right was his father's throne, large enough to accompany the dictator's larger second form with ease. Though the entire event was planned for him, King Cold was of course still not here in cold fashion. Cooler's mouth dropped further into its grimace as he folded both his leg and sleek barbed tail across his lap and scanned the room for the aforementioned Arcosian king. Catching eyes with the blood red ones of his younger brother, Frieza, Cooler's own eyes rolled into the back of his head as the younger alien sat boredly in his own throne on the other side of their father's.

Turning to his right hand man – the Brench-seijin, Salza – Cooler began to speak slowly. Hunching forward, the Arcosian's top general said nothing as he listened for further orders. He was Cooler's most trusted agent –Salza lived to do the wicked Arcosian's bidding after what he had done for him!

"Soldier." The purple reptilian began sternly. "Where is the remainder of your squadron? Dore didn't forget about his assigned duty tonight, did he?" He barked afterwards. His father was going to arrive soon and that meant the battle between gladiators would be beginning shortly afterwards. Although he kept others living by his sense of time, the King of Arcose was not one to keep waiting.

"Lord Cooler," The blue-skinned man said out of respect for his boss. Pressing some buttons on his scouter, Salza added. "Last I checked he and Pikuntae were heading this way. Don't worry though, when he heard that he had the chance to kill one of those monkeys in front of everybody, you should have seen how big his eyes got!"

"Use that scouter that my father paid for and tell him that the next time he decides to be perfectly on time to one of these events, I will take that as if he showed up an hour late." The space tyrant grumbled irritably, threatening the leader of his most trusted men as if he was an enemy. Though speaking coldly, he looked past Salza as if he was nothing but a fly. "And neither of us will like that." Cooler sternly added after a short pause as a soft chuckle escaped his mouth after the tense threat.

Salza swallowed a lump in his throat at the harsh words of the Arcosian. Stepping back cowardly, the blonde soldier was knocked off balance as he accidentally ran into an approaching Vegeta.

"Watch out – why don't you!" The Saiyan groaned irritably, absorbing the absent-minded alien's weight and instinctively rolling off of him. Seeing both cold brothers and an empty throne, Vegeta prepared to take in every side remark that the Arcosians would throw his way and use them against whatever foe he was facing shortly. Although he was no stranger to the tension he felt when in the room with either of the Arcosians, Vegeta knew that at this stage in his life, they were the only shot he had at the opportunities he was getting not just having some money to his name but also getting stronger and gaining respect.

"If it isn't your highness," Salza said with a snicker, still walking away out of fear of Cooler's cool being lost but curiously reading the prince's battle power. He had heard that Frieza had some members of the Saiyan race in his army after the race's near-extinction nearly two decades prior, including their would-be king but this was his first time seeing one in person. "No tiara for this event?" The henchman snickered mockingly.

It was common law to insult the race that had attempted to betray the almighty Cold Empire.

'Just over 15000 huh? It's a shame that Lord Cooler didn't insist on picking me for this fight.' The blue man thought to himself, taking stock of the warrior as they brushed past one another. 'His power may be noticeably below mine but his race was known for their combative intelligence and the physical capability to last in fights they have no business picking.'

"And if it isn't the orange bastard's cousin." Vegeta retorted, rolling his eyes one final time before bowing down to the arcosian hierarchy. He could see the similarities between Ginyu force member, Jeice, and this frostbit clown. "Even down to the same big talk but whiny voice." He added as a chuckle escaped his lips with the remark.

"Lord Frieza," The Saiyan said as Salza, bested at his pissing match of an exchange of insults, made his leave while speaking into his scouter as instructed by Cooler.

Seeing the crimson eyes of the more menacing appearing arcosian that was Cooler locked onto him hoping to glare not a dagger but an entire broadsword through the Saiyan's temple, Vegeta reached out a hand as he turned to Frieza's brother. "Cooler, I presume?" He added as a means to break the tension.

"Lord Cooler." The Arcosian simply said in response, his analysis of Vegeta all but done already.

