The next chapter is here. Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I enjoy getting feedback and hope you all are enjoying what you are reading so far. Things may seem slow right now, but it will quickly pick up.
For those who do not know, I will try to update this story every Wednesday. Something to look forward to in the middle of the week for those who care.
Now, onward to the story.
Chapter 2: A Hero's Return
Gohan rushed through the sky, following the path of the huge power that was approaching Earth. His heart pounded in his chest and his small form trembled in fear. Only one power could make him tremble like this.
Frieza has returned.
But how? His dad beat Frieza. There's no way he should be here. There must be some kind of mistake.
"Hey Gohan, wait up!" someone yelled.
Gohan broke out of his thoughts and saw Krillin rapidly flying by his side.
"Krillin..." Gohan said softly. A part of him pleaded with the older man that this was all but a mistake.
"You feel it too," Krillin said, getting straight to the point.
Gohan nodded. "Do you think it's..." He couldn't bring himself to say his name out loud.
"No doubt," Krillin answered grimly. "After what his power did to me... I can never forget."
Gohan shook at the memory. He still had nightmares about seeing Krillin forced into the air and his body expanding before exploding with Frieza's laughter pounding into his ears. He couldn't even imagine what Krillin was going through. To die in such a horrible way... No, he didn't want to imagine.
"How could this happen? My father defeated Frieza, didn't he?" Gohan asked almost desperately. He wanted all of this to just be a bad dream.
"I don't get it either," Krillin said honestly as they rushed toward the battle site.
It was a few more minutes of flying in silence before they finally arrived. They weren't the only ones there. The others, including Vegeta, were there. So were Bulma and Puar for some reason.
"Krillin, Gohan, we're over here!" Bulma shouted as they landed.
Yamcha gave Gohan an almost desperate look. "Gohan, has Goku returned yet?" It was closer to a plea than a question.
Gohan solemnly shook his head, deflating everyone's spirits.
"This is bad..." Yamcha muttered, shivering in terror. "If he's still gone when Frieza gets here..."
He didn't have the chance to finish the sentence before Piccolo turned towards them. "He's here!"
From the sky, they all could see Frieza's ship speeding towards them. It was undeniable now. Frieza was not only alive, but also more powerful than ever. The ship past over the Earth's warriors and began to land some distance away from them.
"It him..." Gohan stuttered, barely controlling his fear. He wanted nothing more than to run. "He's...still alive..."
"Not just that, but there's someone with him... Almost just as strong..." Krillin said as sweat poured down his face.
Gohan looked desperately towards his mentor. Piccolo, who was normally cool and levelheaded, was trembling. He knew Piccolo has gotten stronger since Namek, but it wasn't enough. Not enough to contend with a being like Frieza or someone equal to him.
He glanced at Vegeta and saw that he too was pale and sweating in fear. If someone like Vegeta was terrified, there truly was no hope. Outside his dad, he was the strongest among them.
"Listen, no one is allowed to fly!" Vegeta suddenly ordered, regaining some control of himself. "We're walking so we can keep our powers hidden."
Gohan was snapped out of his stupor as Piccolo placed a firmed hand on his shoulder. "Are you ready?"
He wanted to shout no, but instead he numbly nodded, gathering his fleeing courage. Without his father, they stood no chance against Frieza. If only he had returned, he could take care of Frieza once and for all. But dad wasn't here. He was still somewhere in space, unaware of what was happening.
"Piccolo, wait," Yamcha suddenly spoke.
Gohan glanced at Yamcha. Out of all of them, he was by far the most frightened. He never saw Frieza, but he heard the stories.
"Frieza, he's the most powerful opponent that any of us have ever seen, right?" Yamcha asked in a barely controlled voice.
Gohan nodded. "Yeah and he can become even stronger than he is right now." He saw no point in sugarcoating anything. They had to know exactly what they were dealing with. It was their only hope of surviving.
Yamcha stepped back in shock. "You're kidding. What's the point of us sneaking in? We're nothing but bugs to him!"
Gohan couldn't think of anything to counter him. He was completely right. They were nothing but bugs to Frieza, that was made more than clear on Namek. He could have destroyed the entire planet without ever setting foot on it.
"And he brought a friend. How on earth are we're supposed to defeat this guy!?" Yamcha shouted. He was closed to panicking.
"Will you quit whining," Piccolo said harshly. "If you prefer to run and hide, then do so. But we already know what lies in store for us."
Everyone fell silent.
"Are you finally catching on? Your backwater planet is doom," Vegeta said almost smugly.
Gohan wanted to growl at the Saiyan Prince. He almost forgotten how 'optimistic' Vegeta could be. When did he get back to Earth anyway? Why did he come back instead of his dad?
"Look at that!" Chiaotzu suddenly yelled.
Up in the sky, several figures were flying from where Frieza's ship was.
"Those are Frieza's men," Vegeta growled. "They're most likely looking for us."
Piccolo nodded. "Knowing Frieza, he plans to wipe out everyone on this planet."
Yamcha paled even more when he heard this. "Are...are you kidding?"
"Frieza is a sadistic fiend. It's right up his alley," Piccolo confirmed.
"He's most likely doing this to get back at Goku. What a way to return home. Surrounded by a mountain of corpses," Tien said.
Gohan shook in rage. The entire planet was going to suffer. He couldn't allow this. Not after everything they fought for back on Namek. He wouldn't let this end like the Saiyan Invasion.
He felt his energy raise by the second.
"You moron! Keep your power down!" Vegeta yelled as he viciously grabbed Gohan's arm and spun him around to face him. "Do you want them to pick you up on their scooters!?"
Gohan winced a little from Vegeta's grip, but glared back at the older man. "If we don't do something, people are going to die!"
