Greetings, everyone! I realize that it's been a while, so while I was working on the first chapter of the next arc, I decided to whip up something special for you guys. Between college, writing and submitting an original short story to a magazine, general life stuff, and updating multiple other fics, I haven't had too much time to work on this one. I also knew that a lot of those same factors would remain at play for the next few months as the first semester wraps up, so I didn't want to just spend all the time working on the story and leaving you guys with nothing. I figured the least I could do after all this time was respond to all of your reviews from the end of the last arc, which is why I changed all the chapter titles to better reflect what was and wasn't an actual update. So, without any further ado, let's get to it!
Darkjaden says:
"King Cold is 100mil in second form?"
Yup. From what I'm aware of, King Cold is described as being less strong than Frieza, but still fairly close to him in terms of power. I didn't want to contradict the fact that Frieza is supposed to be the strongest mortal in the universe outside of all the Kais and demons and stuff, so I put him at a level lower than him while still being very impressive. The multiplication also plays out the same way, making him 50 mil in first form(which he never bothers using) and potentially 200 mil in a hypothetical third form.
Lynneth says:
"Yeeeeeeeah!
That said, take as much time as needed before you continue. Hell, personally, I'd rather you not start the next saga until you're sure you can finish it. That's just my personal opinion though. This is a great piece of fiction here. Thanks for writing it."
Thank you, loving the enthusiasm! And yeah, I'm fairly optimistic about being able to start publishing this arc within at least a couple more months, although that could change. I'm not going to have nearly as much time to work as I did before, and the road map for it is still a bit vague, but I should be able to come up with something.
Ushidenshi says:
"Epic chapter. This Goku is obviously better than the original canon."
Eh, I dunno about "better." I guess just "more logical." He recognizes that there's still elements of the Frieza Force out there that need to be dealt with, and isn't content to just let them come to him.
RKF22 says:
"AWESOME WORK"
Thank you!
GojiRanger says:
"One of the things I like about this story is how it really feels like a part of Dragon Ball. The way the world is presented and the little references, like what I assume is a comment about Buu, "The Beast".
It just makes it feel like it really is a part of the same world, like "Dragon Ball - Heart of Adventurers"; it really feels authentic!
Anyway, good chapter! Hope the hiatus isn't too long!"
Thank you, for two things: one, the compliment, and two, getting me to check out Heart of Adventurers! It's looking like a good read, although I admittedly haven't advanced too far into it. But yeah, I didn't really think about that. That line was mostly just referencing that one line in Resurrection F where Frieza mentions that his father warned him not to piss off Buu, prompting someone to say Goku defeated him. "The Beast" seemed like a fitting moniker. Still, I'm glad that you appreciated little details like that!
GhostKing666 says:
"Actually of the Armored Squadron only Dore has a comedic backstory. And speaking of the Armored Squadron, does that mean that Cooler's going to be a wild card? Considering King Cold's blatant favoritism for Frieza(do to Frieza being a ridiculous prodigy who without any training was even stronger then Cooler, at least until Cooler unlocked his fifth form), I'm guessing "exiled" son sent to rule over some far off region of the empire where he could be out of sight out of mind? All the while stewing in his own bitterness and hate over being denied "his" birthright and secretly plotting to kill Frieza and his father?"
Honestly, I answered this question in PMs a while back, but since then, the story in my head has changed a lot, so the answer I gave might not be as relevant now. Still, I will say, don't count the elder brother out just yet. I have been planning on doing something with him, it's just a question of figuring out where he can fit well.
Truth Is What You Make of It says:
"This story is awesome and while I'm sad that you won't be updating very soon I wish you all the best in college."
Thank you! I hope that I'll be able to keep on delivering on that initial awesomeness!
FATEMURDER says:
"I seriously hate you for killing Gohan as his fans.
You should have killed Krillin instead!
I know that Krillin can't be revived by earth Dragon Ball, but Gohan is one of the few Character that didn't die until Buu Saga. He should not be killed here, especially when it is only boosted Goku ego by becoming Super Saiyan.
However, I admit your story is very well written.
Although I can't forgive you for killing Gohan I will still cotinue reading this story, as except for Gohan being death the story itself is very well written."
I mean...I did kill Krillin, lol. Krillin's still dead, Yamcha and Nail were dead for like five minutes, Piccolo nearly died, Dende was chucked into the vacuum of space-it was a pretty gruesome chapter.
Honestly, I'm still questioning whether killing Gohan was the right call. At the time I thought that the others' death wouldn't sting quite as much with two sets of Dragon Balls around, so throwing him in as well would give Goku the extra push while also serving Goku, Chi Chi, and Gohan's development down the line. Ultimately, it happened, I don't like retconning stuff if I can help it, so, Gohan died on Namek. I apologize for upsetting some of you with that decision, and it is of course your prerogative if you want to keep reading the story or not. At this point, I'm just going to keep going off of that development and see where it leads. There's definitely potential for interesting character interactions there.
