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DRAGON BALL HARDCORE
RADITZ THE SURVIVOR, part 3
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Frieza was dead, and a Saiyan did it. Cooler is also dead as far as they know. These two beings that once thought of like gods or insurmountable evils just died off relatively in the same week. The universe is free…
Raditz crew & GranolahTM took the news quietly and thoughtfully through lunch. As they discuss what could've possibly happened, Raditz was completely sure it must have been Vegeta, now immortal due to the dragon balls of Earth. With his unchecked power he will become even worse than Frieza and Cooler ever were. Raditz wanted to use the dragon balls in Chirial to undo his immortality, but Granolah points out that they are gone. With Monaito dead they have lost their power and are now just stones. Besides, no one has seen the Saiyan ever since the planet exploded. Granolah doesn't care if it's Vegeta or whoever the hell this super Saiyan might be; if he can kill Frieza, then they need him.
He thanks Cheelai and Lemo for letting him on their ship, and decides to part ways now. Both Frieza and Cooler are done, but of course one last remains. He has to get rid of King Cold. Granolah grew immensely powerful after it all, but he only has 10 years to live at best. He wants to ensure that the evil empire of genocide is destroyed before he's gone. And because of that he decided to join the resistance of planet Eltron. He would invite Raditz, but he knows he will refuse, so he just walks off without another word.
With him gone, Raditz decides it's time for an emergency meeting with his crew.
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He takes them to the rooftop of a building. Cheelai wonders what they are gonna do next, and Raditz explains there isn't a "we" anymore. Raditz doesn't have more orders to give them; they are done. Raditz is no longer a wanted man, he's one of the strongest beings in the universe currently and all of his nemeses are dead. Vegeta is not their problem and they can't help him with it. He allows Cheelai and Lemo to move on with their lives now, and also keep all of the hundreds of thousands of credits that they earned from the Heeters, as well as Broly to protect them. That should be enough to cover their services to him.
And so Raditz flies away before Cheelai could argue with him.
She felt empty. Though she's as rich as she ever wanted, she feels as aimless as Raditz does. Just like Elec once realized, all that fortune was worthless in a galaxy so cruel. An endless cycle of betrayal, revenge and dominance… For now she decided to take Lemo and Broly for drinks.
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The girl was getting more and more plastered, but it didn't make the thoughts go away. She went around Yardrat with her friends, doing and buying all sorts of things that she always wanted. But after all she saw… it doesn't bring her the fulfillment she thought. Is that really all their life could be?
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It might be the stupidest thing she ever thought of, admittedly out of character, but she wanted to go along Granolah. She wanted to join the resistance.
Cheelai lived her entire life being a criminal along with Lemo. She believed there was no point in being a hero in a universe like this. All she could do is keep the people she cared for alive and make a quick buck with her smarts. But now things are changing. Things are not as hopeless as she once thought. There are people with the power to make a difference. It reminded her of a mission that she had long abandoned.
22 years ago on planet Eltron, Lemo was just doing his usual transporting job when he was approached by a green couple. They knew their daughter was weak and wouldn't survive the kind of life that Eltron demanded, and so they asked the transporter to take the child somewhere far away so that she could be free. Lemo couldn't find a home for the girl but he did the second best thing, and taught her how to work electronics and computers so she could gain citizenship as his fixer. Young Cheelai always wanted to one day return and free the people of Eltron, but it all seemed impossible.
All these adventures in this past year have shown her otherwise. There are people strong enough to fight the overwhelming odds. They had a good thing going, they are knee deep into it all. It couldn't just end like this. She convinced Lemo and Broly to come along, but first she needed to try one last thing before they left.
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Lemo managed to track down Raditz using a Scouter. The Saiyan found refuge in one of the few wastelands that the planet had left. Cheelai explains to him what she is going to do, and begs Raditz to come along and help them. Naturally Raditz scoffs her plan as idiotic; a suicidal fool's idea for how weak she is. Raditz was still selfish and he couldn't see himself fighting over a cause other than his own. Cheelai points out he has no cause or goals, that he is just a super powerful bum that is afraid. She didn't know why, but it seemed like Raditz was afraid that his life would change for the better. That maybe his life isn't defined by violence, or that he has friends that like him.
Raditz gets angry and demands them to leave if they don't want to die. She wasn't shaken by his empty threats anymore. She doesn't know what goes in his head, but she has hope he will change his mind eventually. She hands over a transmitter, saying that he should call her once he makes up his mind. And so the three say their farewell for now and blast off in Lemo's ship.
The trio soon find Granolah again, who was happy to see them coming along. They will travel to the center of the universe; planet Eltron. It was time to make true change.
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Raditz was left to sit in a cave for weeks, completely alone. He would try to reach within memories and ideas, looking for something to do next. There was nothing. There never was. He thought of his brother, and how Kakarot went so far as to sacrifice himself for all of those Earthlings. What was going through his mind that day? What could've happened to him in those 24 years that made him so different to Raditz? Kakarot wasn't just surviving. He found something more; something that he judged worth dying for.
In one of his nightly staring competitions against the campfire, Raditz was approached by someone. He recognized the scent.
"What's up, Shabby"
It was Mamoto. It has been just two months since Raditz last saw her, but he could feel that she was different. She now wore a new strange armor and she was a bit stronger than she was before. Mamoto admits she freaked out when she felt Raditz ki signature again, and that he grew so stupidly powerful compared to last time. She decided to sit along with him for a while.
She came here looking for work as a mercenary but ended up finding someone to learn from, and she understood something since then. Mamoto wanted nothing but power, but now she understands the true nature of it. Strength comes in many different ways and goes way beyond mere fists. All that time with her gang she was even weaker than she imagined; they were all cowards with nothing beside greed and lust. She has been working hard to become strong in every way there is. Maybe then she'll feel truly free.
Eventually she tells Raditz to follow her.
