Chapter 23: Day of the Super Saiyans

"F…Frieza?!" Raditz gaped at the metallic being claiming to be the butcher of the saiyan race. "How can you be alive? Cooler killed you!"

"Hmph!" Frieza snickered. "He made a mistake. He wanted to be dramatic, as usual, and hurled my head into space. After drifting for months in a state of hibernation, I encountered the artificial consciousness known as the Gete Star. It tried to absorb my mind and knowledge, but it was easily dominated by a superior will. It tested the technology of the Gete Star to the limit, as well as my ability to survive even the greatest injury, but I endured…and now I have returned, stronger than ever, to find that the Super Saiyan has taken care of my brother for me." He indicated himself, banging one hand off of his glinting chest with a loud clang. "In this form, I'm far stronger than I've ever been! Now, I can truly claim the title of the most powerful in the universe! So, little monkey, run and fetch me the Super Saiyan. He's your brother, isn't he?"

Raditz realised that, of course, Goku had been easily more powerful of the brothers at the time, and Frieza had died before the legend had truly been fulfilled. Then he's in for a surprise… "You want the Super Saiyan, Frieza?" His aura burned around him, shifting from purple to blue, through white, to bright yellow as a golden streak rippled through his hair. "He's right here!" The ground cracked under his feet as he completed his transformation.

"Raditz, hmm?" Frieza half-smiled. "Now there's a surprise. Ah well, it's all the same to me. One primate's as good as another." He leapt forwards, whipping his tail around, but Raditz jumped over it, grabbing Frieza in a headlock.

"I should thank you, Frieza!" the long-haired saiyan told his foe, the heat from his aura warping Frieza's metal 'skin' slightly. "This way, you'll be killed by a saiyan, not in some family squabble, and our race will have revenge!" Frieza twisted out of his hold, but Raditz dodged the reborn ruler's punch and kicked him to the floor.

Frieza reached down behind him, pushing off of the floor just as Raditz smashed into the ground where he'd been lying. This left Raditz open, and still flipping backwards through the air, Frieza whirled around, bringing both knees down and driving Raditz into the floor. The Super Saiyan brought his arms up, firing a two-handed blast of energy that propelled himself further down into the earth, hiding himself from Frieza. The tyrant flew up, away from the ground, awaiting Raditz's next attack. "Come out where I can see you already!" he yelled impatiently. In answer, energy bolts started flying free of the ground from all around him, launched at him from every direction. Frieza grimaced, dodging one way then the other as the crisscrossing beams arced and streaked past him. "Enough of this!" He thrust a hand down, launching a massive wave of invisible force that destroyed the entire island. Raditz rocketed up out of the smoke cloud, almost uharmed, and slammed his fist right through Frieza's stomach before he could react. Raditz pulled his fist out, kicking Frieza away.

Frieza landed with a heavy thud on a nearby island, lying still for a second. Just as Raditz was halfway through the thought, that was far too easy, a mechanical whirring and clicking came from the body, and before long Frieza stood back up, the hole in his body closing, appearing none the worse for wear. "Do you see now?" Frieza indicated the former wound. "The Gete Star monitors this body, repairing injuries and improving on errors. Letting you injure me was a serious error—meaning I'm now far stronger and faster. How many times will it take before you're outmatched, I wonder?" He grinned, and disappeared.

Raditz spun to try and spot his enemy, hearing the unmistakeable crackle of charging energy above him and looking up to see Frieza hurling a sizeable energy ball his way. There was no time to dodge—acting on a reflex, Raditz was suddenly several metres away. This turn of events confused both of them, until Raditz realised something. "Hah! So it is possible to use Instant Transmission without making the sign…a little draining, though…"

"Instant Transmission?" Frieza raised an eyebrow. "You know it too?"

"Wait, what's this 'too'?"

"All right, skip the introductions," Piccolo grunted, throwing off his weighted cape and turban. "You want revenge, blah blah blah daddy blah blah blah, I'm the future ruler of this world so I'm going to turn you inside out, let's go!" He flew towards Kuriza at full speed, and was promptly sent flying back just as fast by a thin purple energy beam that shot out of one of Kuriza's fingers.

