A/N: Here we are once again folks. And with a new installment ready for the masses to read and enjoy.
A couple of people had asked me if I was considering putting power levels in at some point to monitor how strong Cooler is compared to everyone else. But, even though there are many readings throughout DBZ fandom out on the net, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly how powerful certain characters are, even more so when it's fanfiction with OC's involved.
Besides, they pretty much stopped 'marking power levels' in the series after the Frieza Saga and simply used their senses to see how strong other fighters/enemies were.
On a separate note, Vegeta in DBZ Abridged said it best; "POWER LEVELS ARE BULLS***!"
So with that in mind, I'll save my mental anguish in trying to calculate 'Cooler's' PL. Instead I will simply say that he's a lot stronger than you think given his knowledge of things to come and the extensive training he's put himself through since his rebirth.
Although how strong exactly I'm keeping close to the chest for the time being. OP he may be, but this is Dragonball here. Damn near everyone can be OP at any given time. (i.e. Broly...)
Alright, Q&A out of the way, lets get to the chapter!
X
It didn't take too long for Cooler to find the Z-Warriors and the time traveler. All of them spread out in a small clearing among the many rocks making the landscape. Their attention immediately on him as he landed, but the Frost Demon paid them no mind as he headed toward a large boulder.
He reached out to the mini-fridge the lavender-haired teen had brought as he walked by it, two bottles of water floated out and into his waiting hand thanks to telekinesis. Cracking open one, Cooler downed the contents quickly before opening the next.
Everyone watched as he poured half the bottle over his arm, rubbing his free hand along his skin and bio-armor as he cleaned Frieza's dried blood off. Using the rest of the water to rinse away what remained leaving his arm clean again.
Finished, the Frost Demon tossed the empty bottles to the ground and blasted them with a low-level ki blast before taking a seat on his chosen boulder. Continuing to ignore the bewildered looks being sent his way as he laid back on the relatively flat stone with his hands behind his head, right leg resting over his left knee, and getting comfortable for the long wait.
There was silence for a long while, probably about fifteen minutes or so of mostly before Cooler felt Gohan approaching him.
"Uh, Cooler?" asked he demi-Saiyan.
"What do you need, little man?" asked the Frost Demon in return.
"Well, if you don't mind my asking, are you...okay?" Cooler raised his head, eye-ridge arched as he regarded the boy. "I mean, you wanted Frieza dead. Most of us did. But, well-"
Gohan paused when Cooler raised his hand, "I am fine. Frieza had it coming in more ways than you can imagine. Everyone who ever suffered under his influence can rest a bit easier now."
"But, didn't you think that was a bit...much?" asked Bulma, being the closest along with Krillin and Yamcha. "I mean, he was family right?"
The Frost Demon's sudden bark of laughter had a couple of them flinching. "The little bastard stopped being family the moment he started sucking on daddy's tail. I did my best to keep him on a better path when we were kids, but I guess it was out of my hands no matter how I tried." His red eyes turned to the blue-haired genius, "As for the brutality I showed him? You obviously never saw him at his worst. I can guarantee Vegeta could give you a good list of atrocities he's committed. And the others who were with you on Namek saw it all first hand."
Vegeta sent a sneer Cooler's way while Gohan and Krillin shivered at the not-so-fond memories of seeing, and feeling, the tyrant's power.
"Speaking of what Frieza was capable of." Piccolo broke in. "That form you took before fighting him, it wasn't like any of the transformed states your brother revealed on Namek."
Cooler nodded, "You're right. As you all probably know, I'm currently in the 'fourth' form, or more precisely, my true form. Normally we use our lesser forms to suppress our power to conserve energy easier and help us hold back our strength. But it is here where I differ from the rest of my so called family."
"You see, while Cold and Frieza suppressed their power and never took training seriously, I learned to harness it and strove to make myself stronger. Focusing my energy so that not only did I no longer waste any needlessly, but so I could keep my strength firmly in control to the point where I didn't need 'suppressed forms'."
Cooler smirked, "Then, it happened. During my training years ago, I managed to tap into another well of power deep within, and with it a whole new transformation was made. A type of super evolution that is rare among my kind where my power, strength and speed reach a whole new level beyond what I had known before. It is this form that I used to kill my father, and then Frieza."