The two fly off to the colder parts of the planet and the tall mountains. Raditz was complaining the entire way until he felt an intense energy, and saw someone sitting there in deep meditation. He seemed to also feel the two approaching and turned around.
Spiky hair, dressed in the same armor as Mamoto. His mother's eyes make him look so innocent despite being a Saiyan.
Kakarot, also known as Son Goku.
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Despite their last encounter Goku was weirdly nonchalant when faced with his brother, but Raditz was shocked. He couldn't fathom what kind of events brought Kakarot here; he thought Vegeta blew up planet Earth and now he became a space nomad. It wasn't the case at all, and Goku proceeded to explain that he and his friends managed to defeat Nappa and Vegeta, sending him back with his tail between his legs. It was unbelievable to think Kakarot grew equally as strong as Raditz over this past year, and defeated Vegeta on top of that. It was a hell of a year for both of them.
Raditz went on to explain that sparing Vegeta was a horrible mistake. That he went to Namek, became immortal and killed Frieza- damn it, Kakarot must not even know who Frieza is.
Raditz was way over his head, and so Goku explained to him all that happened in Namek. Raditz looked directly into Goku's eyes. He wasn't lying.
The Super Saiyan that everyone in the galaxy was talking about… is Kakarot?! To people outside of the Saiyan royal family, the Super Saiyan was nothing more than a fable used to teach their young to be brave in battle.
Mamoto explained that he crashed into Yardrat a few weeks ago. She felt his enormous ki and went to check from afar. She was surprised above all else by Goku's uncanny likeness to her father, Turles. From there she decided to take him along to her master so he could stay with them. Goku was surprised to actually meet a nice Saiyan lady, but then Raditz explained that Kakarot is his brother and Mamoto was their cousin; which both of them had no idea until now. It was a long story.
Essentially, Goku and his friends managed to defeat Frieza. But when Raditz demanded to know how, and ordered his brother to show him the Super Saiyan power, Goku looked shaken up and started feeling a headache. He was having an anxiety attack; mumbling curses and repeating the name "Krillin" over and over. Both Raditz and Mamoto could feel energy building out of him, he was about to blow.
Suddenly someone appeared beside Goku; a short little blue guy with a big round head and two small pointy ears. He used some sort of technique to calm down Goku, and knocked him out for a brief period.
That little guy was master Pybara, one of the greatest and oldest martial arts masters in the universe, though he's not known at all. He explains that Goku accidentally realized an ancient magic prophecy, and thus he was cursed with some sort of demonic power that comes out in moments of intense anger. He has been training ever since he arrived to suppress it, but memories of what happened on planet Namek seem to be causing him difficulty.
It was getting late so they decided to all sleep for the night. Pybara welcomed Raditz to stay with them since he does not have anywhere else to go. While they are at it, Pybara is very much intrigued to know the story of how he got this strong. Raditz was unsure but also very curious. He needed to see where this story ends, and if his brother is really the Super Saiyan..
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For the time being Goku would train under Pybara to keep the power of the Super Saiyan under control, and also desperately looking for someone who might know the way back home. Raditz had no idea about the exact way there; he always relied on autopilot to travel between planets. Frieza's forces seem to have left the planet so there aren't any other pods for them to take. Pybara knew of a technique that could help Goku move around really fast; the Instant Transmission.
The four spent a good few months together. Goku saw that even after a year of pure training and fighting, Raditz was still three times stronger than him. He wanted to spar constantly despite Raditz being mean to him. "Training" was not a common concept in the universe outside of Earth. Most assumed a nihilistic idea of power, and so few ever thought of achieving way past the limits of their race. Raditz felt like it was stupid, but he decided to train with Goku regardless. Pybara managed to lecture Raditz in a lot of lessons about spiritualism, and the knowledge allowed Raditz and Mamoto's training to be more efficient than it ever was. Mamoto herself was the weakest of the three and was in a rush to catch up; Goku tutoring her methodically while Raditz just beat her up to a pulp, knowing it will make her stronger.
It took months for Goku to master the Instant Transmission. However, it ended up not helping at all. He can only teleport to ki signatures that he can feel or recognize, and his friends are literally a galaxy away from him. Maybe if Piccolo let out all of his power it could've worked, but he hasn't done that yet. Strangely, he could indeed recognize a ki, so he teleported and accidentally left the dimension of the living. Somehow he found himself in King Kai's home. His planet seemed to exist between the boundaries of heaven and hell, so Goku could still get there with his new technique. It was an insane discovery but also useless. King Kai couldn't help or contact Goku because his power didn't work outside of the North Galaxy. He was essentially on his own until he managed to find a ship.
All four of them were poor as dirt and couldn't afford travel between galaxies. Raditz could easily take over a ship for them, but Goku didn't want to steal anything. He was forced to use his last resort. He picked up the transmitter that Cheelai gave him months ago. He sends a message saying that he needs Lemo to come and pick up a special passenger and take him away to North Galaxy; he's with the "super saiyan" or at least what's left of him.
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A few weeks later a ship arrived, but it wasn't Lemo. Instead it turned out to be Granolah and a few other soldiers. They read Goku's power through the Scouter and were not impressed. Granolah went ahead and told him anyway, though he doesn't even have a tail he believes that Goku is the super Saiyan that escaped the destruction of Namek.
In any other occasion he would gladly help Goku find his home planet, but they need him for one last thing. It might come as a shock, but Frieza has a father. Someone who's believed to be as strong if not stronger than him. If Goku had the power to kill Frieza then he certainly has the power to finish the job. Granolah begs Goku to help them, and so he accepts. Pybara says his goodbyes to two students & RaditzTM, and so they all depart with Granolah's forces to planet Eltron.
Raditz didn't really want to come to fight Cold, he just wanted to see if his little brother was truly the legendary Super Saiyan.