"I guess teamwork is a concept Piccolo hasn't quite mastered yet…" Krillin noted, sighing. Kuriza smiled. "Is that really all?"

"Not nearly!" Piccolo appeared behind Kuriza, hammering him into the nearest mountain with both fists. However, Kuriza copied his appear-behind-your-opponent trick, kicking Piccolo into the air and then smacking him down to the ground with his tail. Piccolo lay unmoving in a crater.

"Well, that was easy enough." Kuriza dusted himself off. "I do hope he wasn't your best."

"As a matter of fact, he wasn't," Tien called to the invader. "Hey, does anybody else want a shot at him before Goku and I clean up?"

"What?" Kuriza's eyes widened. "Are you…toying with me? Letting me fight the small fry for your amusement?"

"Not really." Goku shrugged. "It's just that if we fought you, it'd be over too quickly, so we're letting the others have a turn."

"Fine! I don't care what order I fight you, I'll take my revenge for what you did to my father—one way or another!"

"Um…" Goku looked faintly puzzled. "You…you do know it was Cooler who killed Frieza, right?"

"What did you say?" Kuriza's eyes narrowed. "You're lying! If you're trying to confuse me, it won't work! However you tricked my father, I won't fall for it!"

"You talk too much!" Nail called out, jumping into battle and kicking Kuriza in the face. Kuriza stood perfectly still, unaffected.

"I played with the other Namek, but I'm bored now," he said. "I'm going to finish this lot, and then I'll get to you two—the real fighters…" he indicated Goku and Tien, then returned his attention to Nail, who had drawn his leg back and was now smashing relentless blows into Kuriza's body, to no visible effect. Kuriza reached out with his mind, throwing Nail down to the ground, far below. Krillin and Yamcha rushed him from opposite sides, and Kuriza let loose another beam that caught Krillin's shoulder and sent him flying away through the air. Yamcha continued his charge, hurling a blue energy blast at Kuriza.

"Kamehameha!" he shouted, but Kuriza sidestepped the attack as if it was moving in slow motion, lashing out with his tail and sending Yamcha flying. Krillin rose again, ready to resume the fight. "Well, here goes nothing…Kaioken!" The flame-red Kaioken aura leapt into life around Krillin's body, and he flew in an arc towards Kuriza (who simply hovered in the air, bored), a flat disc of energy forming over one hand. "Kienzan…HAA!" Kuriza's eyes widened as the disc grew close, and he twitched to the side, a shallow gash opening up in his cheek as the razor-sharp attack hissed by him, slicing through one of his armour's shoulder-plates, its speed boosted by the Kaioken.

Kuriza hissed in annoyance. "You're giving me more trouble than I expected…so, prepare to face the greatest power in the universe!" Kuriza's armour exploded off of him. A flare of red light engulfed his body, and when it cleared, he resembled Frieza's final form—only, of course, still shorter and with red highlights to his mostly-white body.

His transformation was much quicker than Frieza's… Goku noted. "Uh…Kuriza, was it? I don't think that's the greatest power in the universe…"

"Huh? What are you saying?" Kuriza eyed Goku with suspicion.

"Well, both Frieza and Cooler had a larger ki than you do now, not to mention King Cold…and when Raditz became the Super Saiyan, he was on their level too…"

"And where is this 'Super Saiyan'?"

"He's…not here right now…" Tien supplied lamely (King Kai had told them that Raditz was on an important mission in space, but had been sketchy on the details).

"Sure. Your lies aren't really that hard to see through, you know…" Kuriza stretched his limbs. "Anyway, time to finish up here. It must have been one of you that murdered him, so if I kill all of you, I'm bound to get the right one!"

"And, let me guess, you'll destroy the planet just to be safe?" Tien asked.

"No, I…I mean, uh, yes! Absolutely! I am the new ruler of the universe—I'll do whatever I like!" He seemed hesitant about this, and wheels began to turn in Goku's mind. I wonder…

"Hey! I'm still here, you know!" Krillin flew up towards the transformed Kuriza. His power's increased a whole lot with that transformation—looks like I need to go all-out! "Kaioken—times three!" The red light intensified, and Krillin's flight sped up dramatically. He lunged at Kuriza, who casually dodged, but the young frost demon wasn't expecting him to follow up, and Krillin's elbow impacted with Kuriza's face. While surprised by the fighter's reflexes, Kuriza didn't seem to be at all bothered by the actual attack, and he simply stared at Krillin, looking mildly irritated. Krillin backed away, powering down. "Uh…why don't you guys handle this one, huh? I think I need to practice the Kaioken a bit more before I get involved in battles on this scale…"

"Ah, so they finally break out the big guns," Kuriza said with a smile, ignoring the fleeing Krillin as Goku and Tien faced off against him.