I hope that you'll enjoy the subsequent arcs of this story more than you enjoyed this one.
Anonymous says from way back in Chapter 14:
"Honestly, you shouldn't think about Super. It's not very coherent or consistent, and introduces a lot of pointless retcons and gets numerous things wrong because the writers were too lazy to go back to the original series before working on the sequel. It tries to add comedy and levity back to the series, which isn't bad, but it introduces a whole slew of other problems that it shouldn't be thought of as the same. It's, in a word, bad. Roshi is actually the perfect example, given that his power-up to get him on level with the ToP, from all the way where he was back in OG DB, was not masturbating for two or three days. Seriously, that's not even a joke, because it's not funny."
I seem to remember it having a little more depth than that, but I see your point.
I've adopted kind of a pick, choose, and modify mentality when it comes to Super canon, because there are some good things there that, once cleared up, make for interesting elements in a story. Honestly, though, I highly doubt I'll bring the story up to that point in canon. It's already going to be a ton of work just getting through Z's arcs, and I got a life to live. You gotta let a project go at some point. I think I might just take a page from Captain Space's book and end it at Battle of Gods, as that's about the furthest I've come up with any ideas for this, and I really can't see too many of the characters doing anything of relevance within those plot arcs due to the sheer power creep. Still, I'll keep borrowing details I like when it makes sense and suits the story.
And that's it! As always, thank you all for taking the time to write reviews. They really do mean a lot.
Oh, but before I go...I've got one last thing to show you. Nothing too substantial, mind you-just a little teaser of sorts, for the saga to come. I'm tentatively calling it the Frost Demon Saga, since I'm still debating how much of a role Cooler might play in the story. So, it could stay as the Frost Demon Saga, or it could just be the King Cold Saga. The name will be confirmed once the arc starts going in earnest, which definitely won't be for a while. Still, I hope you all enjoy this little preview, have a fantastic night, and take care!
An ornate shuttle streaked through the light purple skies of the strangely constructed world, a planet speckled with different colored trees and seemingly contained within what resembled a giant wooden box, which was adorned with glowing orbs, large tassels attached to them, and a red circle containing an upside down red triangle along the downward facing side. Several smaller moons and The world was incredibly remote, thousands of light years from both the Frieza Force's territory and the territories under the protection of the Galactic Patrol. The world was D-class, with a permanent population of only five according to the Frieza Force's planetary survey probes. Even factoring in its remote location, it wouldn't have been particularly difficult for the Frieza Force to send someone over to the planet and acquire it: there had simply never been any reason to. There was nothing the planet had that was valuable. It had no unique natural resources, it wasn't located along any significant interstellar trade routes, and its inhabitants were weak and unremarkable. And yet, one particularly interesting rumor eventually came to the attention of King Cold, the current leader of the Frieza Force, only a few days before.
A couple of low-ranking soldiers tasked with monitoring the planet were perplexed as to why a handful of ships were visiting the planet even though it had nothing worth coming all that way for. At first, they had simply written the travellers off as tourists looking to take in the sights the planet had to offer. However, over time, as the number of ships travelling to the planet increased, they began to wonder if something else was going on. They managed to persuade their superior officer to allow them to make the trip to find out what was going on. What they found was unlike anything in the universe: a person named Zuno who, allegedly, was virtually omniscient. The soldiers only got a couple of questions out of him, one being a young woman who wasn't his type and the other being nonbinary, and the large alien didn't seem to stop until each question was exhaustively answered. Still, from what they had managed to gather, it seemed highly unlikely for any being to have such knowledge by natural means. They reported their findings to their superior officer, who idly filed it away for later investigation and reported the investigation up the chain of command. By the time the report crossed King Cold's desk, two weeks had passed since the low-ranked soldiers first embarked on their investigation. He was certainly skeptical of whether such a person could really exist in the world. Then again, the evidence did seem to be mounting in favor of the existence of spherical objects which could alter reality, so really, how far-fetched was an omniscient being? In any event, his personal shuttle was fast enough to make the trip there and back in a mere 3 days, a paltry amount of time to spend if it meant obtaining the information he needed.
Such was how the shuttle came to enter the planet's atmosphere. Rather than bothering to land, the pilot instead lowered the altitude of the shuttle such that a person could exit the ship through the airlock without any complications. A large, purple figure with horns on their head exited shortly thereafter and took off into the sky, while the shuttle then moved to exit the planet's atmosphere. Within seconds, the figure found what they were looking for: a temple with a single walkway leading inside. The walkway was crowded with people, undoubtedly waiting in line for their turn to obtain some of Zuno's wisdom. The figure had no time for that, however, instead landing directly in front of the temple and letting their presence speak for itself. A blob-like alien with no mouth, no limbs, and a single set of perfectly spherical eyes, saw the figure land and spoke up angrily inside their mind.