"Get it through your head, boy, those people are already dead! They were dead the moment Frieza laid eyes on this planet! There's nothing you can do to save them!" Vegeta yelled.
"I refused to believe that! We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Gohan yelled back.
"I swear, you're just like you father. If you even think about flying over there, I'll kill you myself!" Vegeta shouted, completely losing his temper.
"Vegeta!" Piccolo growled a warning.
Bulma attempted to break up the fight. "Stop this! We can't fight among each other!"
"Yeah! We need to stick together!" Yamcha exclaimed.
Vegeta sneered at both of them. "Stay out of this!"
Gohan glared at Vegeta, his fear of the Saiyan Prince vanishing. "Then you just have to kill me!"
With a burst of energy, he broke away from Vegeta's grip and flew to intercept Frieza's men. Thankfully, none of them were moving that fast. He easily caught up with them.
"Dammit! You stupid kid!" Vegeta yelled.
Within seconds, Gohan was right in front of Frieza soldiers.
"Huh, who's this kid?" one asked.
One of them laughed. "I didn't know anyone on this trash planet could fly."
Gohan glared at the invaders. "Leave this planet right now! I won't warn you again!"
They all laughed in amusement. "Oh, this little kid is telling us what to do. How funny."
One of the soldiers touched their scooter. "A Power Level of just over one-hundred, how pathetic. This place really is the sticks."
"He's just a kid, what do you expect," an invader chuckled. "Still, we were ordered to kill everyone on this rock. Might as well start with this brat."
One smiled. "Don't struggle, kid, and it will be nice and quick."
The soldiers rushed him, but Gohan was ready. Even at his weakest, they were nothing to him. Their attacks were slow, untrained, and were nothing like the monsters he had to fight on Namek. Given how quickly they fell, they've never really fought before. At least, fought anyone who wasn't helpless. Just a bunch of bullies.
"Huh, where did this kid get his power!" a solider asked in outraged as several of them fell to Gohan's attacks.
"He's just a child! Kill him!" another shouted.
Despite taking him more seriously, they stood no chance. Gohan ruthlessly plummeted the invaders.
One them managed to get behind him, but before he could fire on the young boy, he was vaporized by an energy blast.
"Piccolo!" Gohan exclaimed as his mentor flew by his side.
"Don't drop your guard," Piccolo scowled. "Even if they're weak, they can still gang up on you."
Gohan nodded as the fighting continued.
Soon the other Earth's fighters joined the battle. Between all of them, Frieza's men went down like flies.
The only one who didn't join the battle was Vegeta, who was still fuming at them for being so stupid to get Frieza's attention.
After only a few minutes, the battle was over. All of Frieza's men were dead.
"Well, that wasn't too bad," Yamcha said as he scanned the area.
Piccolo snorted. "Those were just the small fries. Don't get overconfident."
"Well, well, look what we have here," a low and somewhat mechanical voice teased.
Everyone froze as they looked to see Frieza floating before them. Besides him was a big guy who looked very similar to Frieza's second transformation except he was purple.
"Frie...Frieza..." Gohan stuttered, suddenly losing his voice. Cold terror rushed through his body like a wave.
"Oh, I see you remember me. I'm touched," Frieza mocked. "So, it was just as he said. You used the Dragon Balls to wish yourselves off of Namek before it exploded. That was a very dirty trick you pulled. Stealing my wish for immortality for yourselves. How selfish."
Gohan shivered in fear. He couldn't bring himself to talk.
"And I see Vegeta is also here," Frieza mused as he glanced down at the Saiyan Prince. Vegeta could only stare in place. Bulma was next to him along with Puar. They both were frozen where they stood. "I am surprise he would be on this trash planet. You all much have become buddy, buddy while I was gone." He chuckled. "Not that it matters. It saves me the trouble of hunting him down."
Vegeta sneered at his former boss as sweat ran down his face.
The man besides Frieza looked down at the warrior prince, given him a look of interest. "I must say, I'm surprise. I always believed that it would be Vegeta who would become the Super Saiyan if one ever existed."
"I thought so as well given his talent, but apparently you need to have pure-heart to become one." He looked down at Vegeta and smiled. "Something that our friend Vegeta definitely doesn't have," he laughed. "Poor little Vegeta, the pride of the Saiyan race, surpassed by some no-named commoner. How the mighty has fallen. I bet that hurt more than even the beating I gave him."
Vegeta growled.
Frieza looked to Piccolo, who was doing his best to keep a stoic expression. "And the Namek's here too, alive and well. Well, the entire party is here, save for the guest of honor." He glanced at the other Earth's fighters. "We even have some extra guests. How delightful."
Piccolo sneered at the tyrant, while everyone else tried not to show their fear.
"However, it seems we have a slight problem. I wanted to wipe out everyone on this planet before Goku arrived," Frieza stated like he was arranging dinner plans. "But now you've gone and delayed my schedule by killing all my men. I find that to be very rude."
"What are you talking about? Goku hasn't been here for over a year," Krillin said, swallowing his fear.
Frieza gave Krillin an amused look. "Hmm, so you were brought back to life as well. You Earthlings are a stubborn breed, aren't you? Just won't stay dead."
Krillin gritted his teeth at his murderer, but couldn't stop himself from shaking.
"As for your Saiyan friend, he's actually on his way home now," Frieza informed, getting everyone's attention.
"Dad's on his way here?" Gohan couldn't help but asked. Maybe they would get out of this.
Frieza chuckled. "Indeed he is, but he will arrive too late to save any of you. His ship won't be arriving for another three hours. I plan to kill you all before then."
Piccolo smirked. "Thanks for telling us that. We now have a goal to strive for."