A rippled of unease passed through the gathered fighters, "So...how strong are you?" asked Krillin.
The Frost Demon pinned him with a long stare before smirking again, "Strong enough."
"You gotta be kidding!" Vegeta shouted, "You've had all that power all this time?! Then why didn't you kill Frieza sooner?!"
Cooler looked back at him with a blank expression before looking elsewhere, "I had more important issues at the time." he said with a surprisingly soft tone. "That, and I wanted to kill him with the least amount of collateral damage as possible."
The Saiyan Prince growled almost ferally and stood up from his resting spot, "Fight me!"
This declaration surprised everyone. Cooler however kept his gaze aimed in the distance and said nothing.
"Did you not hear me? I said fight me!" Vegeta shouted again.
"I heard you just fine." the Frost Demon stated, "And as much as I would love to bitch slap you around this valley, I have nothing to gain from it."
"So that's it, huh? You're just a coward!" the Saiyan goaded, trying to get a rise out of Cooler, but his anger spiked when he simply yawned into his hand.
"Oh yeah, Vegeta. I'm a coward alright. If only I was like a certain Prince who stood off to the side wetting himself while someone else dealt with the one that treated him like a footstool most of his life." Cooler said before looking his way, "Guess it's a good thing Bulma made you wear the yellow pants, huh?"
The only ones trying hard not to openly laugh were Piccolo, Tien and Vegeta himself. Trunks, for his part, was stunned silent as he watched the strange banter going on between the two disgraced Princes.
"You dare..." Vegeta gritted out, his power flowing around him with his building rage.
Cooler sighed and stood up, "Alright, Vegeta. I'll humor you. For old times and the sake of that fragile pride of yours, I'll give you one free shot. But you better make it count, becau-" he was cut off when the Saiyan Prince suddenly appeared before him and slammed his fist into the Frost Demon's face.
Grinning at his successful sneak attack, Vegeta became shocked when Cooler looked back at him with a bored expression. His head having not moved even a millimeter from the strike.
"Because that's the only one you'll get." Cooler finished his interrupted statement as he reached up and gripped Vegeta's wrist, pulling it away.
The Prince grit his teeth. "Before we get into this, you should know, at your current level of strength I won't need to transform to beat you." the Frost Demon said bluntly, his tone changing from the carefree and joking one from a moment ago to completely serious. "I didn't even have to do it against Frieza. I just wanted to see him lose all hope before I finished him."
Dropping Vegeta's arm, Cooler crossed his own over his chest. "That pride and arrogance of yours is going to get you and others killed one day, Vegeta. I'd learn some humility and fast before someone imprints it on your corpse."
That being said, Cooler went back to his boulder and returned to laying back on it. Acting as though the last couple minutes didn't happen.
Vegeta shook with barely contained fury before returning to his own spot, everyone else doing roughly the same as they all waited for Goku's return.
From his place, Trunks kept his eyes on Cooler for a few moments in deep thought. Wondering just what was going on and how did things change compared to what he had been informed about.
X
Waiting in the middle of a wasteland was boring, though everyone did what they could to keep themselves occupied.
Several of the Z-Warriors were becoming skeptical of the young man who told them of Goku's return. Yamcha and Bulma having gotten into an argument over whether or not the teen was even telling them the truth.
But given that it was the first they had heard about him since before the Namekians were sent to their new home they held out hope that he was telling the truth.
Cooler had been laid on on his rock, eyes closed and letting his mind wander to the events that would be taking place within the next three years.
If things went according to the original plot, then he knew exactly how to help Goku and the others defeat the Androids and Cell before things became too far out of control. However, there was an issue with this line of thinking. The catalyst being his presence.
He may not have taken many science courses in his past life, but he knew the full meaning behind the 'Butterfly Effect'. His being in this universe had already changed things, albeit on a small scale, it was only a matter of time before bigger events were affected as well.
The real questions that plagued him were whether or not there would be more enemies to fight than originally foretold, how much stronger would they be, and how it would all effect things to come.
His mind was always in overdrive when considering all of this. It was why he had hid his true power from Cold and Frieza in the past, and when he was alone he trained hard and kept breaking his limits so that he would be prepared to face anything. And he would continue to do so for the foreseeable future, because even if things changed from the original story he knew of, there was still a lot of bad coming that needed to be faced.