The Saiyan wasn't much special. For his pathetic race, maybe he was a phenom – but it would take more than a Saiyan, a Super Saiyan, or some other beast of legend to get rid of him. Staring at the man's almost taunting face, Cooler would have sworn that he would have slapped the rebellious prince halfway across the ship had he been one of his men. Holding back the urge that his boiling blood was giving him as he and Vegeta stood locking eyes, just as tables and plates began to hover from his overzealousness, Cooler felt his lips pull into a confident smirk as he felt his father's ki enter the room just as a scouter – it had to have been the last of its generation that an older soldier still wears – exploded.

"Vegeta, I can't wait to see how you deal with one of my best." Cooler said while looking directly past the tailed warrior into space. "Dore had already made a name for himself before war and pillage ran his people to threatening low levels. He was their strongest warrior. I make sure his few people that didn't beat each other to death are properly sheltered and supplied and Dore pays me back with not just his fists but more importantly – his loyalty."

"Vegeta, disregard my babbling brother and ready yourself down there for combat." Frieza butt in, interrupting the debacle between the two arrogant men. As Vegeta walked past their father (another awkward exchange), Frieza felt his head spin as he continued speaking to his brother. "This is a party Cooler, why are you scowling at my soldiers?"

"You know a Saiyan has never thrilled me brother." Cooler said plainly, replying to his brother coldly yet honestly. Groaning, the elder Arcosian continued. "Talks speak of their great strength but it's more that makes a good soldier than that. Seekul knew those Saiyans weren't to be trusted from the second we landed on their planet."

"Like what?" Frieza interrupted, taking another shot of the drink he brought with him. He rolled his eyes, knowing that he hadn't come to this event just to be lectured too.

"It's always survival of the fittest with you." Cooler answered. "There's a reason I leave the planets that have civil tensions boiling. Salza owes me his life after I wrote to his planet's officials to overturn his execution. Dore's people eat like we did as children – their loyalty is second to no–"

"Brother, if you believe that I haven't beaten it into each one of those naked baboons that crossing me would lead only to the slowest of deaths then you truly do not know me anymore." Frieza said, some obvious slur in his voice as he spoke. Motioning for his brother to come closer, the arcosian dictator laughed before snorting obnoxiously. "Dore. Whore." He said with a slight giggle. "Vegeta has grown stronger than any Saiyan that you or I have ever seen yet I make sure he and the other monkeys know their place. Imagine it – the Super Saiyan tamed by me like a space beagle!"

The prince of Saiyan slowly inhaled through his mouth and out through his nose as his feet touched the ground beneath him. Landing from his descent from the small gathering above, Vegeta promptly scanned the surroundings and noticed that his opponent wasn't present yet.

"This technology – it's unbelievable." He said under his breath as he analyzed the simulated terrain and saw that somehow, even his digital footprints looked almost as if he was standing on actual sand. "If we can find a way to compute the terrain of any planet's environment, we could know a hostile homeworld as if it was our own."

Reaching his arms upwards, Vegeta began to pull his armor off as he prepared for combat. Now just in a skintight blue bodysuit, the Saiyan prince had but a fraction of a second to react as he saw a green figure phase into view at the exact moment that he'd gotten his armor off.

As his body moved almost instinctively to absorb the blow, Vegeta threw the discarded armor aside and crossed his arms across his chest. Feeling the force that came behind a large green hand slam into his guard, the prince was knocked off of his feet and staggered back some meters – his block still intact as he, for the first time, saw who his opponent would be.

"So much for manners, huh?" Vegeta sneered, his arms still crossed protectively across his body. Looking at Cooler's soldier, whose arm was still stretched out in the attacking position he had struck the prince with, Vegeta took stock of the muscular green behemoth.

Vegeta's opponent, Dore, was just as fearsome of a fighter as Cooler had promised his brother. At nearly eight feet tall and built twice as muscular as an average NFL linebacker, the champion of Beppan's body was the blueprint of an enforcer.

"Hey little chimp," The goblin's deep voice teased. "Over 15,000?" He added, more so to himself than aloud as a devilish grin stretched across his face. "Too easy. I'll enjoy snapping your neck for Lord Cooler's entertainment."

"Is that so?" Vegeta said with a warrior's chuckle. Dore's opponent, the young but powerful Saiyan prince, flashed a cocky smile as he and Dore stood at a stalemate.