Frieza gave him a questionable look.
"You see, we all have gotten much stronger since Namek. I think we're powerful enough to hold you off for three hours," Piccolo informed.
Frieza chuckled. "I think you overestimate your chances, Namek. You will be lucky to last three minutes against me. After all, you couldn't even withstand a third of my power and I have become even stronger."
"Well, there's only one way to find out." Piccolo reached for his cape and turban, pulling them off. "Besides, I'm surprise you can be so confident, given the state of your body."
Frieza sneered, losing his calm demeanor.
"You're really going to fight this guy?" Yamcha asked in disbelief. "You can't be serious!"
"You're crazy! At your best you were only even with his second form!" Krillin yelled. "Even with your extra power, you couldn't have bridge the gap."
Piccolo said nothing. He just continued to glare at Frieza.
Tien also got ready to fight by removing his shirt. "We have no choice. If we don't hold him off until Goku gets here, then the planet will be destroyed. Besides, if I can't even hold my own for a couple of hours, I would prefer death."
Frieza laughed, regaining his composure. "If you want death that badly, I will be happy to grant it to you. Having your broken bodies hanging off my ship would be the perfect welcome home present for Goku."
"Let's not get carry away, Frieza. With just the two of us, it will take some time for us to kill everything on the planet, given the population. Three hours may not be enough time," the bigger man said. He sounded almost bored.
Frieza smirked. "Oh, this won't take long. I fought most of these insects before and I can tell you, they're nothing. They could have become ten times more powerful than what they were and they still couldn't touch me."
The other man shrugged. "If you say so. Still, it would have been simpler to just destroy the planet from space and be done with it. Seeing his home reduced to space dust would have gotten the message across just as well."
Gohan inhaled sharply hearing that. Thank goodness Frieza didn't follow this guy's advise.
Frieza side-eyed the man. "And I said I want to savor my revenge. I want to see his look of horror with my own eyes before I kill him."
"Enough talk," Piccolo sneered as he descended to the ground, knowing from experience that Frieza fought better in the air. The others shortly followed behind them.
Frieza huffed. "A ground battle? So be it." He lowered himself towards the earth as the Earth's defenders ready themselves for battle.
Krillin swallowed hard as Frieza gracefully landed. "Three hours. It's just three hours. We can do it...right?"
Gohan nodded. "Yeah. We can hold out until our dad arrives."
Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that worked out for you so well when you fought against Nappa and me. Well, don't expect Frieza to play around. He's made it quite clear that he's in a hurry."
"Why don't you just run away?" Tien said, not even bothering looking at Vegeta. "If you're so afraid of Frieza that you can't fight, you're nothing but dead weight to us."
"What!? Who are you talking to three-eyes!?" Vegeta yelled. "Given how easily you were killed, I wouldn't talk so big!"
Chiaotzu quickly got between the two. "This isn't the time to fight among ourselves."
"Yeah. No point in killing each other when we have someone who's more than willing do it for us," Krillin said with a bit of humor.
Tien huffed. "Fine. I'll settle the score with Vegeta later."
This made Vegeta chuckle. "If you're even still in one piece."
Frieza smirked at all of them as the other man landed behind him. "So, which one of you want to see Hell first? I'm not particular."
Piccolo readied himself to go on the offensive when a suddenly wave of energy hit his senses. "What!?"
Before everyone's eyes, Goku suddenly appeared before them.
Gohan gasped when he saw his father. He looked as he remembered him, except he was wearing a strange outfit that appeared to be some kind of armor.
Frieza stepped back in shock. "Huh, how!?"
King Cold was equally surprised. "Hmm, and who is this fellow?"
Goku wasn't paying attention to any of them. He seemed to be taking in the landscape.
"Goku!?" most of the earthling yelled when they finally found their voices, not believing what they were seeing.
The earth-raised Saiyan broke away from his sightseeing and stared at them. His face was blank and he appeared to be observing them, especially Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Krillin. It was like he was confirming that they were there.
"Go...Goku...? Is that really you?" Krillin asked, not believing his eyes. This had to be a dream or a hallucination.
Goku's eyes fell upon his old childhood friend and smiled.
"Daddy!" Gohan yelled with tearful eyes. He had to fight the urge to run towards his father and hug him, not caring if Frieza was nearby. His dad was finally home.
His dad turned towards him and appeared to be observing him much like he did with the others. For a fraction of a second, Gohan swore he saw a glint of sadness in his father's eyes.
"You just had to make a grand entrance, didn't you, Goku?" Bulma scolded, although she was too happy to see him to have any power to her words. "Where have you been all this time? You just decide to show up out of nowhere when Frieza came. What, were you just waiting to make an entrance or something?"
Instead of answering her, Goku turned his full attention towards Frieza.
Gohan became frightened when he saw his father's eyes. They were cold and filled with hatred towards the galactic tyrant. Such emotions were out of place on his father's normally kind, cheerful face.
Frieza regained his bearings and smiled in his usual smug manner. "So, the monkey finally arrives home. Well then, welcome home, Son Goku. It is ashamed you've arrived early. I wanted to give you a lovely homecoming gift. You see, I was going to kill every living thing on this worthless rock to honor your return."
"Yeah, I figured as much," Goku hissed in a low, almost menacing voice. He looked over Frieza and smirked, looking more than a little please. "I see you got yourself...repaired."
Frieza seethed with anger and electricity of his power surrounded him.
Gohan briefly wondered what could have happened to Frieza to leave him in such a state. From where the cybernetics ran, he lost everything from the waist down and one of his arms. His left eye was also robotic along with most of his face. His dad couldn't have done all that to him, couldn't he? Maybe Frieza sustained all that damage when Namek exploded.