And the Z-Warriors were going to need serious backup when those moments came.
A soft beeping was heard, drawing attention to Trunks as he checked his watch. "Alright, Goku should be arriving any minute now." he spoke out, causing everyone else to come on alert.
Cooler's eyes opened when he felt a strong power level approaching their location. All of them could soon after that and the level of anxiousness rose when they felt Goku's familiar aura.
After another two minutes, a sphere-shaped pod could be seen streaking across the sky and landing with a loud crash roughly half a mile from where they were all gathered.
"He's home!" Gohan shouted in excitement, taking off like a rocket to where his father had landed. The rest of the Z-Warriors, bar Piccolo and Vegeta, showed equal enthusiasm as they followed after the boy to meet their long missed friend. Leaving Cooler and Trunks alone.
The Frost Demon stood and began to make his own way to where Goku had arrived when the teen suddenly spoke, "Hold it."
Cooler paused and looked back at him with a raised eye-ridge.
"Look, I don't know who you are or why you're here. But if you really aren't here to cause trouble, then I need to know that you really don't mean to harm to the people here." Trunks continued. The hard look on his face pretty much giving away who is father was.
"They have nothing to worry about...especially your mom." said the Frost Demon, making the boy blink in surprise. "As for your father, I'll pull my punches until you're confirmed. After that, if he continues to put himself before anything else and risk the lives of others, his pride won't be the only thing that I break."
A drop of sweat trickled down Trunks' pale face, "Wh-What? How...?"
"As I said earlier, we're all entitled to our secrets." replied Cooler. "We have mutual goals, and if these guys want to be ready to face what is coming, then they need to start preparing." He rose into the air and motioned in the direction of the pod's landing. "Come on, kid. They'll be expecting us both."
The time traveler schooled his features as they both took to the air. Clearing the small distance in no time flat and landing where the Z-Warriors gathered around the crater made by the pod baring the insignia of the Frieza Force.
When the steam coming off the pod from re-entry faded, the hatch popped open before a familiar head of spikey black hair poked out. The rest of Goku followed, showing the Earth-raised Saiyan dressed in a white tunic and red pants with small, black armor plates on his torso.
Looking up at the edge of the crater made by his pod, Goku blinked when he saw all his friends there waiting for him. "Hey guys!" he called out, surprised at seeing them but happy nonetheless.
Everyone cheered, save for a select few, some saying welcome back while others asked what had taken him so long as he floated out of the crater and landed on the edge in time for Gohan to throw himself into his father's arms, tears of joy streaming down his face as he held his dad for the first time in almost two years.
"I missed you." he mumbled, squeezing tighter as if in the fear he would vanish again.
"I missed you too, Gohan. But, how in the world did you guys know I was coming?" Goku asked, still bewildered at the fact they were all in the exact spot where he would land.
"Oh, it was this guy here." Bulma said, motioning to the lavender-haired teen beside her. "He knew where you would be, I think he's a fan of yours since he knows so much about you."
Goku regarded the teen and scratched his head, "But, how? I've never met him before." he admitted, which surprised everyone.
"He knew the exact time and place you would arrive, though. He might have been tracking your ship." Bulma continued.
"Really? I don't know. Frieza tried doing that when he passed by me, but I could sense his energy. He was in a pretty big hurry to beat me home." the Saiyan looked around, "Speaking of which, what happened? Where's Frieza?"
"Took care of him, don't worry."
Goku followed the voice to the back of the group where he laid eyes on Cooler. He immediately tensed when he saw the striking resemblance between Frieza and this newcomer.
"Relax, Goku. He's not Frieza." Piccolo said, already sensing the man preparing for a fight. "Infact, he's been helping us for the last few weeks to prepare for Frieza's arrival."
"Whoa, really? They look so much alike though." said Goku.
"Name's Cooler. Heard a lot about you, Goku." the Frost Demon said approaching, "It's nice to meet the guy who slapped my former little brother down a few dozen pegs."
"YOU'RE FRIEZA'S BROTHER?!" the Earth-raised Saiyan shouted, calming down a moment later when he realized something, "So, you must have been that other power level I sensed while I was still on my way here. And that attack, I got a front row seat for that one."