"Have fun keeping up, green man." The crowned fighter chanted as he dropped his block, the same time lashing out his left leg with a tight ax kick. Vegeta's warrior blood boiled through his veins as the fight began to heat up.

He knew that Dore would give him a run for his money. Vegeta wondered if Frieza had deliberately given him a stronger opponent to test his skills. Dodoria and Zarbon could have easily done away with Dore when it came down to just power levels. Were they trying to give King Cold a show?

Marveled by the fluidity and swiftness that the much shorter fighter attacked with yet unyielding to the competition, Vegeta's opponent felt as a smug pulled at his face. As the Saiyan's leg slammed into his trapezius, Dore reached an arm outwards and prepared to retaliate instantly. Just as soon as his four-fingered hand reached the same altitude as Vegeta's face, it began to spark as ki ignited along the green titan's palm.

"Terrible Flash." Dore called out as what started as just a single green ball of energy split into a volley of nearly twelve identical ones. Cooler's enforcer continued his assault by swiftly vanishing just as he and Vegeta broke their line of sight on one another when the first of several hot beads of ki smashed into the Saiyan's face, wildly detonating on contact.

Vegeta grimaced as the small volley of ki blasts burnt at his skin and knocked him backwards in a small explosion. The Saiyan prince was blinded but still moved to protect himself and rolled back to his feet to an empty field. As he looked around for his vanished foe, Vegeta's nose twitched as his heightened senses took in his surroundings – perks of his Saiyan heritage from their ancients days as Oozarus.

"Where are yo –" The Saiyan began to say before a hand appeared from a sudden blur and clamped itself around most of his forehead.

"What was that you said about keeping up?" Dore taunted as he reeled the ragdoll of a body backwards like a fishing rod and slammed Vegeta hard onto the metal floor below with enough momentum to make the boy's body bounce back up as if it were a basketball.

The Saiyan prince coughed up a blood infused loogie as his back struck the very compact ground below. Grunting painfully as he felt a rib or two crack from it, Vegeta found the heart to throw his arms across his chest as he just barely saw Cooler's soldier rush forward with intentions on following up his devastating combo with another kick.

"That won't work." Dore interjected as he saw Vegeta move to absorb the blow. Knowing that the Saiyan's back was unprotected, the champion of Beppa forced himself upwards in a burst of kiai and shot a bulky knee of muscle into Vegeta's back. Instantly hearing the cry of pain that the alien warrior gave out from the blow, Cooler's enforcer smirked devilishly.

"Hmph," The Saiyan prince groaned after his body was knocked to the floor. Gripping the fake sand below to get back to his shaking feet, Vegeta once again dropped into his fighting stance. "Don't think this fight is over."

"So, animal abuse it'll be." The prince's opponent threatened, dropping into his own fighting stance. Almost instantaneously, both fighters charged one another and began exchanging blows at near supersonic speed.

As the brawl between fierce warriors continued, Vegeta tried his best to keep up the prowess that Dore fought with. As fist met fist and shook the air around both of them, the Saiyan pulled his opponent into a grapple just as he felt the tense feeling of a fist shooting into his gut. Grimacing but not letting it knock him off of his game, the prince of Saiyans roughly snatched at the green mercenary and lodged an entire knee into the Beppan's face.

Dore's hands shot to his face just as the mighty knee hit its mark and Vegeta took in two full lungs of air as the titan's fist eased off of his diaphragm. With oxidized ki surging through the Saiyan's veins and his opponent distracted with his pain, the prince of the nearly lost Saiyan race, Vegeta, used cupped hands to charge a purple energy attack at his side.

"Galick Stream!" He spat as the energy attack readied to completion. Thrusting his arms forward on instinct, several small streams of ki shot at Dore who had but seconds to brace himself.


From the sideline, the other three Saiyans onboard watched on as their faction's leader gracefully held his own against the swollen warrior Dore. For all the talk that they had gotten on how they would have to quote-on-quote "elect a new leader for their freak show," Vegeta was embarrassing his competition!

"That must be that new attack the prince spoke of." Chaya commented as the room shimmered a violet undertone. "It's a nice variation of the Galick attack that runs in the royal bloodline." She added.

