A/N: Welcome back fans and readers alike, and I can safely say that your patience has paid off.
This chapter wasn't as long as I was hoping, though I have a feeling that won't mean a thing when you see what I have brought to the table. And lets just say that the next two chapters are about to change cannon in ways that probably a couple of you might be expecting. But I'm just going to keep that under wraps and allow you to see for yourselves.
X
Needless to say, everyone took the threat of the androids' arrival in three years seriously. Each and every one of the Earth's defenders went their separate ways and started to rigorously train for the day they would be protecting the planet once again.
For the first couple of days since the warning, Cooler had been scarce. Which had a couple of people who had gotten to know him wondering what he was up to, but when asked he simply replied that he was taking care of a few personal matters.
It would be over a week before he started making himself known to the others again. And they couldn't help but notice how much he seemed to be smiling, making them all the more curious about what was going on with him.
Currently, the Frost Demon landed outside the home of Goku and his family on Mt. Paozu. However, he stood out a bit more than before since now he was dressed in Human clothing.
A black sleeveless jacket that was open in the front baring the Capsule Corp. insignia on the back, and a pair of dark-grey cargo pants that were customized to fit his tail that had a belt with a red clip buckle. His large, three-toed feet were bare for obvious reasons.
Even though he technically didn't need to dress given his normal appearance, but Cooler decided to try something different that would help him fit in a little better here on Earth.
That, and a part of him still missed the feeling of wearing actual clothes even after all this time.
Approaching the front door, he knocked gently and waited before Chi-Chi opened it and was a little surprised at the one on the other side..
"Oh Cooler, hello! It's been a little while." the woman said kindly, not expecting to see the alien dressed in Human clothes. "I see you're trying something new."
The Frost Demon smiled at her, "Decided to try this planet's fashion a bit. Have to admit, it's not bad." he said while brushing a little dirt off his pant-leg. "Your husband around? He came by Capsule Corp. the other day looking for me but I was elsewhere."
Chi-Chi sighed, "He's on the other side of the mountain training with Piccolo and Gohan. Hopefully he remembers the deal we made, I don't want our son spending all of his time training. Android's or no."
"I'll be sure to remind him, Chi-Chi." Cooler replied as he turned to head in the direction she had pointed out.
"Will you be staying for dinner this time?! We have plenty!" she called out as he took to the air.
"Sure, thanks!" the Frost Demon called back before shooting off over the mountain, locking onto the three energy signatures in the distance near a stretch of forest with a large lake in the middle. Here he found Piccolo on a boulder beside the shore meditating.
"Mean-Green, always a pleasure." Cooler said, landing next to him.
The Namekian's eyes opened, "Don't call me that." he said sneering before giving his fellow alien his full attention, "What are you doing up here?"
"Got sick of Vegeta's constant glaring and grumbling. And he and Bulma have been fighting like cats and dogs lately, figured I'd visit Goku since he's been itching for a spar and it's quieter up here." replied the Frost Demon.
As if on que, the nearby treeline exploded as Goku and Gohan shot out into the open. Trading blows with one another at high speeds as they trained, though both Piccolo and Cooler could tell the boy's father was holding back.
Gohan threw a series of punches that Goku easily avoided or dodged before throwing back a few of his own. One of them managing to slip past his son's defenses and sent him sliding along the ground holding his stomach.
"You're doing great, Gohan. But you need to make sure your guard is up, can't have any openings for someone to exploit." Goku offered his son, not a drop of sweat on him but the demi-Saiyan looked as though he ran a marathon. "Take a break and cool off, son. We'll pick back up after you've rested a bit."
Looking toward Piccolo, Goku grinned widely when he saw the Frost Demon there as well, "Hey Cooler! Wasn't expecting you!"
"Thought I'd stop by and see if you were still up for that spar you were asking about." said Cooler.
"Heck yeah I'm up for it! Gohan and Piccolo told me about the transformation you did when you fought Frieza. I'm really anxious to see what it can do." the Saiyan replied with excitement clear in his voice.
Not wanting to ruin his new outfit. Cooler removed the articles and laid them safely out of the way before he and Goku faced one another with Piccolo and Gohan watching from the sidelines.
"Any restrictions you want to put down before we start?" asked Cooler while cracking his knuckles and neck, a part of him just as excited as his opponent was.
"Nothing comes to mind, just try not to blow up the planet." Goku said, taking a fighting stance while the Frost Demon slipped into one as well.
There was a long pause, both fighters waiting on the other to make the first move before Goku took the opportunity and shot toward Cooler.
