Chapter 5 - Showdown and Another Table Turn

Frieza seethed, raising from his hover chair and ditching it with his tail.

"You will regret this, young lady," he addressed Caitlyn as he descended next to Brandon. "And Brandon," he continued, to his Sub Viceroy, "to ensure I won't make the same mistakes I made while training with you, I'm going straight to my final form. You'll have to step back about one hundred feet for this."

With that, as Frieza clenched his fists, gathered energy and bellowed, Brandon stepped back about one hundred feet.

Caitlyn, fearing for her life, ran off about one hundred feet opposite Brandon.

One loud bellow from Frieza, and a blinding flash of light shone. When the light subsided, a crater was left behind where a patch of land once stood. Brandon uncovered his eyes and saw, when the smoke cleared, what appeared to be a pure-white-skinned reptilian with violet accents on the head, shoulders, wrist and ankle cuffs, and on the torso, floating over the crater.

"I see you've decided to go get your Bio Suit ready, Frieza," Brandon addressed as he walked forward, stopping at the crater.

"Of course, Brandon," Frieza replied as he descended back to him. "I didn't want to come unprepared for our little fight with this prosthetic-handed weakling."

As they got into their fighting stances, Caitlyn took what Frieza just called her with an angry look on her face.

"Weakling?" she repeated. "I'll show you 'weakling'!"

With that, she charged at both Brandon and Frieza. She landed punch and kick after punch and kick at them, but each time, they both dodged her blows.

Frieza decided to punch her in the face. She landed on the ground, facedown. She got up, her nose bleeding.

"She's all yours, my friend," Frieza said to Brandon. "Finish her off."

Brandon walked to her. As he stopped in front of her, his eyes glowed an angry red. Caitlyn wiped the blood from her nose. Suddenly, his eyes stopped glowing, and he hung his head.

"I… I can't," he said. "I love her, Frieza. I can't kill her like I killed her mother."

Caitlyn sighed in relief, and shed a tear of joy. Frieza, however, hardened his face.

"Foolish welp," he addressed Brandon as he prepared to point his finger at Caitlyn.

Brandon suddenly stopped Frieza, grabbing his hand. Frieza struggled as Brandon squeezed his hand. Just as Brandon was about to crush it, Frieza pulled away.

"What are you doing, Brandon?" Frieza said.

Brandon raised his head, and glared daggers at the very alien who took him into his organization three years ago.

"I'm not going to let anyone get in the way of my taking the world," he replied, his eyes glowing an angry red. "Especially not you!"

And with that, Brandon fired his eye lasers at him.

Frieza blocked the attack as best as he could with his left arm, but the impact made the arm explode. Frieza writhed in pain as he held onto the stump where his left arm was, with his right hand. Blood seeped from the stump. Frieza glared back at him.

"You traitor!" Frieza addressed Brandon. "The likes of you are only fit to die, in disgrace, at the hands of your master!"

Using his right hand, Frieza fired a beam of energy at Brandon.

Brandon, however, repelled the blast and fired it right back at Frieza, seemingly destroying him.

Brandon panted, even as the flash from the blast subsided. He could no longer sense Frieza's energy.

"Brandon," Caitlyn began, getting his attention. "Why did you do that? I thought he was your friend."

Brandon did nothing but break down and hugged her.

"Caitlyn," he said, getting up and facing her. "Will you join me, and become the empress of the Brightburn Force?"

An overwhelmed Caitlyn responded, embracing him. She finally accepted him.

"Oh, Brandon," she said, tears of joy filling her eyes.

Author's Note: Some of this chapter contains elements from Star Wars: Clone Wars "Chapter 19", Death Note Episode 32 - "Selection" and Dragon Ball Z Kai Episode 53 - "Goku's Final Attack! Countdown to Planet Namek's Destruction!".