"That guy's toast." Tullece remarked as a storm of energy shot at the Beppan and struck him dead-on, covering the proximity that was their battlefield in a thick blanket of rancid smoke. "There's no way he should be able to keep up with Vegeta."

"As if there was any chance of that!" Nappa applauded the boy he had seen grow wonders from the snarky and spoiled child monarch. He had been Vegeta's very first teacher -he had taught the young prince the basics of Saiyan combat many years ago. He had seen the prince mold his skills to their sharpest. "Prince Vegeta's the strongest Saiyan in existence. There aren't many races that can stand up to the pinnacle of the greatest warrior race to ever grace the universe."


The crowd watched in anticipation as the thick blanket of smoke finally began to give way. As the form of two silhouettes came to the view of their spectators, from above, the family of frost demons watched the brawl between two of their best warriors with the same blank look on their cold faces –whether out of boredom or what, nobody knew. In comparison to the limitless wells of vigor energy hidden behind these near frowns, three pairs of emotionless red eyes glaring looks of unamusement at the prince of Saiyans.

"Prince Cooler." The eldest of the three reptilians was the first to speak, still watching the fight from his throne as he spoke to his children. Nobody dared to enter the room and neither of the two servants present would dare to even actively listen in on the conversation between them.

"Yes, father?" The dark purple colored Cooler instantly replied, veins throbbing across his muscles as he tried not to get upset watching his fighter get thrown around the arena.

"This enforcer of yours," The king began, clearing his throat as he sat back in his seat and rested his head on his palm. "For a monkey to be giving him a run for his money speaks a lot. Should he lose this fight, surely a resignation would be in place… correct?"

"The prince of chimps will do no such thing!" Cooler spat back venomously –almost interrupting his father's snide remark as his hand tore into the golden throne and dented it slightly. "And if Dore does fail me –then I will do to him as I do to any lesser being that disappoints me." He finished coldly.


Now nearly screaming at the top of his lungs, the eldest son of Cold and the next-in-line to the hands of the entire empire couldn't notice the vibrant yet sinister magenta aura beginning to spark to life across his body. Roaring primitively, the Arcosian prince brought his hands to his face as he tried to calm himself from letting his power explode out with the mood he was in.

"Brother, you're scaring the servants." Frieza teased his older brother cautiously, both of the two alien women cowering behind the larger throne of the titan that was King Cold, their vases full of water shattered by the sheer strength of the sinister aura. "I must admit – I didn't believe that Vegeta would be faring this well against this enforcer you spoke so boldly of!" He added before scratching his head as if irritated slightly by the revelation. "What was the power reading on the Beppan again?"

"18,500," Cooler answered his brother. "His race has an average power level of just 3200. I thought that he had made quite the jump in the five months since I've added him to my team but I guess not." He added harshly, turning to glare at the green fighter.

"There's no way." Frieza shot back at the answer, grimacing. "Vegeta was at just over 15,000 not even an hour ago!" He said between thoughts. "Unless there's a way that he's hiding his true power! Does he think me– an idiot? The slick bastard!" Frieza kept to himself as a frown pulled at his lips.

Frieza's attention turned to the Saiyan prince as a pink aura of his own began to spark to life as he sat in the throne. Numbers wise, Vegeta was supposed to be getting thrashed by Dore! He was growing tired of these tailed chimps and the gimmicks that they brought!

Vegeta flipped backwards to give himself some space as the smokescreen his creative attack had brought on died down. Flexing his muscles afterwards before dropping into his Hou wang fighting style, the prince took in another lungful of air. He was in the best shape of his life and only improving each day… he wholeheartedly believed that there was nobody that could defeat him!

And if they somehow did… he highly doubted they'd be able to do it again.

On the other side of the clearing, Dore stood tensefully with a plethora of bruises and small burns on both his armor and the green skin it covered. The Beppan champion took in the stench of burnt smoke that lingered and frowned at his opponent as an orange aura sparkled around his bruised muscles.

"Fine, I'll end this before you can blink." The man said, his confidence —whether false or true — showing despite the beating he had taken so far.