"Hey Goku, how about giving me the first round?" Tien asked.

"Sure thing—just save some for me!" Goku was grinning. "It's not often I get to fight an opponent on this level, I can hardly wait!"

"Do…do you think this is a game?" Kuriza stuttered in disbelief at their casual attitude. I just beat all their other fighters…can these two be that much stronger than the rest?

Raditz and Frieza flickered in and out of visible sight, battling back and forth between Namek and the 'link' dimension used by Instant Transmission. Raditz would launch an attack on Namek, only for Frieza to jump to the Instant Transmission dimension to dodge, then when Raditz appeared in that dimension, jump back to Namek, only to be hit by an attack from behind since Raditz could choose where he wanted to appear on the planet. It added an entirely new and confusing dimension to the battle. However, Raditz soon became exhausted from using the complex technique so much in such a short space of time. Though he didn't know it, using Instant Transmission was taxing Frieza's systems too, and he was almost running over capacity—their interdimensional battle ended as, simultaneously, they decided to conserve their energy for more traditional fighting. Raditz braced himself as Frieza charged him, blocking two punches with his raised forearms, but Frieza's strength and speed had, as promised, both increased since he'd repaired himself, and his third punch slipped right through Raditz's guard, his fist knocking the wind out of Raditz's stomach. Frieza knocked him away, the Super Saiyan skidding along the grass as Frieza advanced towards him. "Damn it…I've landed plenty of good hits, but it's just not fazing him any more!" He jumped to his feet as Frieza prepared to attack again. I won't give up, though. There's no such thing as an invincible enemy! Frieza raised one hand, ready to continue his onslaught, when a voice interrupted him.

"GALICK GUN!" A thick yellow-white energy beam smashed into Frieza's back, bowling him over. He stumbled back up, glaring at Vegeta—the saiyan prince proudly hovering a short distance away, staring down at Frieza. A bright aura rippled around his form, his golden hair standing on end. Somehow, he'd become a Super Saiyan.

"Vegeta?!" Frieza was taken aback. "When did you get here?"

Vegeta landed between the two combatants. "Well, I couldn't help sensing such a large ki. I decided it was worth investigating—and what do I find but the tyrant himself, back from the dead and fighting the Super Saiyan. Don't get me wrong, though—when I'm done with Frieza, you're next, Kaka…rot…" He'd just turned around, seeing Raditz up close and in detail for the first time. "No. NO! NOT YOU!" He flew into a rage, the wind picking up as he bellowed in anger. "I pushed myself past my limits…conquered dozens of worlds simply as practice…I achieved this legendary form, AND I DID IT ON A LIE?!"

Not Vegeta too! Raditz couldn't believe his eyes. What kind of emotional trauma could possibly drive Vegeta to transform? He expected the prince to go for Frieza first, but instead Vegeta charged directly at Raditz, and the lower-class saiyan was hard-pressed to block his frenzied attacks. "Kakarot was the one! Not you!" Vegeta landed a solid punch to Raditz's jaw, then kicked him to the ground, continuing his vicious beat-down as Raditz cried out in pain. "I had just come to terms with Kakarot being the Super Saiyan. It was obvious he had potential, from the moment I met him. But not you! You never amounted to anything!" Raditz rolled to the side, catching Vegeta's fist and struggling to hold his furious attacker back. "You should have just died on Namek, Raditz! That a joke like you could attain this transformation, the pinnacle of our warrior race—it's an insult to all saiyans! It should have been Kakarot—or better still, me!"

"Will—you—shut—up!" Raditz ducked under his next rage-filled swing, responding with a quick uppercut that staggered Vegeta back. "You're always talking about our great warrior race, and our pride! Well, where did our pride get the saiyans, huh? Dead! And you, clinging to the old ways—you were left behind by my brother and I!" He raised his guard. "Just let go! You don't like the way things happened? It's too late to change it now!" Frieza cut him off, crashing into Raditz with both feet and knocking him into the ocean.