"So, this is the Super Saiyan who beat you? He looks like any other Saiyan, except he lacks a tail," the bigger man said in almost a bored tone.
"You must be King Cold," Goku regarded in a chillingly calm voice.
Gohan felt a shiver run down his spine. What was wrong with this father? He wasn't acting like himself. His dad did act serious when a fight was about to happen, but nothing like this. There was no humor or warmth. Just cold anger.
King Cold smiled. "Aye, I see you heard of me, Mister Super Saiyan."
"You know this guy?" Yamcha asked, completely lost.
"He's Frieza's father," Goku answered in a neutral voice.
"WHAT!?" most of the Earth's defenders yelled.
"His...his dad!?" Krillin stuttered in disbelief. "Frieza has a father!"
Gohan gulped in surprise as he stared at King Cold. "No...no way!"
Piccolo sweated nervously upon hearing the news. "So, that explains why he looks so similar to one of Frieza's forms."
"So, you know what we're dealing with, Kakarot," Vegeta said as he walked to the younger Saiyan's side. "Because you didn't finish the job on Namek, not only do we have Frieza to deal with, but also his father. Your soft heartedness have damned up all."
It was subtle, but Gohan could see a flash of shame crossed his dad's face. He had a feeling that there was more to the story than his dad simply sparing Frieza.
Frieza chuckled, enjoying the sense of fear from the group. "Indeed. You should have killed me when you had the chance, stupid monkey. Now, it's too late. I won't kill you quickly. I'll beat you within an inch of your life and then, I will go after all of your little friends. I'll kill them one-by-one before your very eyes before I move on to the rest of the planet." His glaze fell upon Krillin and Gohan. "I'll go especially slow on those two. I did kill the bald one too quickly last time."
Gohan felt his rage build. How could someone be so evil? He was like some super villain from a manga.
Goku bared his teeth like a raging animal and growled. For a moment, Gohan thought he saw a flash of blue in his father's eyes. "The only one dying here today is you. You used up all your chances. Now, this planet will be your grave."
Gohan glanced at his father. Now he knew what was different. His aura. His aura had a strong killing intent behind it. He somewhat felt it when his dad first became a Super Saiyan, but now it was much stronger. He really was going to kill Frieza.
Frieza laughed at him. "My grave? No, monkey, this mud ball will be your burial place before I've blown it to smithereens."
"This Saiyan is quite amusing," King Cold chuckled.
Neither one of them would be laughing if they felt what he felt.
"Move back! I'll handle this," Goku ordered firmly. His back remained turned away from them.
"Huh, you can't be serious!?" Krillin yelled in disbelief. "Frieza by himself will be too much for you and his father... It's impossible even for you!"
"Yeah, we should fight together. I mean, if we attack all at once we should be able to take them down," Yamcha insisted, losing the fear he had earlier.
Goku said nothing. It didn't even appear that he heard Krillin or Yamcha.
"Goku?" Krillin asked, not sure what to make of Goku's attitude.
"Let's move back," Piccolo ordered, getting everyone's attention.
"You're just going to leave him to fight Frieza?" Tien asked.
He couldn't believe that Piccolo of all people was backing down. This was the same person who stood fearlessly against Nappa despite knowing that he was outmatched. He also insisted on fighting Frieza despite all the warnings King Kai gave them.
"There's nothing we can do here. We would just get in his way," Piccolo said in an almost defeated tone. Rather he liked it or not, Goku was the only one that could saved them, yet again.
"But..." Krillin was about to argue before he stopped himself. He looked towards Goku helpless and almost wanted to kick himself for being so useless.
Why did they always have to put everything on Goku? They always had to depend on him to save them and he hatred it. Just once, he wanted to be able to fight by his friend's side and be of some help.
Vegeta growled in frustration. He despised that he couldn't do anything, even now. As it stands, he had to leave everything in the hands of a softhearted, low class imbecile who couldn't finish the job the first time.
"Let's go!" Piccolo ordered as he flew towards a nearby cliff. It was far enough to stay out of the way, but close enough to fly in just in case Goku needed assistance. He wasn't about to leave Goku completely alone.
The other slowly followed, leaving only Gohan behind.
Gohan stared at his father, not sure what to say. His dad was back, and yet, it's like he wasn't there.
"Dad..." Gohan spoke slowly.
Did becoming a Super Saiyan change him? Was this cold, somewhat distance man now his father? He didn't want to believe it. Maybe he was just acting this way given who his enemy was.
He shook his head. This wasn't the time to worry about that. He was holding his dad back and he needed everything to put Frieza a way for good.
"Beat them, dad! I know that you can do it! I know you can, because you're a Super Saiyan!" Gohan yelled before he flew off with the others. Bulma was with them, being carried by Yamcha who anxiously watched the battlefield.
"Do you think he can do it? Do you think he can beat Frieza?" Yamcha asked.
"It's impossible to say," Piccolo answered honestly. "Goku's strength has greatly increased, but so has Frieza. And there's also Frieza's father. He isn't as strong, but together they could overwhelm him."
"It's two against one. This isn't fair," Krillin growled. If they could only take out one of them.
"It's Kakarot's own fault," Vegeta said coldly. "He should have killed Frieza on Namek. At least then we would only have King Cold to deal with. Now, we have two of those freaks to contend with."
"Frieza's dad, how much do you know about him?" Bulma asked.
Vegeta was silent for a moment. "I only know about him from rumors. I've never met him myself. From what I've been told, he runs the Planet Trade Organization from the shadows. He allows Frieza to act as the head since he's the strongest and most active. Still, King Cold's power is nothing to scoff at."
