Chapter Thirty-eight - Frieza's Living Nightmare

Goku managed to stand up with Piccolo's help and he gazed up at the sky for a moment. "Krillin..." he said softly. Gohan and Bardock quite smiling as well and closed their eyes. Even Piccolo looked toward the ground sadly.

After a moment the Namek lifted Goku up a bit taller. "Come on, let's go." Goku nodded and the group began to turn from the battle field.

Bardock stumbled and fell as the ground began to shake. "What... what's going on?" They looked around them wildly as the entire planet began to shake. Suddenly a power slammed into their senses and they turned to look back at where they'd been fighting. The water was bubbling and churning as a red glow began to grow beneath it. "There's... no way!" Bardock cried as the water exploded in every direction.

"You'll pay for that!" Frieza's voice screamed up from the depths. A moment later a panting and enraged Frieza lifted up into view and glared across at them. "YOU!" he screamed. "That's it! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!" he thrust his arm forward quickly and a stream of red and black energy surged toward Goku. Bardock reached out and shoved him out of the way catching the beam in the shoulder.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" he screamed grabbing his arm and falling to the ground again.

Frieza grinned as he saw the look on Goku's face. /So that's his weak point eh?/ He suddenly began to laugh as he pointed a single finger toward the group. "So who's next?" he asked grinning.

"Frieza, leave them alone!" Goku cried taking a shaky step forward.

The tyrant laughed again. "And what if I don't? What are you going to do about it? You can barely stand up anymore!" he cackled. "It's been fun but it's time to end this. I'll save you for last though Sai-jin, make you suffer." Energy crackled at the tip of his outstretched finger. As he smirked the beam shot forward. Goku turned to see where it went and his eyes widened in fear and shock.

"GOHAN!" he cried trying to move to save his son. However he wasn't fast enough and the attack reached Gohan first. Goku froze as the beam lifted his son off the ground and knocked him back several yards trailing blood as he went. By the time he hit the ground he was dead. "No... Gohan..." he said softly, barely audible.

His body shaking in anger he turned back toward Frieza. "You MONSTER!" he screamed. "Hotaru... Krillin... Gohan..." Tears filled his eyes and dropped to the ground as Piccolo and Bardock both stared at Gohan's lifeless body in shock. As Frieza's laughter reached his ears Goku glared at Frieza, if looks could h have killed the tyrant would have been dead right there.

"I.... wont let you... get away... with this!" The ground began to shake as a draft of wind blew up from nowhere ruffling what was left of Goku's GI and his hair. His muscles seemed to get a bit larger, more defined, as Piccolo and the other two remaining Sai-jins watched on in shock. "You've killed to many innocent people... my best friend... my son..."

Bardock had managed to get back to his feet and took a step back as he watched Goku shaking in rage. His hair was now flapping above his head and he could have sworn he'd seen it shift gold for a second. There was a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning as Goku threw his head back and let out a primal scream none present had ever heard from him before.

As he vented his anger there was a brilliant flash of gold about him and a massive rush of power that overwhelmed those who could sense it. As the scream died so to did the light and the warriors caught their first glimpse of the new Goku. His head was still back, his hair standing up on end and a brilliant gold color. His eyes were closed as he lowered his head. Slowly they opened and his green eyes glared across at Frieza.

"What... what is this!" Frieza cried taking a step back.

Bardock held his shoulder and stared in shocked silence at the figure before him. Vegeta was also to surprised to speak, to even move. After a moment Bardock managed to find the words. "Goku... you... you've transformed into a Super Sai-jin!"

Goku turned and looked at Piccolo and Bardock for a moment and then glanced back at Gohan again. "Go." he ordered. "Take Gohan and get away from here, I'll handle Frieza. I can't fight at my full power if I'm worried about you guys." he waited a moment but neither moved. "I said GO!"

Piccolo nodded and lifted up Gohan gently. He gave Goku one last glance before turning to Bardock. "Can you fly?" The Sai-jin nodded and the pair lifted into the air and sped into the distance.

Goku turned to face the one his father told him was Prince Vegeta. "You have to get out of here as well! You'll only get in my way if you stay!"

/Kakkarotto... how... No, now's not the time to think about it./ He turned from Goku to look at Frieza. /Somehow he's unlocked the power, he's ascended, he's become a Super Sai-jin. It's up to him to defeat Frieza now.../ He shook his head and lifted into the air. He looked back toward Goku and smirked. "Show him the true power of the Sai-jin race!" he called before speeding away. Goku watched him until he was gone and then turned back toward Frieza.

By now the tyrant had regain his composure. "I'm going to crush you just like all the others!" he called out.

"No Frieza. This is it, it ends here and now! For what you did to Krillin and to my son I'll never forgive you. I know now there's only one way to deal with your kind!"