"If I might interrupt this little reunion…" he said with a smirk. "Two Super Saiyans, I see. Well, this should be fun."

"Hah!" Vegeta summoned up all his energy, forming a crater around himself as the land buckled under his power. Veins stood out on his forehead and neck. "Tell me, Frieza, now you're a machine, do you still experience fear?"

"What—" Frieza never got to voice his reply, as Vegeta's knee collided with his face. Vegeta kept up the attack, pushing Frieza slowly back. However, Frieza's superior speed meant that eventually, when Vegeta aimed a fraction too far to the right, Frieza was able to take full advantage of the opening and launch a vicious counterattack. He raised his leg to knock Vegeta out of the way, when Raditz sped out of the water to rejoin the battle.

The three fighters battled back and forth, ducking and twisting between each other as each found his attention divided between two opponents. Raditz and Vegeta blocked each other's attacks, and Frieza kicked them in the stomach, but they turned and punched him simultaneously, overwhelming his defences. Frieza grabbed Raditz and slammed him into the ground face-first, and Vegeta kicked him off-balance, allowing Raditz to jump up, fire a quick energy blast that took Vegeta off his feet, and charge back at Frieza.

"All right Tien, you're up." Goku gave his rival and friend a thumbs-up. "Good luck."

"Right! I'll do my best!" Tien effortlessly flared up his Kaioken aura, building his power until he reached his comfortable maximum—about a ten times increase. "All right, 'Kuriza', let's do this!" Kuriza nodded, and flew at Tien, who jumped up and away. Kuriza swiped at Tien but missed, pursuing the agile warrior. Kuriza soon caught up, and they entered into a rapid exchange of blows. However, Kuriza's defense was sloppy, and Tien soon landed a solid hit that sent Kuriza hurtling away. Tien dodged a rapidly-fired energy beam, and straightened up just in time to see Kuriza charging again, the would-be avenger's fist cracking into his jaw. Kuriza followed up with a spinning tail strike that knocked Tien through a mountain. He recovered, starting to breathe heavily as his injuries began to catch up with him. He's got an advantage in power, but I have skill—not to mention I've still got plenty in reserve! Tien decided it was time to go all-out, and narrowed his eyes as he focused on his rapidly-approaching target. "Kaioken—times twenty!"

"Now Tien gets serious." Goku smiled. "Kuriza's been playing around with us so far—this will be a chance to see his full power." Tien swiped at Kuriza, but his enemy somersaulted over his head, and with one powerful elbow strike, Tien fell away, clutching at his back. Goku frowned. That's not good…I'm not much stronger than Tien using his maximum Kaioken boost…and here I was thinking I might have an easy battle for a change!

Goku and Kuriza hung in the air facing each other. "Hmm…with your hair, you look a little like a saiyan…maybe it was you who killed my father?"
"I'm telling you, it was Cooler!" Goku insisted.

"Enough! I know it was you!" Kuriza prepared himself for battle, but Goku moved quickly, punching Kuriza square in the chest. The force of the blow knocked Kuriza backwards through the air, but he righted himself and spat in disgust. "Hah! Weak."

"Say…" Goku's mind was still making connections. "You're…just a kid, aren't you?"

"What has that got to do with anything?!" Kuriza shrieked. "Don't underestimate me because of my age! I'm the strongest in the universe!"

No, you really aren't…damn it, what's Raditz doing that's so important right now?! "Well, look…I can still sense all my friends' energy. You didn't kill any of them."

"So?" Kuriza's eye twitched. "I'm going to! Just you wait! Then I'll destroy—"

"Right, you'll destroy the planet. Sure." Goku scratched his head. "You're not really all that evil, are you?"