"Especially if he has a transformation," Krillin said fearfully.
"Transformations?" Chiaotzu repeated in dread.
Krillin nodded. "On Namek, Frieza showed that he had four transformation. With each change, he became greatly more powerful. That King Cold guy, he looks exactly like Frieza's second form."
Tien's eyes widened. "You mean he can also become even stronger?"
Krillin nodded. "If he can, not even Goku will be able to handle him, even if he is a Super Saiyan."
All conversation stopped when they suddenly felt a burst of raw energy. Frieza's power had just skyrocketed and the entire planet was trembling.
Piccolo paled when he felt it. "This...This is his new power!? It's incredible!"
"So...this is the power of the strongest in the universe, no wonder King Kai told us not to touch him," Tien whispered, his mouth running dry. He suddenly felt how small he was in the grand universe.
Puar gave a cry of terror and clung onto the Yamcha's arm, who was equally terrified.
Vegeta also shivered. To think, not even a fraction of that monster's power was needed to utterly defeat him. Even after coming back from death and all his training in space, there was no way he could stand up to that.
"To think that someone like that exists," Chiaotzu muttered softly. It was like nothing he ever experience.
Despite the display of power, Gohan felt no nervousness or fear from his dad's aura. He remained just as calmed as before.
Slowly, the earth stopped shaking as Frieza reached his maximum power.
"Unbelievable! Is Goku really going to fight a force like that alone!?" Yamcha exclaimed, looking at his childhood friend in worry. Surely, he much know what he's dealing with.
Piccolo scanned Goku carefully. "He's...so calm. Is he really that much stronger?"
"Well...Goku usually have good instincts about these kind of things," Bulma said. "I mean, he wouldn't tell us to move if he wasn't sure that he could win, right?"
"Goku has underestimated Frieza before. But, this is different since Frieza isn't playing. He knows how strong Frieza is, but he remains unaffected," Piccolo observed, wondering how much power Goku was hiding.
At that moment, Goku began to change. His normally black hair turned gold and his muscle mass increased in size. With an almost animalistic roar that could be heard from where they stood, Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan. The golden aura cracked the ground around him and sent dust flying.
"What the...?" Bulma stuttered in shock. "What's wrong with Goku? Why's his hair blond?"
"He just turned into a Super Saiyan," Gohan explained.
Yamcha's eyes widened. "So that's a Super Saiyan?"
"A Super Saiyan..." Tien said slowly. "It's...more than I imagined."
Vegeta growled in envy. How could this sentimental, moronic fool gained the power that was only spoken of in legend? Was what Frieza said true? Could only one pure of heart become a Super Saiyan?
Not long after Goku transformed, the battle started. It was hard for even the trained Earth's fighters to see. Both Goku and Frieza moved so fast that they were only blurs. Although they couldn't see the hits, they heard them. Every attack was like thunder to their ears.
"Amazing..." Krillin gasped with his mouth opened. This fight was at a completely different level than all of them. It was like watching two gods fight.
"They're...they're even..." Tien said in awe, trying desperately to follow the battle, which was nearly impossible even for his three eyes.
"No... Goku is much stronger," Piccolo said, stunning everyone.
"Can you really see that?" Yamcha asked.
Piccolo nodded. "Yes, Goku is overpowering Frieza. He can't even land a hit him. Frieza has gotten so much more powerful, and yet, Goku has surpassed even him."
Vegeta could only watched with wide eyes. It was just as legend says. A Super Saiyan was indeed the strongest in the universe. Even the mighty Frieza was nothing before it. Such power should be his! He was the Saiyan Prince, the rightful heir! It should be him humiliating Frieza and humbling Kakarot.
Gohan stared silently for several seconds as the roars of battle continued. "It's more than dad just being stronger. Something's not right with Frieza. He seems...unstable somehow."
"Unstable?" Krillin repeated.
Gohan nodded. "I can't really explain it, but this is not the Frieza we fought on Namek."
Piccolo stared at the battle more closely and saw what Gohan was referring to. Frieza didn't seem like the unstoppable monster he remembered. And he appeared, dare he say, afraid of Goku.
A smirk appeared on his face when he realized what he was sensing. May be Goku didn't kill Frieza, but he shattered his pride to the point that Frieza has lost his edge for battle. Frieza maybe physically stronger, but he has never been weaker.
The two superpowers suddenly appeared in plain view, given the Earth's defenders a chance to see what was happening. Goku was holding Frieza by the wrists, freezing the latter's movement.
"Is that all you got? I'm not impressed," Goku mocked.
Frieza responded by ripping his hand free and pointed his finger at Goku's head.
"Goku, look out!" Krillin shouted in warning, remembering what that technique did to Denda.
Without trying, Goku leaned back, dodging the Death Beam. He then viciously kicked Frieza, sending him rolling across the dusty ground.
Frieza quickly recovered and began firing rapidly at Goku.
Goku lazily evaded each Death Beam, which destroyed the landscape around him and several of them went flying towards the Earth's fighters.
"Take cover!" Tien shouted as they avoided getting hit.
"He's gone completely crazy!" Krillin yelled as a beam whizzed over his head.
Bulma and Puar were screaming in terror as Yamcha shielded them with his own body.
Piccolo growled. "What are you doing Goku? Don't you care that we're in the line of fire?"
When Frieza did something similar to this, Goku deflected the blasts and made sure none of them were hit. Now, it seemed more important to Goku to showoff. It wasn't like those beams could hurt him.
Vegeta did his best not to move. He wanted to see the rest of the battle.
After several seconds of rapid firing, Frieza finally stopped. He was breathing hard and sweating from exerting so much of his power, while Goku didn't even appear winded. The Super Saiyan stared coldly at the tyrant, silently observing him.