The Frost Demon smirked, bracing himself when the Saiyan threw a powerful right hook at him. His hand snapped up and caught the attack, a small concussion wave blasting outward from the power behind it.
Goku quickly spun and launched his leg at his opponent in a wide kick only to have Cooler's tail come up and stop it before launching a series of punches back in return that were either blocked or dodged.
Within the next moment, the duo were a blur of movements. Punches and kicks being traded back and forth at speeds that couldn't be seen unless one was trained to. This went on for several moments before Cooler changed tactics.
Leaning backwards, the Frost Demon planted both feet into Goku's chest and kicked him away. Following the momentum in a backflip and landing back upright, he channeled his power and brought his right hand up.
At the same time dozens of rocks of various sizes were yanked up from the ground and hovered around him. A quick wave of his hand in his opponent's direction sent the projectiles firing at Goku like small meteors.
Thinking fast, Goku dodged the surprise attack and fired two ki blasts in retaliation only to have Cooler swat them both aside before vanishing. The Saiyan had a split second to sense his energy right on top of him and teleported out of the way as the Frost Demon slammed his foot into the Earth where he had been. Appearing a second later and throwing a kick that was avoided via teleportation as well.
Reappearing in the air above, Cooler swiped his hand infront of him and causing a series of explosions to go off in a wave pattern at his opponent.
Goku jumped into the air, getting right up into the Frost Demon's face where they started trading blows again. Neither of them giving an inch to the other as the disappeared and reappeared throughout the forest.
From the sidelines, Gohan could only watch in awe as Cooler and his dad fought. Both of them moving so fast he almost couldn't keep up with them. Piccolo however, was looking on with trepidation. He knew what Goku was capable off, even feeling the power of his Super Saiyan form like the others, but Cooler...he kept his power so tightly under wraps that it was more than a little unnerving at times.
The moment when they all saw and felt him change into his final form was something none of them would be forgetting. But the Namekian couldn't help but think that it was only a glimpse of what the Frost Demon could do.
Another minute went by before both fighter appeared in almost the same spots they started at.
"You are good. But you're holding back, I can tell that much." Goku said with a calm smile.
Cooler gave him a similar one in return, "Pot calling the kettle black, Goku. You want to see me at my best, then you better be ready to bring your A-Game as well."
"Alright, then it's time to turn this up a notch." the Saiyan replied before taking a horse-stance and began to power up. His energy skyrocketing with volts of bio-electricity sparking around him. His hair standing straight upward and changing to a yellow-gold while his eyes turned to teal.
In a burst of light Goku stood tall in his Super Saiyan form, his aura flowing around him like golden flames.
Nodding, the Frost Demon took a similar stance. "Okay, now that you've shown me yours. I'll show you mine." In a similar burst of power, Cooler changed into his final form. Standing almost twice as tall as the Saiyan infront of him. Their combined energy causing the ground to shake beneath them.
"Wow, that is impressive. Your brother never stood a chance did he?" Goku asked.
Cooler smirked before his facemask snapped into place. "He didn't have a chance in my previous form. I only changed to prove to him that his 'superior power' was nothing compared to what our kind could really do."
"That...and seeing the fear overpower his ego was a bonus."
The two fighters stood motionless for only a second longer before they both vanished in a burst of pure speed. In the next instant explosions echoed from several points all over the forest from the ground to the air, the impact shockwaves enough to strip trees of their leaves and cause rock formations to crumble.
Piccolo and Gohan braced themselves from the amount of power the two fighters were giving off with each hit that connected between them. Both appearing in the air high above them, their forearms locked together with their auras flaring brightly around them. Punches and kicks were traded back and forth too fast to be seen, only a handful actually connecting on both sides before they flew apart to a sizable distance.
Goku cupped his hands and began to gather energy, "Ka...me..."
Cooler mirrored his actions and prepared his own attack, "Nova...
"Ha...me..."
"Cannon...
"HA!/FIRE!"
The two energy beams lanced toward one another and connected with a massive explosion that lit up the sky, blinding anyone who was looking directly at them.
Floating in the air with his hands still together, Goku looked toward where Cooler had been only to see the space empty.
"Flashbang!" the Saiyan spun around in time to see the Frost Demon throw a small, glowing-white ball of ki at him. Only instead of it hitting him, it exploded a couple feet away in a blinding flash of light and sound.
Shouting in surprise at being blinded and deafened so suddenly, he couldn't stop the powerful double dropkick that sent him crashing into the Earth and making a new crater.
The dust settled slowly to show the Super Saiyan on his feet, his gi torn but looking no worse for wear as he looked up at Cooler. Flaring his energy, he began to charge a second Kamehameha wave and fired it up toward the Frost Demon.