"Good to know I got the Super Saiyan seal of approval." Cooler said with a half-smile. "And as I said, Frieza's gone. For good this time."
Goku nodded to him, "Thank you. For protecting the Earth and everyone here. I owe you one."
"No, Goku. You don't." The Frost Demon thought to himself, but remained silent as he nodded back.
Trunks took that moment to insert himself into the discussion. "I'm sorry, but could I have a word with you, Goku? Just the two of us." he said while pointing a ways away.
"Hmm? Uh, sure." replied the other Saiyan as they started to walk away.
"Hey! What gives with this guy?!" Yamcha called after them.
"No worries guys, I'll be back in a minute." Goku waved back at them as they took to the air and got a good distance away.
Cooler crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, knowing full well the conversation that was about to take place between the time traveler and Earth's strongest hero. The world around him bled away as he slipped into his own mind like he had when they all first started waiting for Goku to arrive.
He half expected Goku to attack him given his family resemblance, but thankfully he was just as trusting and kind hearted he was known to be. This was good, he'd already gained a great deal of trust from the others, and with Goku offering open arms to him after being told he had dealt with Frieza it meant that his presence here would be valued as a friend and ally.
That part was rather easy, now he had to look forward to the Androids and Cell in the near future.
As much as he wanted to go out there and hunt down Gero and the time traveling bio-android, it would be like finding needles in a haystack. The doctor hid his lab deep in the mountains, and blowing up whole ranges all over the Earth would ruin the trust he had gained in the Z-Fighters.
With Cell it was much the same. He had already been here a year and is probably buried deep in the ground in a dormant state where he wouldn't be able to locate his energy signature...
But he did know where his first target would be when he molted, that gave him an edge when the time came.
A tickle at the edge of his senses alerted him to a pair of high power levels rising nearby. Trunks was testing Goku's Super Saiyan prowess.
Opening his eyes, he watched with the others as the sword wielding teen Super Saiyan attempted to chop Goku to bits. Only for the older Saiyan to block each strike with just his pointer finger, much to the shock and awe of everyone witnessing it.
Cooler had to admit, the transformation was impressive. But he also knew at a certain point it would end up losing its edge and everyone would have to ascend even higher. The universe always had a way of balancing out the good and the bad.
A few seconds of their little mock-battle, the two Saiyans powered down and started talking for the next ten or so minutes before Trunks powered up and flew off.
"Hey! He's leaving!" Yamcha shouted as they all ran to join up with Goku. Cooler following after them with a more subdued pace.
"So, what did that guy say?" asked Krillin.
"Oh...uhh...well, nothing important really." Goku replied uneasily.
"That's funny. It all sounded pretty important to me." Piccolo said gruffly.
The Saiyan flinched, "You mean, you heard it all?"
"My ears do more than just frame my face, Goku." the Namekian answered with a bit of sarcasm.
"Oh, come on! What's so important that you can't tell us, Goku?!" asked Bulma indignantly.
Goku scratched the back of his neck, "Well...I can't really say..." he said, feeling uncomfortable given when had been laid on him and the secrecy involved.
Piccolo snorted, "Fine then. But if you won't than I will." he saw the Saiyan prepare to argue and cut him off at the pass, "Don't worry, I won't say anything that'll jeopardize your friend. But we have a chance to change our fates. All of us. Not just him."
"Our fates?" wondered Bulma as Piccolo started to relay what he had heard when Trunks and Goku spoke.
X
When the Namekian finished explaining the warning given by the time traveler, a wave of disbelief passed through the fighters.
"And that's the whole story." Piccolo said, "In three years, all of us except for Gohan are supposed to die in a battle against these androids. But now that we know, maybe we can change all that."
"What a cooke, this guys cracked, am I right?" said Yamcha.
"I'm not so sure." Bulma added.
"Believe what you want to believe. As for me, I want to live." Piccolo pressed on, "So I'm going to train. You can risk it, but I'm going to be prepared."
The Namekian suddenly shifted his gaze to Cooler, "Besides, according to the kid, things in our timeline has already changed. Cooler here never arrived in his timeline, so we already have an edge over these things when they show up."
"Good to know I'm the wildcard in this little quantum effect." said the Frost Demon.