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The planet itself was horrifying to look at; it didn't even look like a planet. It looked like a cube instead of a sphere, gigantic. It was all perfect but also menacing. The planet had a massive sun, but nothing was seen of it since gigantic plates absorb its energy and block its light. They had to sneak inside the planet through a huge line of cargo ships going in and out. Granolah's connections allowed them to slip by security. The planet was one massive city with many layers, and every road looked exactly the same. Billions of alien people of adequate stature walk in a perfect line on the way to their jobs; all looked lifeless and sick. The planet operated by perfect clockwork. It was the richest, biggest and most populated planet in the universe. It was perfect, but its perfection came with a very clear cost of livelihood.
The resistance base was actually in the small sewers of the planet. There Goku met a lot of strange new allies who wanted to change the universe despite their weak stature. At last Raditz reunited with Cheelai, Lemo and Broly; they were glad to see him but he was eternally mopey as always. Raditz shows Broly to Kakarot and Mamoto, and so the last four Saiyans in the entire universe are finally together. Broly and Goku immediately become friends for being equally dumb, and Mamoto cringes at the thought of all Saiyan being either pricks like Raditz or idiots like those two right there.
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Granolah was the leader of the resistance at that point, and so he laid out their plan.
Goku is currently the only one who could hope to defeat Cold in battle. He has access to all planets in the universe in the empire's database; he is bound to know where Earth is. Cold must be very angry that Frieza and Cooler were reported dead, rumors telling both died at the hands of the Super Saiyan. But no one in Eltron knows that yet, since information is kept very minimal to the population. If they make everyone realize that Cold is not the strongest in the universe, he will be forced to retaliate to preserve the image of his empire. Raditz argues that he will just kill everyone who thinks lowly of him, but Granolah assures that isn't the case. Cold is ruthless but he's not a maniac like Frieza; he rather keeps everything in check and comformed rather than destroying what he doesn't like. Even so, they will have to turn the entire planet against him. Then they will reveal the Saiyan resides on planet Earth, Cold will find the planet and then go there for payback. Goku will follow them, arrive on Earth, kill Cold there and send confirmation back. They have to start right away.
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It all began with the resistance spreading the rumors: "The Super Saiyan from Earth will destroy the empire." Next they began targeting the planet's factories; the source of all materials and technology in the entire universe. Cold's special forces and elite soldiers were being beaten in the blink of an eye. Cheelai managed to invent a trinket that bugged out Scouters signals, so then their high power levels couldn't be tracked. That turned out to be instrumental to their missions. The Saiyans and Granolah would go sector to sector destroying key places and defeating powerful generals of Cold's forces.
Billions of people would be out of work and soldiers would be demotivated, and without work they would start thinking again. This powerful, millennium long empire seems to be crumbling before their eyes, and for the first time they feel hope. The rumors about the Super Saiyan were stronger than ever before.
However, the super Saiyan that they promised was failing to show. Goku could not awaken its power yet, and Granolah was getting worried.
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Cold was furious. Not because his sons were dead but more so that their war is over, and for some reason his subjects are starting to rebel. His top soldiers were being destroyed as if they were nothing and his factories were being desecrated. This damned resistance was just a bug before and now they seem to actually hold power against him. Everything was turning worse for him day by day.
When all your allies failed you, it was time to hire new ones. Cold summoned the greatest assassin in the universe to his immense throne room, and promised infinite riches if he managed to kill the resistance and bring their heads to him.
That mercenary was the infamous Hit. A man said to kill faster than light.
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Hit proceeded to kill resistance members one by one, all over the planet. Their forces were dwindling, and they couldn't fight back against the instant death that Hit bestowed upon them. They were spread around the planet, and that made them weak. Granolah knew it was only a matter of time before Hit came after him. Five seconds after he thought that, Hit infiltrated the hideout.
The assassin didn't have any words to say, so they just started fighting. Granolah was tough enough to not die in a single strike like the others, but even with his perfect super vision and slow motion he couldn't see Hit's movements. He was actually teleporting. Granolah was about to die when Raditz and Goku showed up to save him.
Raditz tells Hit that he will kill him if they fight, but Kakarot is so much of an idiot that he might actually let Hit leave if he wins. He tells he is the super Saiyan, and Hit instantly decides to kill Goku first. Granolah cursed Raditz for not fighting together with his brother, but Raditz states that if Kakarot loses to an enemy this pathetic then he deserves to die. It is now or never, he will have to prove to both of them that he is the Super Saiyan. Goku accepted the challenge and prepared to fight.
Granolah explained Hit's abilities from the back line, and together they figured that he is a psychic and is using time-stopping powers. Goku had no chance in defeating a man with such power, and he was just getting murdered despite his strategies. Raditz said that if Goku fails to kill him then everyone else is going to die. He told his brother to stop suppressing this rage and embrace it. This self hatred for his mistake will drive him to a new level.
And so Goku stopped. He remembered that feeling again. The feeling of being powerless to save his best friend, and the absolute rage that came afterwards. Krillin's last words ringed in his mind, and that awakened something within.
The two behind him watched in shock as Goku's energy kept building up and his hair turned bright blond as it exploded. His menacing green eyes showed deep hatred, and his energy felt different than usual.
Goku proceeded to destroy Hit, moving and attacking faster than Hit could stop time. The battle ended rather gruesomely for Goku's taste, as Hit felt immense pride for his ability. He tried to overuse his time-stopping technique to kill Goku, and as result his head exploded from the strain he put on himself. Goku undid his transformation and took a deep breath.
He finally mastered the Super Saiyan.
Raditz saw with his own two eyes now. His brother realized the legend, and indeed was the one who killed Frieza. He was smiling, which surprised Granolah. He held no envy for his brother at that moment, only pride. Cold's days are numbered.
…
They delivered Hit's body in front of Cold's gates, and that seemed to do the trick. Cold saw his pathetic paws revolting and claiming that he will be defeated; that the empire that he held since birth will be abolished and he will be killed. For a second he almost considered blowing up Eltron. But the planet was his Magnum Opus; the symbol of everything he achieved and built for the last thousand years of life. He wanted it back the way it was, and so he decided to take matters into his own hands.