"SHUT UP!" Kuriza kicked Goku to the ground, the saiyan falling almost a mile before crashing into the hard, jagged earth. He pushed himself up, gasping for air, but Kuriza landed on his back with both feet, driving him down again. Goku rolled away, lying on his back and breathing raggedly. What's with this guy? He won't listen to reason while he has the upper hand! He's not accepting a word I say, but I know he can't be as bad as his family! He's just doing this because it's how he was brought up—he can still be saved! If he doesn't kill me first… Goku heaved himself into a sitting position, feeling his body groan in protest. Kuriza appeared suddenly, inches away, kicking Goku back down into the dirt. "How dare you defy my family?"

"Family? You want to know about family?" Goku asked, his voice cracked. "Your uncle Cooler killed your father, just so he could become more powerful! But when I was in trouble…my brother got so angry he transformed into a Super Saiyan! That's how Cooler died—he was killed by a saiyan! One who knew what family really meant!"

"What's with you…" Kuriza looked worried. Why would he keep lying, if he knew he was about to die?

I know it's not your fault, kid, Goku thought. It's just how you were raised—those bastards! You deserve better than them in a family! But you won't listen to me, unless I stop this madness! And to do that, I need…more power! I can't do this as I am! His mind was free from all thoughts of revenge for this attack on his home, or even his usual excitement at fighting a challenging opponent. He had only sadness and pity for this child, who would probably grow up to be just like his father, shaped into a monster by a cold universe. No! I won't let it keep happening! Nobody has to die! If only he'd listen…if only I was stronger! He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his flesh until they drew blood. I've beaten so many enemies…I can't fail now, the one time I might be able to save one! He was growing angry. Angry beyond belief. But not with Kuriza—with himself.

The sky rumbled, and a bolt of lightning struck the ground inches from Goku as he lay in the dirt. It's such an injustice! I can see where his path leads, and there's nothing I can do to stop it! And the whole Earth is gonna pay the price! It's not…fair! His fist hammered the ground as he pushed himself up to a crouching position. Kuriza watched, bemused. The thunderstorm continued, and lightning racked the skies. Another bolt struck, right between the two fighters. Why can't I do anything? I can't fail now! "Hrrr…Rrh…" Too many people are relying on me! A wave of heat rushed up from inside of him. Deep inside. He felt…a presence, rushing to the surface, pulling him to his feet with a violent jerk. Something primal. Filled with anger beyond the capability of words to describe. This…cycle of blind hate, it had gone on too long. "It…ends…NOW!" A blaze of golden light erupted around Goku. His hair, lifted by some unseen force, stood up on end, glowing brightly. His eyes shifted their colour from black to sharp, piercing green. His face hardened as he came to understand what had happened to him.

King Kai's attention was finally diverted away from the battle on new Namek. "I don't believe it…Goku transformed?! But he was angry only at himself…he ascended almost out of compassion. Incredible…" Only silence answered him. Oh, right. Krillin left. I sure am lonely...

Goku glared at Kuriza. "You see what you've done?"

"Dyed your hair blonde?" Kuriza asked, still ignorant. "I'm getting bored." He lunged at Goku, landing a flailing punch to the hero's face, but Goku didn't flinch. Kuriza jumped back, hissing and waving his hand—it was like punching a brick wall. Well, like a normal human punching a brick wall—if Kuriza had punched one, it would have disintegrated. But in any case, the frost demon could tell something was different about his opponent. He swivelled, frowning in frustration as he fired an energy beam from each forefinger. Goku just glanced at them, and they were diverted away from him, flying up and away into the atmosphere. "I hope you're happy." Goku twitched, and suddenly stood behind Kuriza, one hand gripping his enemy's tiny neck. Kuriza choked, scrabbling at Goku's hand but unable to shift it. "You've unleashed something terrible, and I don't know if I can stop it!" Goku growled.

"Please…" Kuriza's eyes bulged. He writhed under Goku's unbreakable grip. "Don't…wanna die…"

"Rrgh…" Goku could feel it pounding in his head. It was like a wild animal tearing up his brain. It wanted him to kill. He almost wanted to kill. It knew only battle. There was injustice. There was an enemy. He had to fight it. No! That's not why I transformed! I have to…save him! Kuriza's kind had wiped out the saiyans. There had to be revenge. There had to be justice. Those are not the same thing! Too many people have died already! This one, I can save! The saiyan in him howled for blood. The human in him resisted. No more!