"Is...is it over?" Bulma asked meekly as she looked up.
Yamaha slowly sat up, shaking from the experience. "Yeah...seems like it."
Tien shook his head in awe. "They're both something else."
After a moment, Goku let out a loud huff. "The strongest in the universe, huh? Surely, that can't be the best you can do," he taunted. There was an unusual tone of arrogance in his voice that most of them never heard.
Frieza was seething in hatred at those words.
"You're just as boring as you were on Namek," Goku said as he took a couple of steps towards Frieza. "What a disappointment. I thought you could keep me amuse longer than this."
"Amuse!? Does he think this is some kind of game!?" Bulma asked in outrage. "That maniac nearly killed us!"
"Dad..." Gohan whispered, not liking what he was sensing.
"You damn, monkey!" Frieza shouted in fury.
Goku stopped his advance. Even from this distance, they could see it. Goku gave a smirk that would make Vegeta proud. "Oh yes, I'm a monkey. And you, Mister Strongest in the Universe, got bested by a mere monkey, twice. How humiliating for you."
Now Frieza was really piss.
"Oh, that's a burn!" Krillin exclaimed. He honestly didn't know Goku could trash talk.
"Is this an aftereffect of becoming a Super Saiyan?" Piccolo asked more to himself. "Goku is acting far more arrogance than before."
"And cruel," Chiaotzu added.
"Yeah...he starting to sound like Vegeta," Yamaha observed.
Vegeta allowed a small smirk to play on his face. "Well, it appears that becoming a Super Saiyan has awaken Kakarot's Saiyan heart. Perhaps there's hope for him after all."
Gohan glanced at Vegeta before looking back at his dad. "Saiyan heart?" He hoped whatever change his father was going through wasn't permeant.
"Perhaps it's best to say that you are the former strongest in the universe. Since I can easily beat you, I would now be the strongest, wouldn't I?" Goku asked, although it wasn't a question.
"How...how dare you!" Frieza screamed in outraged. His tantrum was sending rocks flying and shaking the ground, but Goku took no mind to it. If anything, he looked more amused.
"Don't be so upset. Take pride in being a distance second to me. After all, that's all you'll have left once I kill you," Goku said as he became serious. All his previous playfulness vanished. "I'm done playing with you. You're no fun and no challenge. Let's end this mockery of a fight, shall we." He began his walk towards Frieza again.
Frieza appeared to freeze in place as Goku prepared to kill him. The once prideful tyrant was paralyzed in pure terror.
"This looks to be it," Yamcha said, swallowing hard.
Gohan was also sweating. He could feel the malice joy in his father's energy.
Before Goku could continue his advance, King Cold stepped into the battle, nearly hitting Goku.
For his part, Goku didn't seem upset by this new development. Just the opposite, actually. Now, he was fighting Frieza's father.
"This is bad!" Krillin yelled in fear as King Cold ruthless assaulted Goku.
"Father..." Gohan whispered in worry. He was strong, but could he really handle both Frieza and his father.
Despite King Cold's best efforts, Goku was easily dodging his attacks. Goku, however, was so focused on King Cold that he failed to notice Frieza sneaking in from behind.
"Goku, look out!" Yamaha yelled in warning too late.
Frieza decked Goku on the cheek, then in the stomach, before slamming his elbow into his head. Within second, Frieza and King Cold were plummeting Goku, not given him the chance to defend himself.
"Goku!" Bulma yelled in panic.
Puar gave a shout of fear.
"They're overwhelming him!" Tien shouted.
"Dammit, we have to help him!" Krillin yelled, ready to fly to his friend's aid.
"Wait!" Piccolo ordered, holding his hand out. "Feel Goku's energy. Despite the beating, it has barely dropped."
Gohan nodded. "He's right. My dad is barely taking damage from either of them."
Goku was blasted to the ground and before he could stand, Frieza and King Cold began raining energy blasts on him. The earth shook with each blast and the cliff the others were on broke apart.
"Man, how can Goku take all of that?" Yamcha asked in worry. "They're going to kill him."
"And for good measure!" Frieza shouted as he created a huge ball of energy.
"No! He's going to blow up the entire planet!" Vegeta yelled in terror. "That ball is big enough to destroy this world twice!"
"WHAT!? He can't! He'll get stuck in the blast too!" Krillin shouted as the wind from the energy orb hit him.
Piccolo sneered. "Frieza has lost his mind."
Frieza dropped the sphere, laughing manically as the energy seemingly engulfed Goku. "DIE MONKEY! DIE! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DEFY THE STRONGEST BEING IN THE UNIVERSE!"
"Ka-Me-Ha-Me-HA!" Goku shouted as he deflected the Death Ball with his signature technique.
"WHAT!? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Frieza could be heard screaming in outrage and disbelief.
The Death Ball went flying into the sky and exploded harmlessly, blinding most of the Earth's fighters and shaking the earth under them. They were certain that the entire globe felt the impact.
"Too close... We would have been dead if that hit," Yamcha said once they could see again. His knees almost buckled.
Vegeta growled. "If Frieza is already doing techniques like this, this world won't last long."
Tien nodded nervously. "Yeah. King Kai told us that what he did on Namek. He couldn't win, so he tried to blow up the planet since he could survive in space. Thankfully, he held back too much, which is why the planet didn't explode right away."
"Well, if it comes to that, we won't be so lucky. Frieza's obviously not playing with a full deck. He's more than willing to kill himself just to finish Kakarot," Vegeta said.
"Man, talk about a sore loser," Bulma muttered.