He and his counselor Kikono went into a gigantic plateau in front of the castle, and so he made a huge speech about all his accomplishments and how the people are betraying him after all he has done for them. He decided that he will kill hope from its roots. Tomorrow he will be leaving for this Planet Earth, and he will bring the Super Saiyan's head. That should get rid of any doubt that he is the strongest in the universe. Now it was time for Goku to get himself together.
The resistance was pretty dark and serious, but for once they decided to throw a little party to say goodbye to Goku. Cheelai and Lemo tried to replicate his favorite foods from Earth but it didn't work quite as intended. Goku, Mamoto and Broly ended up having a food competition, which unsurprisingly made everyone disgusted. It might be the strangest thing Lemo saw all his life, but he could've swore Raditz was laughing for a second.
For that one second, Raditz was happy.
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Once everyone got tired and were all sleeping around the floor in a drunken stupor, Raditz managed to catch Goku doing a nightly practice. They tried to make up for their rocky past.
"We had a bad first impression back on Earth, didn't we?" Goku said.
"We were enemies and now we are not, it's as simple as that. Saiyans don't get emotionally attached in the same way other races do. Battle is our one and true desire. Our bonds are built on respect. Family and friends are cherished through competition. Maybe that way we really are brothers." Raditz said.
"That… explains a lot."
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"You know Kakarot, I don't know what our parents would say about the kind of life you decided to live… But our father would be proud of how strong you become. Your existence proves that he was right; that weakness is not our fate, but something that we had to overcome."
"I guess they would also be proud of you then."
"Hmph! As if I care."
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"Our parents… what were they like?" asked Goku.
"Bardock was a proud Saiyan warrior. He lusted for power and respect his entire life, but in the end he died like all other Saiyans. At least I hope he died fighting to the very end; it suits him. As for our mother, Gine… she must have hit her head when she was young as well, because she reminds me way too much of you."
"I wish I got to see how they looked."
"Look no further than a mirror, Kakarot. Now go get some shut eyes."
Raditz walked away to the dormitories of the hideout and left Goku alone. He never expected there was so much to his life that he never knew about. Parents, a brother, a cousin… It was nice being with them. But even now Goku reminds himself of his friends and family back on Earth. He let them wait for far too long.
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The next day Goku said his goodbyes to his new friends as Cheelai worked on the untraceable solo traveling pod. Granolah told him what to do after he defeated Cold and wished Goku good luck. He promised that if planet Earth ever were in danger, they would answer his call in a heartbeat as a way of repayment. Goku gave one last handshake to his older brother before entering the pod and shooting off into the dark sky of Eltron. He will follow right behind Cold's fleet, and they should arrive within two months.
All they can do is wait.
In the meantime some of them continued to train and reach new levels to their powers. Broly wanted to train as well because he barely knew a thing about fighting. Though Mamoto and Raditz tried to teach him, he was like a train wreck. They would eventually have to cut the session short because Broly couldn't contain his rage.
Cheelai felt bad for him. He was trying so hard but this whole situation was not his problem. Broly didn't have a grasp of anything that was happening around him, but he was still absolutely loyal to them. Above all else he feared hurting them again because the voices keep running through his mind, and he loses control. Cheelai knows he will never do that; he just needs to remember what he is fighting for. She promises that after they are done, Cheelai is gonna find a new home where he can live in peace. Broly hugs her so tightly that she almost snaps in two.
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In due time, the expected day of Cold's return was at hand. They have no doubt Goku destroyed him, so they expected the defeated fleet to come running in fear. The civil unrest was unstoppable. The factories have been rebuilt but the people refused to return to work yet, no matter how much suffering the soldiers caused them. Granolah and the others were there to smash some heads and help the people struggling. Soon enough it was time for the empire to answer.
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Their fleet landed on the plateau once more, without any rush. About 10 billion people both present and on television watched on as the main ship opened its doors to reveal… King Cold, in one piece. Kikono was following right behind him with some sort of box. Instantly everyone lost their voice and delved into fear.
This time Kikono made the speech, and announced that the Super Saiyan was effortlessly defeated by King Cold in mere seconds. He then proceeded to open the box he was carrying and let it fall to the floor.
It was none other than Goku's head.
The resistance hiding among the crowd had their eyes wide open. It couldn't be. Kikono began announcing all the new laws and punishments in place for the people who refused to work, and all of the sudden the empire had won. Everyone gave up and looked down in shame. Goku's pod is yet to return with the piece of his armor, they didn't know what to do.
The resistance had lost.
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But someone wasn't having that shit. Granolah flew up from the crowd and was immediately spotted by all the elite soldiers. They rushed to kill him but Raditz and the others protected him. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Raditz shouted.
Granolah then approached the plateau and landed. He refused to believe Goku lost to the likes of Cold, especially after what he saw. He was willing to bet everything on that. He pointed his two fingers to Cold. The expression that the king had was of fear. Granolah fired his death ray right through Cold's chest.
It wasn't Cold at all; it was some sort of shape-shifted alien paid to act as Cold. He unveiled his true form and then fell dead to the floor. Kikono was in absolute shock. Granolah walked over to Goku's head and stepped on it, revealing it to be a synthetic copy with an iron skull. Kikono's plot has been exposed, and so the entire population screams for the truth. Granolah proclaimed what he had no doubt of.
King Cold was dead. Killed by the legendary Super Saiyan.
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Billions of shouts of sheer joy echoed throughout planet Eltron. Kikono ordered his troops to retaliate but they didn't listen. The empire was done. The soldiers toss off their scouters and armor, accepting that change has finally come. After 1000 years of servitude, pointless war and death, the universe can finally be at peace.
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"I've won… Just as planned."