Raditz and Vegeta crashed to the ground, lying next to each other as they pulled themselves out of the dirt once again. "This is hopeless…" Vegeta muttered. "It's ridiculous! How could Raditz become a Super Saiyan? And how could that worm Frieza ever surpass one?" He shook his head. "It's not over yet! I'm the prince of saiyans! I won't stop fighting while there's breath left in my body!"

"How about…on Earth?" Raditz asked, climbing to his feet. "And Namek? You retreated there."

"That was…I…shut up! This is different! I'm not running from Frieza of all people!" Vegeta raised a fist to attack Raditz again.

"Wait!" Raditz held up a hand, warily eyeing Frieza, who was slowly advancing on their right. "Look, it's obvious we're both outmatched here. If we keep this up, Frieza will kill us both."

"Let me guess—you want us to work together? Over your dead body!" Vegeta spat.

"Think about it!" Raditz growled. "Don't throw your life away, Vegeta! Surely, if there's one enemy, one being in the universe saiyans can set aside their differences to fight, it's Frieza!"

"I…" Vegeta's father's face flashed through his mind. He thought of the last time he'd seen their planet. There were so few of them left… "As soon as he's dead, you're going to follow him, do you understand?!"

"Perfectly." The saiyans turned to face their approaching foe. "Let's get this done."

Frieza tensed as he prepared to move in for another attack. I'm enjoying this far more than I should… He rushed in, throwing a high kick at Vegeta, but Raditz intercepted, catching his foot and allowing Vegeta to get an elbow strike past Frieza's guard. Frieza spun away, but Raditz appeared behind him, kicking him in the side, and Vegeta brought his hands around, smashing the dazed Frieza on either side of the head. Frieza jumped away, his head spinning. They've stopped fighting each other! What happened to that foolish pride they're always on about? Raditz started hurling a barrage of energy waves that crashed into Frieza's silvery body, scoring deep rents in his 'skin'. Frieza staggered back, the continuous attack overwhelming his resistance. As he was preparing to dodge out of the way, Vegeta materialised above him, one hand held out downwards, palm facing away from himself.

"Hey, Frieza! Ready to face the full power of a real Super Saiyan?"

I think, on balance, machines do experience fear… Frieza thought to himself.

"BIG BANG ATTACK!" A shimmering white ball of energy shot out of Vegeta's hand, streaking down towards Frieza.

"Too easy!" Frieza dodged to the left, but Raditz followed him, taking advantage of his opponent's preoccupation with Vegeta's attack and shoving him right into its path. Frieza futilely braced for impact as the crackling energy ball smashed into his form, completely obliterating him.

Vegeta and Raditz settled to the ground as the dust cleared. There was no trace of Frieza left at all. "Quite an attack you've got there," Raditz commented.

"Indeed." Vegeta raised his guard, turning to face Raditz. "And you're about to experience it first-hand…"

"All right, have it your way." Raditz smiled. "I won't pretend I'm not going to enjoy this—I love these rare opportunities to exercise my full Super Saiyan power."

A power you don't deserve… "Let's go!" Vegeta charged in, and Raditz blocked his first punch. The long-haired saiyan was just raising his arm for a counter-attack, when a familiar voice cut through the air. "Excuse me!" The Super Saiyans froze, turning slowly to the right. The metallic Frieza stood on a ridge above them, fully intact. "I wouldn't be too hasty."

"What?" Vegeta gaped in surprise. "How the hell did you survive that attack?!"

"Oh, I didn't." Frieza grinned, tilting his head to the side a little. "At least, that body didn't. But the Gete Star made me more than just one body…" As he spoke, gleaming dots of reflected sunlight started to appear over the horizon behind him. Dozens, maybe hundreds of metallic Frieza clones were swarming towards them. "These bodies are my Meta-Friezas. My real form is safe on the Gete Star itself. Given how much effort it took you to defeat just one Meta-Frieza, I'd say an army should prove more than sufficient to crush you…especially since, due to the Gete Star's self-repair system correcting for the error that allowed that body to be destroyed, each of these Meta-Friezas is now even more powerful than the one you just fought…" The Meta-Frieza talking dropped into step with the others as they passed it.

"Well, that does it." Vegeta clenched his fists. "We're going to die here. Two Super Saiyans, and we're still going to be killed by Frieza. It's like the universe has it in for us!"