"Hey, just what do you think you're doing cutting the...the..."
The alien backed up slowly as they recognized the figure: King Cold himself. He looked down at them with contempt, and simply walked past. Several other people in line objected at first, but were quickly silenced. His mere presence was enough to strike fear into their hearts. In less than a minute, he was at the front of the line, just in time for the current customer, a six armed insectoid alien, to have finished asking his question. When he caught sight of King Cold, he practically sprinted out of the room, and King Cold took the time to observe the person he had come to meet: a large, light purple man with big ears, dressed in colorful robes and generally looking completely disinterested in what he was doing.
"Next!" one of Zuno's assistants, almost like a miniature version of his master, called out, and King Cold stepped forward, causing the assistants assembled around Zuno to quake in fear. Zuno himself, however, looked fairly unaffected, although he definitely took note.
"King Cold," he said simply, to which the king nodded. "I had a feeling that you would come here sooner or later. Step forward." He didn't move an inch. Instead, he simply cracked a slight smile, doing his best to sound polite.
"I've heard all about your...procedure here, but that will not be satisfactory. You will answer whatever questions I pose to you in complete detail."
The aides around him began to back up, afraid of what the Frost Demon might do, but Zuno stood his ground, albeit shaken.
"The demands on my time a-are rather formidable," he said. "Surely you can understand that."
King Cold nodded thoughtfully, then simply stood there for a couple seconds, making the others in the room wonder just what he was planning. Then, before any of them could react, he thrust a hand out behind him and sent out a powerful ki blast, one which shot straight through the doorway and enveloped every person who had been standing in line to see Zuno. Not even ashes remained to tell of their presence there just a moment ago. The assistants and their master trembled in fear as King Cold smiled at them expectantly.
"Do I have your undivided attention now?" Zuno nodded hurriedly, causing his smile to widen. "Excellent. First, I'll ask you a simple question, just to confirm that your answers can be trusted." Zuno nodded again. "What is the attendant I have aboard my shuttle doing right now?"
Zuno sat up straight, almost as if he was entering a kind of trance.
"Your attendant is typing at a computer screen, intent upon logging every word that I say into your shuttle's memory banks." The question answered completely, he slouched forward, the trance over.
King Cold nodded. That is indeed precisely what he had instructed Jamba to do, and is why he currently wore a communicator chip in his right ear, thus allowing him to listen in on their conversation from orbit.
"Excellent. Now that that's out of the way..." The king's expression hardened as he looked the large man in the eyes. "Tell me everything you know about the person who killed my son."
Zuno sat up straight again, and seemed to be bracing himself for something.
"The person who killed your son Frieza is a Saiyan man named Son Goku. Born as 'Kakarot' on the Planet Vegeta in Age 737, he is the son of the Saiyans Bardock and Gine, the strongest mortal being in the universe, and is currently traveling to Frieza Planet 001 at this very moment."
King Cold cocked his head before smiling slightly.
"Interesting. Well, more specifically, what-"
"He was placed into an Attack Ball shortly after he was born and sent to the planet Earth by his parents, who were apprehensive about what Frieza intended for Planet Vegeta. There, he was taken in by Son Gohan, a skilled martial artist on that world."
King Cold's expression shifted from pleased to puzzled.
"Alright then. I'll...keep that in mind. Now, why don't you tell me-"
"At first, the child was remarkably aggressive towards his caretaker, but after he accidentally hit his head against a rock, he became far more docile, with none of the Saiyan programming that his Attack Ball had given him."
"I fail to see how this information is remotely useful."
"For years, the old man cared for the child, until eventually he transformed into a Great Ape and nearly killed him. His efforts to stop the boy from transforming again were thwarted, and he perished the next month, leaving the boy to fend for himself."
King Cold looked at the large man for a moment before turning to one of Zuno's assistants, while he continued on.
"Can he hear me?" he asked, to which the assistant nervously responded.
"Y-Yes, he can. Unfortunately, our master interprets things rather literally. It is the primary fault of his abilities."
"Whenever someone asks him a question, he physically cannot stop until he has divulged all knowledge which could possibly be required to answer that question," another assistant continued. "That, plus the sheer traffic we get, is the main reason why he limits his questions so severely."
"Depending on what he's asked, petitioners could be here anywhere from a matter of minutes to a matter of days," a third assistant explained. "That's why we now offer catering."
"And, well...you did ask him to tell you everything," the fourth one finished apologetically, fearing reprisal. For a brief moment, King Cold wondered if keeping these fools alive was even worth it. He sighed. The information this man contained within his mind was far too valuable at the moment. He would simply have to make do. Zuno continued.
"Believing him to be motivated by lecherous tendencies, the young girl lifted up her skirt in order to show the young boy her undergarments."
King Cold groaned loudly, placing his right palm over his eyes.
This was going to take a while. And it was not going to be pleasant.