From the dark clouds that surround planet Eltron emerged a ship that was familiar to the Raditz crew. It fired laser blasts that exploded Cold's ship out of the plateau so they could land. The destruction made people start running for their lives. In a short time only Granolah, Broly, Mamoto and Raditz stood face to face with the newcomers.
Out of the ship appears the last person they could think of.
Cooler, now the sole emperor of the universe.
They thought this was impossible. They watched him get killed by Gas and felt his energy disappear. Cooler explained how it was all a plot from the very beginning in order to rise into power. Gas severely wounded Cooler but didn't manage to kill him. He soon learned from Zuno that Frieza had been killed by the Super Saiyan. Though Cooler lost the chance to kill his little brother, an opportunity was born from that as he played into his own death and waited for the moment to strike. He knew it was only a matter of time before the Super Saiyan came to kill his father. He kept himself updated with Zuno's omniscience, and followed Cold's fleet all the way to Earth to witness his father being murdered by Goku. He held no grudge, and simply left knowing Goku won't be a problem anymore now that he is finally home and unaware of the universe outside.
Now he's here, ready to take the throne that he sought after for 100 years.
Of course, first he needs to kill these miserable rats and monkeys.
Raditz wasn't worried however, since after all this time and training he's sure to be able to take on Cooler and kill him. Little did he know, Cooler also knows the secrets of training. Zuno was Cooler's most important asset, because he revealed things that made Cooler stronger than Frieza and Cold. He was willing to fight, but for now it seemed like a good idea to let his new weapon do the trick.
Zuno knew the secrets of many magical things in the universe, and one surely interested Cooler. The Gete Star was a form of intelligent organism that could create powerful weapons of metal once given enough energy. Cooler used it mostly to create battle androids like 73 and others, but recent developments showed it could do much more.
Cooler gave himself to feed the Gete Star, and the organism produced perfect metal clones of himself using his energy. He has no need of lowly soldiers anymore.
And so more than a hundred clones of Cooler in his first form exited his gigantic ship, all silver-like with red eyes. Raditz couldn't feel energy coming from them, but they must be strong. Cooler told his clone army their first orders:
"I absolutely despise the sight of this planet! My father was a fool and an idiot that deserves to be forgotten for his stupidity! Destroy everything and everyone so we can start from scratch. GO!"
Some of Cooler's metal clones scattered around the city and began unloading destruction to whoever they could find. The people were being killed indiscriminately, and the situation quickly escalated a hundredfold. Cooler stood in his 4th form with Salza and Dore to watch the onslaught. Granolah quickly made a plan. He would kill the metal clones as fast as he could while the Saiyan Trio would take on Cooler. Sounded good to them, and so they split.
They would instantly start fighting Cooler together but Mamoto and Broly are jumped by Salza and Dore, who are surprisingly powerful for having been Cooler's personal training buddies. Raditz would have to fight Cooler alone for now, and he was excited. That will make up for him not having the chance to rip off Frieza's god damn head himself.
…
Granolah was slowly but surely taking out the clones with his sniper shots. Eventually they all saw him as a powerful threat and decided to gang up against him. Broly and Mamato were being surrounded by dozens of the Clones plus Salza and Dore. Everyone was fighting left and right and causing destruction where they went. It seemed like the people of Eltron and the Resistance were being slowly destroyed. But there were two non-fighters who still wanted to do something. Cheelai and Lemo returned to their ship and were sending people away from the battle. It didn't take long for Lemo to pick up a powerful signal on the ship's radar.
Something was orbiting Eltron in close proximity, and it turned out to be the Gete Star Cooler spoke of. Apparently it needed to be in range for the clones to function. Cheelai figured since they have the ship it's up to them to turn it off. She war raring to go, but then Lemo said:
"I know you are, that's why you're MY fixer… But this trip only needs one passenger!"
Lemo quickly shoved Cheelai out the back door and closed the gate. She started banging on the door to let her in, but he stuffed his ears with sweet music and blasted off into space.
"LEMO!"
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The man went into a single assault to the giant moon of metal. The organism seemed capable of defending itself, creating weapons on the spot to shoot Lemo down. However he was a very good driver, and evaded everything the star threw at him. Its surface was full of holes, but every time he approached they would close themselves off. Eventually he managed to burst through, severely damaging the window which is soon to break. Lemo didn't have much time.
Cheelai managed to call him one last time through the monitor.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
"Goodness sake kid, can't you just let me be this one time? I've been a lowly driver my whole life, at least let me die a hero, okay?" Lemo said.
Cheelai already began to cry herself out. "We are so close to being free! Why do you gotta do me like this?! What the hell am I gonna do without you, old fart?!
"Whatever you want, kid. Whatever you want. And hey, if you don't forget me in a few years, let's go have a drink someday in the other world. How about it?"
"I don't want you to die…"
"Me neither, but if someone's gotta go, it better be me. Have a good life kid."
The communicators finally gave out. The ship was sure to break in a minute. But even so Lemo managed to manually drive his way into the star's core. It held a shiny reactor of pure energy that was connected by the room and ceiling. He was flying at max velocity straight towards it.
Who would've thought that his last delivery would be 100 tons of highly-explosive, solid super fuel right into heaven. What a way to go.
…
…
All the warriors saw the Gete Star explode from the inside out like immense fireworks. Red light shone upon all of them as they looked up. Cooler was absolutely pissed; who could've done such a thing?! Raditz felt that Lemo's weak energy was no longer with them. From the ground Cheelai just fell to her knees and kept crying for entire minutes. All bad things considered, that old pervert was the closest thing she had to father. His sacrifice wasn't worthless, as all of the clones die off at the same time, turning into platinum goo.
Granolah could feel what Lemo had done. He doesn't know if he will survive this next fight, so he will save his thanks for when he gets to the other world.
…
As Raditz kept fighting in almost equal terms to Cooler, Broly was forced to face Salza in battle. Though he is many times more skilled than when he fought Gas, Salza knew all sorts of techniques to maintain his advantage. He had a technique in which a sword of pure ki popped out of his arm, and Broly was getting slashed several times. He began going insane as he often does in his battles. Salza feared he was turning into his great ape form, so he quickly appeared behind Broly and slashed off his tail.