Goku appeared to reach the same conclusion. As soon as the Death Ball was clear, he suddenly appeared behind Frieza. Before most knew what happened, Goku rammed his fist into Frieza's back, impaling him on his right arm.
All of them gasped in shock. Even Vegeta was surprise by the viciousness of the attack.
"Goku just..." Bulma couldn't finish. She had never seen Goku so brutal.
Tien could only stare speechless. The last time he'd seen Goku like this was in his fight against King Piccolo.
Seconds after impaling the tyrant, Goku released an energy blast that destroyed Frieza's body, leaving nothing behind. Just like that, it was over.
A stun silent fell upon the group.
"He...he did it," Piccolo said slowly, not quite believing what he just saw. Since his own father's death this was the first time he had seen Goku kill. "Frieza's dead."
Krillin nodded numbly. "Yeah. Not even he could have survived that."
Goku turned his attention to King Cold. From where the Earth's defender stood, they weren't sure what was going on.
"Why they stop?" Yamcha asked after several tense seconds.
"Looks like they're talking," Chiaotzu noted. They were so quiet he couldn't hear them.
"That guy is offering Goku to take Frieza's place," Piccolo spoke, catching everyone's attention.
"You can hear all that?" Gohan asked in surprise.
"My hearing far exceeds any of yours," Piccolo answered simply.
"His son was just murdered and instead of avenging him he's trying to get Goku to work for him?" Tien asked in disbelief.
Vegeta side-eyed Tien. "You Earthlings care too much about blood relations. In this universe, the only thing that matters is power and Kakarot has proven himself to be Frieza's better. Of course King Cold would offer him Frieza's place."
After a few more seconds of talking, there was a long pause with neither Goku nor King Cold moving. They seemed to be waiting for each other to make the first move.
Through the pause, Goku's energy was anything but calm. They could feel it raising and shifting.
"Hey, what's going on with Goku?" Krillin asked. "Why's his energy flickering so much?"
Piccolo started to get nervous. "I felt this before. He's excited about something."
"Excited?" Chiaotzu questioned. "But why? Wasn't Frieza the strongest of the two of them?"
"That's if King Cold can't transform," Piccolo reminded him.
"So, it seems Kakarot knows about those transformations," Vegeta humored before smiling. "I wonder what he'll do?"
Tien glared at the Saiyan Prince. "What do you mean?"
"If Kakarot believes King Cold can transform, he may provoke him," Vegeta stated.
"Why would he do that? If King Cold can become more powerful, he may become stronger than Goku," Yamcha said.
Vegeta looked towards Yamcha and smirked. "Maybe, but we don't know that and neither does Kakarot. To fight an unknown powerful opponent is something a true Saiyan can't back away from."
"Are you crazy!?" Krillin yelled in outraged. "Why would Goku risked the world just so he can see how powerful King Cold is!?"
Vegeta laughed. "Maybe for the same reason he had you spare me."
Krillin had no counter to that.
"It's true. When it comes to fighting and having a good challenge, Goku can become blind," Piccolo said in worry. "To face someone who could be his equal or even his superior would be tempting."
"But...but this is different from those other times," Krillin argued, finding his voice again. "With you, he saved you for Kami's sake as well. In Vegeta's case, he knew how strong he was and wanted to train and face him again. This...he's going in completely blind. If he's wrong, and King Cold turns out to be the strongest, we're all dead."
"Yes, it's an interesting question," Vegeta said, still smirking. "Does Kakarot make King Cold transform or cut him down where he stands?"
"You're enjoying this," Tien hissed.
"I'm just interested in what Kakarot will do. Will he put his beloved planet before his pride? Or, will he give in to his Saiyan's instinct and fight regardless of the consequences?" Vegeta asked almost teasingly.
Gohan could only stare at his dad. What was he going to do? He didn't think he would put a good fight over everyone, but...he seemed like a different person since arriving.
Goku suddenly attacked. Before anyone knew what was happening, Goku plummeted King Cold with a fury of attacks, shattering the man's armor like it was made of glass.
Once King Cold went tumbling towards the ground, Goku slammed his knee into the man's back. Even from the distance, they all heard bone break. King Cold would never walk again since they were certain Goku shattered his spinal cord.
As fast as the assault happened it was over. King Cold lied on the ground, broken and defeated.
"He took out that guy who was almost as strong as Frieza in seconds! I mean…it wasn't even a contest!" Krillin yelled in disbelief as another realization hit him. "He...he really was playing against Frieza..."
Piccolo stood silent for several seconds. "To think his strength exceeded mines by this much. Is this really the power of a Super Saiyan?"
Bulma sighed. "Well…I'm just glad he decided to finish that guy quickly. You got me scared talking about transformations."
Vegeta was vaguely disappointed. He wanted to see for himself if King Cold could transform. How anticlimactic. A wasted opportunity. At the same time, he wasn't in any hurry to die again if King Cold did managed to beat Kakarot. Not before he ascended himself. Although, this proved to him that even turning into a Super Saiyan couldn't rid Kakarot of his human heart. Not completely.
Once the shock had worn off, the small group made their way towards Goku, who was slowly approaching King Cold. His eyes were completely void of emotion and Gohan felt the killing intent from before intensified.
King Cold's eyes widened in horror. He knew what was coming. "Wait... Wait...spare me. Please, I promise not to harm anyone again. Please, spare my life..."
Goku stopped his advance and stared blank-faced at the fallen overlord.
"Please...please spare me..." King Cold continued to plea.
"Don't be a fool, Kakarot!" Vegeta shouted as he landed behind Goku. "It was that same bullshit mercy that nearly got us all killed by Frieza!"
Piccolo landed next to Goku. "If you can't finish him, I'll do it."