What Vegeta didn't notice though was the change in the Beppan's pupil color from an rusty auburn to a brilliant gold. What Vegeta was going to find out was that, like others of the people of Planet Beppa, Dore had the special ability that activated as his body and internal organs were damaged. As he fought a losing battle, Dore's metabolism and, in turn, his physical speed was increasing to the point where he was almost three times as fast as he had been at the start of his and Vegeta's battle. Whatever advantage that the prince of Saiyans had once had over his stronger foe was now completely out of the window…

Dore knew that he could beat the tar out of the filthy baboon now more than ever.

"You talk too much," The Saiyan prince dictated, rolling his eyes at his foe. He had been embarrassing Dore thus far, it was time to end this fight.

Stretching his hand outwards to ready another energy attack, Vegeta taunted his stronger-than-ever foe. "I'll show you then to think the Saiyan race a bunch of inadequate warriors! Take th—"

As Vegeta's victorious roars were heard by the audience before them, every alien in attendance turned to focus in on the match just as soon as the Saiyan's threat was cut short in just fractions of a second, the galactic champion of Beppa had closed the distance between them both and buried both fists into Vegeta's guttural area. With "ooo's" and other sneers flooding the halls, Vegeta's eyes widened in disbelief that he hadn't even seen Dore begin to move an inch before being struck. Losing feeling in his legs, the prince fell to his knees.

"I have to admit, Prince Vegeta," The green creature began as he eased his arms from the Saiyan's stomach and let Vegeta fall to the ground below.

Next, Dore stooped down to grab a handful of the prince's black locks. "I wasn't expecting much of a challenge when milord told me that I'd be facing a filthy Saiyan in combat. You actually got my blood boiling though like I was back in the ring." The Beppan chuckled while lifting Vegeta off of the ground by his grip on him, a painful grunt coming as Vegeta's scalp felt like it was being ripped apart.

Reaching down to whisper in the Saiyan's ears, Dore laughed as he explained. "I usually make my opponent feel every last bit of pain as they succumb to death's kiss." Grinning and breathing heavily in Vegeta's ears as the Saiyan was in too much pain to counter. "You will be different, Saiyan. You die as soon as Lord Cooler gives the order! With you, it will be quick."


Cooler sneered in his seat, watching as the towering titan snatched the prince by the head. Turning to the other monarchs in attendance, the purple tyrant began to snicker as his fighter brought Vegeta close for half of a minute before he buried a fist into the Saiyan's chest.

"So much for the prince of simians." Cooler taunted his brother while flexing his muscle in a victorious fashion. "Father, give the command and Dore will give us the show we were waiting on." He begat as he turned to Frieza. "Brother — I wonder if the fool's tail or legs will go limp first." He crudely joked at the expense of the beaten Saiyan prince.

Vegeta spat out a mouthful of blood as Dore's thick-skinned knuckles smashed into his face, leaving a thin scar alongside the prince's cheekbone. The notorious Beppan wrestler still had the Saiyan by the collar of his battle armor, thwarting all attempts to break free.

"Well, would you look at that," Dore said to his opponent, motioning for the simian to look over to the three golden thrones just as King Cold rose to his feet. "Seems like a curtain call!"

"As King Cold of Arcose and Supreme Chancellor of Space, it is my duty to call this match over in favor of Dore, the Beast of Beppa!" The father of both Cold princes commentated through a sea of roars and cheers for the noble leader.

Shushing the crowd with a single gesture and a scowl afterwards, the large Arcosian continued. "To the loser, Vegeta IV of the perished Vegeta, a death worthy of a warrior of your caliber." Cold finished, coldly but Vegeta swore he heard some glee hidden behind the deep tone the king spoke in towards his followers. "Beast of Beppa, I give you the duties of executioner over your opponent." He said, giving the green light to the victor of the gladiator match.

Vegeta's eyes widened as he saw Dore's veins flood with purple ki. However hard he tried, he couldn't break free from the two-handed grasp that the Beppan had on him, Dore's experience in wrestling showing in their tussle. As he watched a sadistic look glare at him from Dore and heard the crowd hold their breath, the prince knew that he had to do something or risk the lights being cut off.

"Vegeta, prepare to di—" Dore exclaimed, or began to exclaim before a sudden pickup or winds and the sound of something being blown apart ruptured the area. As what felt like a small truck smashed into him and pushed him backwards, the Beppan wrestler gasped out — unable to process what had happened but knowing he felt wrong.