Gohan looked up and gasped, "Look! Up there!" Everyone followed his line of sight and saw the time traveler high above them in a pod-like machine that generated an odd energy.
Inside, Trunks looked down at the people below with a forlorn gaze. "Father, your so tough and proud. Hard and cold like a rock. But deep down, your heart beats like mine does. I know you feel, I am your son and I'll always love you. I'm glad I finally got to meet you." he said softly while looking at Vegeta.
He shifted to Bulma, "Farewell young mother. May the good spirits keep you safe."
Finally, he looked toward Cooler, "I don't know why or how you are here. But I pray that you keep to your promise. Keep them safe. Please."
The Frost Demon sent a subtle nod toward him, as if having either heard him or felt his intention. Trunks nodded back, sending a wave to the Z-Warriors before in a burst of energy, the time machine vanished into thin air.
"He's gone." said Krilling.
Piccolo nodded, "Yeah, back to the future."
"Strange...it looked like he was waving at me." said Bulma, wondering a bit more about the strange young man they had just met.
"Do you really think that guy's from the future, dad?" asked Gohan in wonder.
"Yes I do, son. Yes I do." replied Goku. He blinked and looked toward Cooler as he started walking away. "Cooler? Where you going?" he asked, having everyone else looked toward the retreating Frost Demon.
"I have a few things to take care of. We have three years before a pair of death machines arrive, I intend on making sure they're scraped and recycled before they cause too much chaos." Cooler said before levitating into the air, and smirking at Goku, "I frequently visit Gohan and Chi-Chi at your home. I'll meet up with you in a couple of days."
Goku grinned, "Sounds great. Not gonna lie, I'm looking forward to a spar after feeling the kind of power you're packing."
"Just keep a sharp eye on that ticker of yours, Goku." saluting the warriors casually, the Frost Demon powered up and took off into the distance.
"He's definitely not like his brother, that's for sure." Goku said to the others.
"Believe me, Goku. I'm pretty sure Cooler's the black sheep of that family." Krillin offered.
The Saiyan chuckled a moment before becoming serious, "Sorry guys, I guess touble followed me all the way from Namek."
"Speaking of which." Vegeta finally voiced, "Tell me, Kakarot, how did you make it off Namek?"
"Oh yeah, King Kai said Frieza's ship was wrecked and there was no way you could have survived. How'd you pull it off?" asked Yamcha.
Goku looked to the sky, remembering those moments before Namek's destruction. "Where there's a will, there's a way..."
X
The trip back to Capsule Corp. went by much more quickly this time around, without having to hide his energy as much as he had before, Cooler moved at a much higher rate of speed compared to before.
Landing on one of the many balconies of the main building, he went inside and directly to his room. The Frost Demon reached under his bed and pulled out a small container that resembled a lockbox, punching in a unique keycode causing the latches on it to open.
There were only a handful of items inside. The few personal affects he had brought with him on his journey to Earth, one of which being a scouter with a blue lense.
Removing the scouter, Cooler attached it to the right side of his head and activated it. Going through the applications built into it until he found what he was looking for.
Pressing the right button in the side of the device, the Frost Demon waited a few moments before the communication line connected with who he was trying to contact.
"Hey, it's me. Frieza's dead."
"..."
"Yeah, I'm feeling better than okay. How are they doing?"
"..."
"Heh, kind of expected. Anyway, Earth is a go. The locals here are friendly and I don't think they'd have an issue with us setting up shop here. Especially with the information we were all just given."
"..."
"I can't say over the line, I'll explain in person. How long before you all arrive?"
"..."
"Alright, see you in a week. And make sure to tell them to be on their best behavior. I earned the trust of the warriors here, but they need to make a good impression as well."
A few more words were exchanged before Cooler ended the connection. Putting the scouter back in its proper place along with the container it came in. A genuine smile appearing on his face with what he had been informed of.
"Just one more week." he said to himself, a bit of anxiousness slipping into his tone.
X
A/N: Hmm...Curiouser and curiouser.
Goku's finally home, Trunks has delivered his warning of the future, and Cooler is communicating with someone elsewhere with the possibility of an arrival in a week.
I won't reveal much, but I will say that future cannon will soon be thrown right out the window.
Read and review, I'll have another chapter up and ready within the next week or so. So don't go too far!