"Hmm…Vegeta." Raditz rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think we have two options here."

"We have more than one option?" Vegeta asked sceptically. "Is one of them committing suicide?"

Raditz sighed. "Shut up and listen. First, we can charge them, and go out in a blaze of glory."

"Doesn't sound too bad a way to die."

"Second, I've just come up with a rather unlikely plan that has a chance of getting us both out of here alive, the better to kill each other somewhere else with less saiyacidal robots."

"That is not a word!"

"Does it matter?"

Vegeta kicked Raditz in the shin. "Just tell me your damned plan already!"

"All right, all right." The army was taking its time, showing off, but they'd reach the saiyans pretty soon. "Look, Frieza and I both now have a technique called Instant Transmission. It lets us instantly move anywhere, got that?"

"I understand the concept, get on with it!" Vegeta growled. "We don't have much time, or hadn't you noticed?"

"Look, the point is, Frieza was pretty surprised to learn I knew Instant Transmission. If, when they attack, I use it to jump away to somewhere on the other side of this planet, they might try and follow me. Then you use 'normal' speed to head straight for the Gete Star—if I'm right, it's that big metal starfish thing that's clamped onto the planet like a parasite. Keep your power level down, but still try and move as fast as possible."

"How will this help, exactly?" Vegeta frowned. This plan was starting to sound increasingly untenable.

"Look, if we both disappear simultaneously, Frieza will probably assume that we're both using the same technique. If you can mask your energy and slip past him while I lead him on an Instant Transmission wild goose chase around the planet, you can get inside the Gete Star."

Vegeta began to understand. "And that's where he said his true form is—it's got to be his weak spot!"

"Of course, he may have defences inside, so it's not going to be easy…maybe even more of these Meta-Friezas…"

"I can take care of myself, Raditz! Here they come—let's do it!"

"Right." Raditz and Vegeta stood a few feet apart as the army of Meta-Friezas approached. They raised two fingers to their foreheads in unison, Vegeta carefully mimicking Raditz. As the Meta-Friezas descended, the saiyan warriors disappeared. Frieza picked up Raditz's energy signature, obviously heading to the other side of the planet. On a reflex, the Meta-Friezas used Instant Transmission themselves, following Raditz's trail. I can't sense Vegeta at all, here or with Raditz…he must be more skilled at concealing it. Well, better to follow one monkey than stand still and lose them both…

Vegeta raced along the surface of new Namek, trying to find a balance between hiding his power and increasing his speed. This is perfect…Raditz has attracted Frieza's attention, which means all I have to do is go and dig out the real Frieza…it's almost too easy! The Gete Star, a misshapen lump of shifting grey metal, loomed on the horizon, clamped to the planet as if it was sucking the life out of it. Vegeta, barely able to wait to get his hands on Frieza and finish him once and for all, began his approach.

The outer wall of the Gete Star was blasted open by a purple energy wave as Vegeta breached its 'hull'. "Where are you, Frieza? I'm going to tear you apart!"

Well, there you have it. Chapter 24 will finish this pair of battles. And sometime in the next few chapters, I'll deal with what happened to Vegeta, Frieza, Kuriza, and so on in the future timeline. Rest assured, I haven't forgotten about them.

Oh, and you should all go and look up 'the Dao of Dragon Ball'. It's an amazing site by a guy called Derek whose surname I can't spell. It consists of extracts from his forthcoming book, the Dao of Dragon Ball, which is an in-depth look at the deeper meaning of the series (what's this? It's just a dumb action show? It doesn't have a deeper meaning? Yes, it is a dumb action show. But it is actually a very clever dumb action show, drawing influences from thousands of years of Eastern and Western culture, and there's plenty to write about). You can also buy his other, shorter book that's out right now, 'It's Over 9,000! When Worldviews Collide', which explores the rivalry between Goku and Vegeta, the symbolism of scouters and ki, and the 'over 9,000' meme. Do I sound like an advert? Well, no, he didn't pay me to write this. I just bought 'when worldviews collide' and loved it, and apparently sales are slow. They shouldn't be. Trust me on this. Go. Go forth and read it. It has a cool anecdote in it about how Dragon Ball stopped some guy from committing suicide and saved their life. Anyway, you're probably getting bored, so have some answers to the great, eternal questions: What is the meaning of life? Where shall we have lunch? And just what does the scouter say about his power level?