"You don't get it do you! I'm stronger than any Monkey! The strong survive and the weak die!" He lunged in at Goku cocking back his fist as he flew. The Super Sai-jin didn't budge as he neared. With a roar Frieza pitched his arm forward and threw a hard punch at Goku's face. There was crack as the golden Sai-jin caught it with ease and picked Frieza up to eye level.

"All right then Frieza, we'll play by your rules!" Goku pulled his head back and brought it forward head butting the tyrant free of his grip and then chasing after him.

******

King Kai's Planet:

The celebrations on the planet had been cut short by a cry from King Kai a moment ago. The gathered warriors couldn't believe that Frieza had survived. And then Gohan had died. They'd all felt utter despair and rage as Gohan was killed.

"No..." Appla breathed softly.

"Wait... something... something's happening to Goku." Hotaru said as she watched the events on Namek. Everyone watched in disbelief as his power suddenly surged back to life and the gold light engulfed him.

"He..." Appla began in shock. "Amazing, he's... become a Super Sai-jin!"

"Alright Goku!" Yamcha cheered. "We still have a chance at winning this!"

******

Earth:

"I've got her!" Oolong called as he caught Chi-Chi. She'd fainted as the number representing Gohan vanished.

"This dosen't look good." Master Roshi said shaking his head slowly. "They're in no condition to fight Frieza now."

"No. They'll make it, they have to!" Raditz cried. The other Sai-jins looked at him in understanding. The last living members of his family were there. His father and his brother. Then suddenly the machine began to spark and smoke as Goku's power level began to climb rapidly. A second later the scouter computer burst into flames and the screens went blank.

"Hey, what happened?" Roshi asked.

"It... overloaded." Mango replied in shock. "They never overload... Not even King Vegeta has enough power to overload one of these systems... What's happening out there?"

******

Planet Vegeta:

Vadora had looked away from the monitor as Gohan's power had vanished. "Poor kid..." she said softly. The room filled with silence after that. However, that silence was interrupted by several sharp beeps from the scouter system. She turned toward it again and caught a glimpse of Goku's power just before it began to shower sparks everywhere and then went dead.

Vadora closed her eyes and focused as Pug ordered the others in the room to tend to a few small fires. "By the Kai's!" she cried, her eyes snapping open.

Pug and Vegeta both looked toward her. "What is it Vadora?" the King asked. "What did you sense?"

"It's... Goku's power. It's massive." she said looking toward them. "Somehow he just became even stronger than you..."

"What, but that's impossible!" Pug cried in disbelief. "His power was..."

King Vegeta raised his hand for silence. "It's quite possible Pug." he said calmly. "There's only one explanation for a power surge like that. One capable of overloading our scouter systems."

Vadora's mouth gapped for a moment as she realized what he meant. "Goku's transformed into a... Super Sai-jin!" The other people in the room all looked at each other and began to talk amongst themselves. Vegeta knew it wouldn't take long for word to reach the rest of the Empire.

******

Planet Cold:

King Cold pitched his glass of wine at the monitor causing it to explode. "Worthless piece of junk." he said angrily. He'd seen the Sai-jin's temper tantrum as he thought of it, and then nothing. The satellite had gone out. "Can't somebody get a lock on Namek?" he demanded.

"S-sorry sir." one of the soldiers said. "Everything we point that way overloads, even the Sai-jins transmission went dead."

Cold growled but leaned back in his seat. "Then turn off the scouter systems and just get me a damned video feed!" he ordered. The soldier shook in fear as he turned and ran from the room to do as ordered.

******

Planet Namek:

The Namekian sky was ablaze with flashes of light and thunder seemed to roll across the entire planet as the two titans did battle. Goku was dodging or blocking every attempt Frieza made to attack him and each of his blows sent intense pain lancing through Frieza's body. The tyrant couldn't dodge or block any of Goku's attacks.

Frieza roared as he pulled to a stop and caught his breath. "Rotten Sai-jin! I'm stronger than you! I will destroy you!"

"No chance."

Frieza roared again and sent out a shockwave that only rustled Goku's hair. "That's it! Time to show you my true power! Now you shall see that you are nothing compared to me!" Frieza clutched his fists as his aura flared up about him again.

As his already large muscles began to grow even larger King Kai's voice pierced Goku's mind. ~Goku, finish him now before he can power up completely!~

~No King Kai. When I beat him I want him to know he was at his best.~

~Goku, that's crazy talk! He could very well be stronger than you!~

~He's not.~

~You don't...~

~I do. Bardock told me that when I first got to the battle field that Frieza was fighting at 50% of his power. I'm more than twice as strong now as I was then and I was stronger than too.~

King Kai remained silent. He knew Goku was right about his own powers but what if Frieza had been lying? What if the Tyrant had more power than he'd been letting on? /Blasted Sai-jin egos!/