The Beppan tried to speak or even scream but found himself unable to. As his body jerked backwards and he felt his grip on Vegeta snap free, just as his vision seemed to grow shaky, Dore wished he hadn't looked down when he did. It would have saved him from seeing the window sized hole in his torso that was too gruesome a scene for anybody that had been eating to witness. Just under the wound, it was a miracle that the Beppan's bloodied legs were still entwined with his body. Inches from the hole, Vegeta's gloved hand rested cloaked in a thin golden tint as smoke dissipated from the energy attack he had desperately shot straight through his opponent.

"Didn't give me quick enough of a death, did you?" Vegeta gave his opponent one more snarky remark after falling to his knees and catching his breath. He had made sure to put everything he had into the attack.

As he watched the alien's orange blood pour from the hole in its corpse, Vegeta used a forearm to wipe the buildup of sweat from his forehead as he watched Dore gurgle on his own blood until his golden pupils rolled back in his head and his eyes went blank.


"So, there was a bit more fight in the prince than we believed." Frieza said with hints of both disappointment and disbelief evident in the tone he spoke with. "I thought for sure that we had heard the last of the royal Saiyan bloodline." He sneered at his brother and father. Vegeta had once again surprised him with a victory that many thought he wouldn't get.

"That cunning baboon…" Cooler exclaimed, tense about the sudden turnaround in the bout between his soldier and the prince. He was more angry at Dore for dying and losing than he was sympathetic towards the Beppan's death. "Escaping death all over again." The Arcosian grumbled loathingly, his bloodshot eyes flared in disgust.

"Well, win or lose, I suppose that the baboon did give us quite the showing." King Cold commented, butting into the conversation between brothers before the results caused more of a dispute than needed. "It appears as if the late Saiyan king at least did one thing right in raising an adequate successor." He added on.

"Father, let's leave Cooler to mourn the loss of his precious enforcer." Frieza begat to his father, teasing the older brother that was already disappointed by a match he thought would have easily gone the other way. "Shall we discuss new territory for my obviously stronger fleet to explore?" The youngest frost demon began to hint to the monarch.

"Prince Frieza, have the monkey we just watched and the remainder of his crew meet us after a discussion." The patriarch of the Frost clan retorted as he saw his older son turn around, lamenting as he prepared to take a leave. "Both of you," He said, speaking to both of his children as he showed them the two separate holograms, both showing large paw prints sunk into the ground of two different terrains. "Two recon teams sent my command center intel of this sighting from planets in two of our quadrants. What does this look like to you all?"

Both of the younger Arcosians flared their nostrils in disgust at the intel. Staring at the large footprint, Frieza's eyes glared at the high-quality photo in sheer disgust as his lip quivered, trying to form the words to speak. Cooler wore his signature scowl on his face as he squinted his eyes to hone in on what his father was showing he and Frieza.

"What is that? It can't be!" The younger of the two spat out, at a loss of words at the footprint. The question had been more of a rhetorical one that he and Cooler knew better than to answer. The fearsome print had been known and feared throughout the galaxy at one point. When the Saiyans ran deep in their army, entire trails of those same footprints were generally all that remained on the surface of many planets conquered for his father's organization.

"But it is, Prince Frieza," King Cold retorted at his son's bewilderment. With a horrid scowl that would show just where Cooler adopted his from on his face, the Arcosian monarch slammed the device close and squeezed it in his hands until it shattered. "You boys aren't clueless, I know. I shouldn't have to point out that those are those giant monkey tracks!" He exploded harshly after taking offense to a brief silence. "GIANT… MONKEY TRACKS!"

"There shouldn't be any more Saiyans out there!" Frieza countered, wincing as he felt his father's energy climb. Though the visual of the footprints were long gone to his father's rage, the footprints remain etched in the cold prince's mind and this brought a mean frown to spread across his lips. "I made sure of that!"

"So I thought but it would seem as if King Vegeta was hiding several things from us," King Cold said coldly. "Fetch the prince and his monkey gang. It's time to see where your pets' loyalty lies." He said the next minute as a visibly upset Frieza scrambled out of the room while ranting to himself.