To the utter shock of everyone, Cooler didn't dodge or deflect the attack. Instead, he flew directly INTO it! The blue energy beam flowing around him like a raging river as he cut a path straight through to the one who launched it.
"NO WAY!" Goku shouted in surprise moments before the Frost Demon came out the the other side, spear-tackling him into a large hill and out the other side with both of them trading blows again.
The battle raged on for over an hour, the landscape around them definitely showed it with the many craters, fissures and scorched Earth from their struggle as neither side gave the other an inch. But eventually, the two warriors landed back where the whole session began.
Goku's orange gi top was completely torn along with his pants while Cooler's bio-armor showed various scuffs and blackened marks. With a silent agreement, the dup powered down to their base/true forms.
"I gotta say, that was really something." the Saiyan said with a wide grin, wiping the sweat and dirt from his forehead. "Haven't had a spar like that for a long time. You're a lot stronger than I thought."
Cooler smirked back at him, "Same on this end, Goku. Have to admit, it's hard to find someone on roughly the same level to compare to. Good to know I have someone I can test my skills with that can actually keep up."
The dup shared a laugh before making their way over to Gohan and Piccolo, both of which were still in awe at the two powerhouses before them. "Chi-Chi's probably got dinner ready for us at home, you gonna join us Cooler?" the Saiyan asked.
"Already agreed when I stopped at your place before." the Frost Demon said, pulling on his pants and jacket again. "Better hurry before your wife gets angry."
Goku scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, she can be pretty scary when she's mad."
"Trust me. It's the same for the women of ANY species, Goku." the four warriors rose into the air and headed toward the Son home.
Along the way, Cooler sent a subtle look toward the Saiyan hero of Earth filled with uncertainty. He and all his friends had better up their game with training if they were to have any hope of surviving in the next three years.
Because during their spar, Goku was nearly at his peak...while he didn't even use half of his power.
X
Dinner was a small affair. Chi-Chi chewed Goku's ear off for keeping Gohan out so late, but after that they all sat down for a quiet evening.
Piccolo didn't partake, given his biology. Goku and Gohan ate like living garbage disposals, again biology. Cooler and Chi-Chi were the only ones who ate in a rather calm/dignified manner.
Gohan and the Frost Demon spoke about random things, the demi-Saiyan asking him about the different parts of the galaxy he had visited and wanting to know more since Namek was the only real alien world he had ever been to and learning a lot from him in the process.
Chi-Chi had even asked a couple questions, wanting to know more of what it was like growing up in a royal family on another planet since she herself was Princess of the Ox Kingdom. Though she was sure to avoid bringing up too much about his tyrant of a father and the monster his brother had become.
When dinner came to an end the conversations continued for a while longer, Goku even wanting to know how Cooler's training went and if he was willing to show them so that they would be better prepared for the androids.
The evening was coming close to an end when all the fighters in the room felt it.
A series of power levels of various sizes and strengths were approaching from far away and closing fast. Goku, Gohan and Piccolo were instantly on alert, the incident with Frieza's arrival coming back full force...but Cooler simply smiled when he felt the auras drawing closer.
"They're here." he said, drawing attention to him.
"Who?" said Goku. But the Frost Demon simply rose from his seat and went outside. The other warriors following in time to see him take to the air and fly off in the direction the power levels were headed.
Looking to one another, they nodded before giving chase. Finding Cooler in the same place where he and Goku had their spar as he stood in a wide open area, his arms crossed and gaze at the sky with his smile still in place. Waiting.
"Cooler, who's coming?" Piccolo demanded, but didn't receive a response until a ship appeared in the air above them.
It was similar to the one Frieza had come in on, but on a much smaller scale. There was also a distinct lack of markings unlike the vessels used by the Frieza Force.
Six, spider-like legs came out of hidden compartments along the sides and allowed the ship to land softly on the ground. Kicking up dirt and debris as the engines powered down.
Goku and the others prepared themselves for anything as the main hatch of the ship opened...but what they weren't expecting a white blur to launch from the inside and nearly take Cooler off his feet.
They also weren't expecting what a high-pitched voice shouted a moment later;
"PAPA!"
A/N: ...
Gonna let that settle in for the time being. But this is only one reveal, the next chapter will have so much more and will change the way things are and making this story divert from the original plot in ways you won't be expecting.
I had hoped to make the fight between Cooler and Goku a bit longer, but seeings how they can stretch a five minute fight through about a dozen episodes, it can be a bit hard to maintain the same criteria. Though I will do a bit better in the coming future.
Next chapter already in the works. Send you're reviews and I'll have it up before you know it!