Salza thought that would make him less powerful but ended up having the exact opposite effect. Broly seemed to completely lose his murdering frenzy, and the voices in his mind stopped. It was all because of the tail all along. Now he could fight Salza with absolute focus, and he wasn't getting weaker. He briefly was capable of reuniting with Mamoto, and the two used their combined might to kill off Salza and Dore.
Granolah now returned after the metal Cooler clones were finished, and now the three can finally aid Raditz. Cooler was much more skilled in fighting than Frieza ever was, but now with the friends fighting together the battle became much easier.
Broly, Raditz and Granolah fighting together managed to make Cooler drop his guard. While they fought, Mamoto went ahead and used the technique Raditz taught her; the fake moon technique of the Saiyan race. She tossed the ball to the sky, and became a great Oozaru. In her giant super-powered form she managed to jump behind Cooler and squeeze him in her palms. She held him tightly and told Raditz to finish the job.
Raditz knew Cooler was stronger than them individually, he had to reach a power greater than his own to kill the bastard. He remembered the words of his brother's Kakarot, and so he began reuniting all of his energy into a single point; even copying his stance of the Kamehameha. With all this power in a single point the blast's power would be doubled.
And so Mamoto gathers her remaining strength and tosses Cooler to the sky, and so Raditz fires at him. The blast was quick and almost Caught Cooler by surprise. He started pushing it back with his hand. Soon enough he would be able to throw it back at Raditz, but he didn't get the chance to. The group acted together.
Granolah immediately held energy into his finger and took a stance as if he was drawing the string of a bow of ki. He fired his blast that aided Raditz in the struggle. Soon enough Mamoto fired a powerful mouth blast to help. Broly wasn't much of a ranged combatant and that was the first time he was going to try an energy blast. Needless to say he released the most powerful energy out of the four in his very first attempt.
Cooler had no hope in bouncing back all this combined power. He kept being pushed back more and more until he could fight it. He was consumed by the light, and its force pushed him all the way into space… where it disappeared.
…
…
Everyone kept staring into the sky until the silence lasted minutes. Their struggle made the dark clouds of Eltron even darker. Mamoto undoes her fake moon and reverts back to her normal body so she wouldn't run out of energy. She didn't realize she was naked until Granolah threw her a hooded cloak. Everyone felt exhausted, and the people soon came out of their hiding to see the conclusion of the fight.
The Resistance defeated Cooler.
Most laughed in relief. It was pretty comical how fast it all came and went. The squad felt like taking a nap and waking up from a long nightmare. But it was all reality; they actually defeated Cooler. The universe was free at last.
…
…
…
…
"No more games."
The four immediately felt the energy rising up into the skies, causing the clouds to twirl into a vortex. An absolute unstoppable power was brewing in the sky. Suddenly there was a blinding light… and a new form had been unleashed. Granolah screamed in anger but he was quickly silenced. A beam of purple light shot out from the clouds and hit him straight through the chest; faster than light. He fell to the ground already bleeding, and the others watched as Cooler emerged from the clouds.
He has reached his ultimate form, one that not even Cold or Frienza knew there was. He was able to reach it through training and Zuno's teachings, and it brought him ultimate power. He was bigger, bulkier, wearing a mask that only showed red eyes inside it. The ultimate life form of this universe has been awakened.
Cooler effortlessly shot down Mamoto and Raditz in the same way he did Granolah, leaving only Broly standing. He tried to fight Cooler in absolute rage, but his fists did nothing. Broly's rage brought him power but now it wasn't enough. Cooler slapped him around for minutes until he was on the floor, practically torturing Broly. Raditz got up to fight one final time despite his fatal wound. All his punches were dodged, just like any futile attempt by the others.
Broly was trying to focus and get back into the fight, but he had no energy left. He was done. He couldn't protect the friends he made; the only friends he ever made. The people who taught him what being happy even is. But at that moment, he felt someone pulling on his arm. Cheelai had arrived on the battlefield, and was trying to drag Broly away so he could regrow his forces. He was simply too heavy for her, but she didn't stop trying.
Eventually Raditz just dropped to the floor, too weakened to even stand still. Cooler now had full attention on the green girl and Broly. She drew a gauntlet blaster and fired at Cooler but it didn't even tickle him. He broke the gun with a wave of Kiai and proceeded to charge ki ball. Cheelai simply watched in shock as the energy wave came towards her.
Broly suddenly got up and stood in front of the blast by instinct.
…
It exploded right into his face and sent the two flying back from the smoke. Cheelai was obviously frail compared to the rest; just the shock messed her up. She was bleeding pink from her head and felt like her legs were broken. She looked lifeless from a far, prompting Broly to run by her side.
He tried calling for her, but she was clearly losing consciousness. She was smiling when she looked at Broly. She managed to squeeze out a few words before she was done.
"It would be a good time… to get mad… dummy."
Her head falls back as she loses her grip. Her pink blood slowly starts to spread on the ground. Broly's face was of empty shock. He couldn't think, he couldn't even begin to think of a plan. There were never any thoughts in his head…
Thunderous noise echoed in the skies above, and soon it started to rain. Cooler allowed him to see her die for no other reason than to increase Broly's suffering. They have no chance against him, not without the legendary Super Saiyan gone. It was time to finish off the last person still in his way. He was the biggest simpleton between all these monkeys. He asked Broly, "Do you even understand why you must suffer?"
Broly only looked down to Cheelai. His response was strange. "Why did you do this… What has she done to you?… She did nothing wrong… Why did she… have to suffer?"
…
"She made her choice. She would've lived if she chose differently. Same as the four of you. You should be proud of how strong you became… I simply cannot allow you to live any longer because of your power."