Goku didn't address or even acknowledge that Piccolo was there as he stepped closer to King Cold. "I would let you go. As you are now, you're no threat to me or my friends." His eyes hardened as he spoke. "But I've seen what given mercy to your kind have done." He raised his hand and filled his palm with energy.
King Cold's eyes widened in horror as he saw his death approaching. "No please! That was my son! I'm not evil like him! Please, spare me! I give you my word to never harm you! PLEASE!"
His pleas fell on deaf ears as Goku released his energy and vaporized King Cold. He left nothing behind.
Piccolo was a little unnerved by the display. It was one thing for Goku to kill an enemy in battle, but he mercilessly killed a crippled foe who was begging for his life. It was against his character, yet he did it with little hesitation. He was beginning to have mixed feelings about if Goku becoming a Super Saiyan was a good thing.
Before he could think further on the subject, Goku destroyed Frieza's ship. Now, it was truly over. The tyrant Frieza was no more along with his father.
A long silence fell upon the group. No one was sure what to say or how to act. For some reason, it didn't feel right to jump for joy and celebrate.
None of them were sure how to interact with Goku, who had a distance expression on his face. He neither seemed happy or sad about his victory. He just wasn't there. He hadn't acknowledged their presence at all. It was starting to leave them more than a little unnerved.
"Goku...?" Krillin spoke hesitantly, breaking the tense silence. Goku turned towards his friend and Krillin stepped back. Those cold, steely eyes didn't belong on him. It was like staring at a different person. "Are...are you okay?"
Goku didn't speak for several seconds. "I'm fine." He transformed back to his normal self and smiled. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"
Krillin felt a pang of relief rush through his body. For a moment, he thought that look was permeant. The Super Saiyan may have saved their butts, but he preferred good, old Goku over the cold-hearted warrior.
Gohan looked over his dad with a critical eye. After a second, he smiled. His dad was truly back. "Dad!" He ran over to hug his father.
Goku scooped Gohan up and gave him a rare hug. "Hey, Gohan. You've gotten big."
"I missed you, dad," Gohan cried in his arms, savoring his warmth.
Goku smiled tenderly and his eyes noticeably softened. "I missed you too, Gohan."
"Geez, don't scare us like that," Bulma said, voicing everyone's concerns. "You were acting so strange there that we weren't sure if you were really Goku. What happen back there anyway?"
"Oh..." Goku said as he rubbed his hair and gave a meek smile. "Sorry for scaring you guys. When I transformed I tend to get work up."
"I say," Tien muttered. Seeing what he did to King Cold, it was like watching an executing.
Vegeta snorted and folded his arms. "I find your personality as a Super Saiyan to be a big improvement. Although, you still managed to keep that soft-heart of yours. That's the only way I can figure out you showing mercy towards Frieza."
Goku's face fell slightly and his eyes became distance. "Yeah...it was foolish..."
Gohan gave his father a concern look. There was that sadness again.
"Don't listen to him. You should stay as yourself," Krillin encouraged. "Sure, Frieza may had come back, but you stop him, for good this time. The past is the past."
Yamcha nodded in excitement. "You were amazing! I mean, I've never seen anything like it. You took out Frieza and his dad like they were nothing."
"Never mind that," Vegeta interrupted. "What I want to know is how did you get here? Frieza said that your ship was three hours away."
Goku smiled, happy for the change of subject. "Oh, I teleported."
"Teleported?" they all repeated.
For the next several minutes, Goku explained how he escaped from Namek, found his way to Yardrat, and how he spent his year learning his new technique, Instant Transmission, and controlling his Super Saiyan transformation.
"Huh, so that explains it," Vegeta said more to himself. "The Yardratians are not that strong, but they do know some interesting techniques. The Ginyu Force was most likely readying themselves to conquer that world, which is why its coordinates were programmed into the space pod."
"Well, I don't know the details, but I'm happy that I landed there. With this technique, I'll never be late for a battle again." Goku grinned.
"Well, it couldn't be better timed. Without that Instant Transmission, we'll all be barbecue," Krillin laughed.
"You can do just about anything now, can you," Bulma mused.
Goku just laughed.
"Well, since the danger has past, me and Chiaotzu should be on our way," Tien said. "After this, I'm going to train twice as hard as before."
Yamcha looked towards his friend. "I guess today's events would encourage you, wouldn't it."
Tien nodded. "Seeing Frieza and then Goku, I got a lot of catching up to do. I refuse to fall further behind."
Vegeta stepped in front of Goku. "Kakarot, I wouldn't get too comfortable. You maybe the strongest now, but I will become a Super Saiyan. Then, I will surpass you in becoming the stronger in the universe."
Goku chuckled. "You think so. I'll get much stronger too."
Vegeta turned away. "Tell me, Kakarot. Does one really need a pure-heart to become a Super Saiyan?"
Goku nodded. "I'm not sure how I know, but that's a requirement."
"I see," Vegeta said to himself before he took off.
"Well, at least he don't have to worry about him ever becoming one," Krillin said. "Vegeta's heart is as pure as sewage water."
"I wouldn't count him out. He's a stubborn guy," Goku said as he put a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "We should be heading home. I bet your mom is worried about you."
Gohan smiled and nodded. "She'll be so happy to have you home too. She really missed you. We all did."
Goku returned the smile. "It's good to be home. I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. Exploring space was fun and I met a lot of interesting people, but there isn't a place like home."
He placed his fingers on his forehead and they both disappeared.
Yes, I know despite the length that this chapter is a retread of the first with some new information. However, I wanted you to see the Frieza's fight from the POV of the other characters since the last chapter was entirely from Goku's perspective, which was more limited. The plot will move next time.
Until next chapter, take care.