Q: So is Meta-Freeza as strong as Meta-Cooler was (ie. able to kick the crap out of 2 super saiyans)?

A: Seems that way, doesn't it?

Q: Hmm... this chapter had two things upsetting for Gohan fans... although he does get his power boost in training... Goku leaving him behind...
I know you're trying to show that BTtL Goku has a better relationship than canon Goku... but that's taking it a bit far.

A: Gohan will have his moment. He won't stay in the background, trust me on that.

Q: As for Kuriza, I don't know much about the character. It will be interesting to see how you write his character and estimate his strength. Based on hints from this chapter, I'd say Frieza knows about Kuriza going to Earth, but not the other way around-as the latter said his father was dead. Do i detect a plot device for another SSJ transformation?

A: Yup, there's quite a lot Kuriza doesn't know. In fact, there are several characters who don't have the whole story (Frieza, Vegeta), or at least didn't until now. And yes, another SSJ transformation. But I hoped I could do something original—this wasn't triggered by a friend's death or anything. Goku just desperately wanted to do good like he always does. And now he's finding that it's not entirely a good thing.

Q: As always youre doing an awesome job. Interesting development. Might need a special chapter for metal frieza though. I really want to know how he came to be.

A: Er…the same way Meta-Cooler did, though that's never given too detailed an explanation.

Q: Will be interesting how the group on Earth cope with Kuriza, I assume he only has the original/fourth form & would be somewhat weaker than his father & uncle but still in the tens of millions power level region. Will he kill someone (Krillen or Gohan?) & trigger Goku's transformation? It would be too weird if Goku died as a trigger again except for Gohan this time. Gohan dying would be simplest, can just use Shenron rather than needing Porunga again if it was Krillen.

A: I thought I'd try something a little different this time. But you're about right with Kuriza's power.

Q: Oh, Vegeta is coming back soon? As a super saiyan to help Raditz on new Namek against Meta-Frieza I assume?

A: Yep.

Q: grrr my review wasn't posted for some reason well here it goes again, great chapter again i am interested in meta frieza. is he going to last longer than meta cooler did in the movie. cause id like to see him teaming up with cell with the contant power boosts geti would give frieza sort of like zenkais wouldn't it?

A: Maybe. I actually haven't decided yet. We'll see!

Q: Oh, God. First Cooler and King Ice Cold, then Frieza's son, and now Mecha Frieza. Who's next? Frieza's mother? Hahahahahaha... I just gave you an idea, didn't I?

A: Bwahahahaha…maybe.

Q: kurza is a nice touch, would be interesting to see frieza or kurza to take gohan or someone sort of like the whole vegeta frieza relationship thing?

A: Probably not now Goku's transformed. But will he kill Kuriza? And if not, what will become of him?

Q: final note is about zarbon and bojack, if i remember right bojack had similer skin colour to bojack not sure if their from the same race or not but it would be interesting if zarbon developed a super form so he can match the super saiyans maybe?

A: Hmm. I'm not sure about Zarbon. I'm thinking he has the capability to develop a 100% 'form' like Future Trunks', but that may be it. He can still train and improve like the humans, but the real question is whether or not he really wants to.

Q: great chapter as always but i do hope meta frieza lasts longer than what cooler did or do something completely stupid like take raditz to his ship TO THE ONE WEAK SPOT HE ACTUALLY HAS! with the geti star making him stronger from each wound he could possibly be a huge threat later on depending on how it goes. would be interesting to see an aliance between cell and frieza perhaps.

A: Well, it's turning out a little differently here. Raditz actually has a plan that isn't 'charge the approaching army'.

Q: So are you going to kill Kuriza off or is he going to be a lastin character? O well any way love you story :)

A: Um…spoilers, I guess. Sorry.

Anyway, I got a lot of questions this chapter, so if your question isn't here, it's because there was another, similar question that I'd already answered. I'm pretty sure I answered each individual point that's been brought up. Join us next time, as Frieza's second cousin twice removed, his grandmother, and his college roommate attack the Earth. Hercule defeats them all with a single punch.