"I see…"
…
…
…
…
"Power…"
Lightning bolts started raining down from the skies above. They were getting intense and louder. The prophecy has been fulfilled a third time. A good saiyan cursed with murderous hatred.
From the inside of Cooler's ship, Zuno was just sitting in his chair. As long as it happens, he knows it happened; he doesn't need to see the fight. But for the first time in a long while, he has been presented with completely new information.
"huh… who would've thought that even a half-Saiyan… can realize the prophecy."
…
…
Broly's eyes white out as he loses control of himself. His muscles were bulging and the planet itself was shaking. Cooler could feel the power emerging, an energy of demonic nature. He tried firing a death beam at Broly out of shock, but it simply bounced off him. The golden energy surged from within and surrounded him. He didn't know what was happening but he was in great pain, and so he screamed into the skies. His long hair started to spike up with the wind until it turned into a bright golden color.
The light emanating from his ki was enough to illuminate the entire sector of the planet. Broly had done it. He became the legendary Super Saiyan.
Cooler never thought there could be two. The thought never even crossed his mind. Not even Zuno knew; it never happened before. There was the first, Yamoshi; a few centuries later the second, Son Goku; and now barely a year after that, Broly.
The hulking Saiyan with absolute fury in his face was walking towards Cooler menacingly. Cooler immediately fired a shower of death beams at him, and they barely left a scratch. Broly suddenly appeared before him and grabbed his face. Cooler punched and kicked Broly but he didn't react to the pain. He held Cooler upwards and then slammed him through the ground with all his power.
They kept bursting through the many floors below, a hundred of them in fact, until he reached the actual ground of planet Eltron. He kept slamming Cooler again and again until they burrowed through the planet itself as if it was water.
The inside of Eltron was hollow. Completely dry of life due to a millennium of its resources being drained. The core of the planet was empty. It was the perfect place for the absolute destruction of this battle. Cooler knew he couldn't mess around any longer, and he charged up to the absolute maximum capacity of this form. The odds were even.
…
…
As the fight below began, people all over the planet could feel the ground shake from the encounter of their punches. Raditz, Granolah, Cheelai and Mamoto were all slowly bleeding out into the floor. Mamoto was still conscious and was trying to drag these idiots into the nearest healing pod, but it wasn't necessary.
To her surprise, her master Pybara arrived with the Instant Transmission. He was able to feel Broly's ki all the way in Yardrat and came to help them. Goku's pod had arrived with his shoulder pad inside to signal his victory, but they were way past that point now. Pybara starts using his power to slightly heal Raditz, Mamoto and Cheelai from death; Granolah refusing since he isn't that much of a priority.
Reality was being broken by that battle. The light emanating from them was enough to cast away the shadows of the hollow planet. Broly was being an absolute beast; a god of violence. Cooler had many strange techniques but none seemed to work. Strategy didn't get him any far either. His best shot at killing Broly was exploiting his stupidity. He blasted off back to the surface with the intention of kicking Broly into space, where he would die.
Didn't work that well. It turned out Broly wasn't completely out of his mind. As he calmed down and reminded himself of what he was fighting for, his style changed. His eyes gained color again, an emerald green stare. Broly wouldn't fall for his trickery. His friends might be dying so he won't waste a single more second with Cooler.
Broly continued to utterly and completely destroy Cooler in combat, even going so far as to rip out his tail. Cooler was getting absolutely pissed; you could feel it in his voice. The same pride that runs into Frieza and Cold's blood is now warping his view. He couldn't believe this was happening; that this is the reality. He tried so hard, he studied and researched, he planned for years if not decades… and yet it all didn't matter. He was going to lose as pathetically as his stupid brother and worthless father.
But no… he was smarter than that. All he needs to do is get rid of Eltron. No oxygen, no planet, no friends; Broly will be left completely powerless. He challenges the stupid Saiyan with one last show, promising this will be the end.
Broly simply watched as Cooler gathered every single bit of energy into his entire body to create a death ball. The ultimate death ball; a Supernova. He was ready to chuck all of his power towards Broly, and he was ready to punch it off to prove how pathetic Cooler is.
But at the last second, Cooler turned down.
He threw the Supernova straight towards Eltron.
Broly realized it way too late, but he tried to stop it. The ball was going extremely fast but even so Broly caught up with it. He raised his arms to stop it but the energy was way more intense and powerful than he thought. He was being pushed back to the ground. Everyone was praying on their hands and knees as the red light pierced through the clouds and slowly descended down upon them. Death was a few meters from the floor.
Broly's arms were burning; his muscles were about to explode. He touched the ground with his feet and made up his mind that this Supernova was not going a single inch closer. Cooler continued pressing it down with all his might but they remained on that stalemate. The pain was near unbearable for Broly but still he kept holding on.
His friends woke up from near death only to see the conclusion. Cheelai tried to get up and help him but Pybara stopped her, saying that even approaching that struggle will turn her into dust. Pybara could do one last thing though. As they all held onto his arms and legs, he used a technique to send their collective energy directly into Broly. The only thing they had left to help now were words.
"Broly… I hate that it has to be you, but we have no one else. All that matters is this one final push. I wish I could've taught you better but now we have no time. Focus all that you have and unleash it at once! You can do it!" Said Granolah.
"Come on, big guy! Don't think about what's gonna happen if you fail, because that is not gonna happen anyway! What you have here with this crew is special. Never mind what it takes, you have to protect it at all costs!" said Mamoto.
"Broly you foolish imbecile, this is the last time I trust you for anything! I do not allow you to die now! You're a Saiyan, and if it's either to live or die, it's time to act like one! Continue fighting on, until you don't have a single inch of your life to spare!" said Raditz.
"SHUT YOUR WORTHLESS MOUTHS! THIS IS WHERE YOU END AND MY UNIVERSE BEGINS! BEGONE YOU STUPID MONKEY!" Cooler shouted from the skies.
"Broly… GET THAT THING OUT OF HERE-!" Cheelai shouted.
…
With the energy he now received, Broly began to scream in absolute pain and motivation. He held the Supernova with one hand and made a fist with the other. A massive concentration of green ki began surrounding his fist, and with it he punched the Supernova far away back to the sky. As if that wasn't enough, he fired back a huge wave of that pure green energy into it. A Gigantic Meteor if you will.
The green blast was pushing back against Cooler's Supernova, until it eventually consumed it whole. Cooler watched as the energy came his way faster than he could dodge. "No… no no no NO NO NO NOOOOOO!"
He was completely powerless to push it back, having wasted all of his energy into the Supernova. He was dragged across space and towards the sun. The sheer force of the approaching energy was enough to destroy the solar plates covering the sun. Cooler was mere seconds from being consumed by the explosion. In his last moments as an angry, spoiled and rotten evil man, the last shout that he could utter was:
"THIS IS NOT… FAIR-!"
…
…
…
The billions of citizens from planet Eltron watched with jaws dropped as the battle concluded. Cooler's ki vanished as the Gigantic Meteor exploded in contact with the sun. A green light shined over the entire universe like a star for a good minute.
With the solar plates destroyed, they managed to see the sunlight for the first time in their lives. The dark clouds vanished. The purple sky was out at long last. The nightmare had truly ended. And so, with no energy left, Broly's transformation was undone and he fell to the floor. He was smiling.
…
…
The three fighters watched in silence as the fight concluded. Cheelai was the first to say something, as she began to laugh and ran towards Broly. She jumped on top of him for a hug but he was clearly out for the day. Granolah could finally fall and lay on his back, knowing his mission was accomplished at last. He even cried as he thanked for all the sacrifices made for these moments, even that of his master. Mamoto and Raditz punched each other on the shoulder. "I wish Kakarot was here" she said.
The people soon came out again in droves. They only had one question.
"What do we do now? Who's in charge?"
Granolah got up and answered. "You are. Everyone. You're free now, and you can decide for yourselves."
huh… Liberty. How funny it feels.
…
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…
With the planet at its current state people could no longer live on it. They had to leave and try to settle on new planets. The deserted empire soldiers as well as the remaining of the resistance banded together to form "The Galactic Patrol", who will be there to serve the republic once it's officially settled. Those who refused were simply locked away.
Hundreds of millions of ships from all over the galaxy came to pick up the refugees, glad to help them live somewhere else. The planet was stripped of everything valuable it once had. Now it was just a bare husk of the empire that Cold created. His throne room was empty and disheveled. All that was left was to cleanse it from existence.
The four strongest warriors in the known galaxies now stare at it from a far. They all decided on rock paper scissors who would get the honors, and it ended up being Raditz. And so he prepared one powerful Double Sunday, and with its power he exploded the whole planet to hell. All the mechanical crap caused a chain reaction that soon destroyed the planet to its empty core. Nothing but dust and light were left of the center of the universe.
…
…
…
Cheelai and the Galactic Patrol made good on their word. They found a wild and beautiful world just for Broly to live in peace. Of course, he didn't have to be alone in it. Many refugees came to claim the planet and make use of all the wildlife. He was raring to explore with his best friend Cheelai, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
It was time to say goodbye.
The five made a little grave for good old Lemo, so they can forever remember that even the lowest scum can make a difference, and even save the universe. It would one day become one of the greatest memorials in the galaxy. It was settled on a nice little cliff by the green mountain. It was time for the crew to part ways.
Granolah was offered a position as the leader of the Galactic Patrol, but he refused. Instead, he decided to return to Chirial and live the rest of his few remaining years in peace. It is what his master would've wanted. His mission was truly over. At long last he and Raditz say something nice to each other for once. If anything, Raditz congratulates that his people went to heaven unlike the Saiyans.
"… You really are a prick, you know. See you in hell."
"Likewise" said Raditz. And so Granolah flew away back to his hip and blasted into space. The last three remained silent for a little while. Raditz then turned to Cheelai and Broly. "Well, you two saw what happened to Lemo after I came back. You better hope we never meet again."
"You can drop the act, dude. And yes, we are going to miss you. But just in case, let's keep tabs alright? It's not bad to have someone so strong in my direct messages, you know." Cheelai said. "It was a big adventure we had, wasn't it?"
Broly stepped forward. "I never thanked you for bringing me along. I never thought it would be something I would thank you for. But now I want to thank you!"
"Broly, we both know we're not good with words. If you want to please me then just live your life with no regrets. It's already embarrassing that you are a Super Saiyan and I am not, so how about you leave me be?"
Raditz's smile made Broly smile as well. "I hope we meet again someday."
The wild Saiyan then walked over the cliff as Cheelai jumped on his shoulder. There was much to do but also lots of time. Maybe now they can have some peace after all they went through. With Cheelai on his back he soars through the skies and disappears into the distance. There goes the dumbest legend you'll ever meet.
…
Raditz and Mamoto kept staring into the sunset without another word for an hour. Eventually Raditz said:
"So… what do you think we should do now?"
Even the thought of what he's suggesting makes her frown. "Gross… The Saiyans had their chance. I heard stories about us and they ain't pretty. I'd hate to see more of us out there."
"Took the words out of my mouth."
…
"Freedom sounds so stupid now. What even is there to do with it? Problems are much more entertaining, don't you think?" Mamoto said. "I think it's time to put all this power to good use. Maybe I'll find an actual good gang to lead this time."
"Woman, you are going to get yourself killed."
"Eh, we're both going to hell. Let's see who gets there last, okay? See you around, Shabby."
And so the last Saiyan woman flies off into the sky.
Raditz now has everything he ever wanted, and for the first time he feels like there's something more. There is something to look for tomorrow. Life is no longer a straight line, but a path of infinite turns. It took him years… but he finally found what he has been looking for.
It was right in front of him this entire time. He just had to admit it. Something worth fighting for.
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The end.