Captain Ginyu is Morphenomenal! Run, Dende, Run!
Goku and Ginyu exchanged a furious combination of strikes, filling the air with punches and kicks. Goku leaped backwards to avoid a jumping knee from the Captain, who spun to the side to avoid Goku's own uppercut counterattack. They met each other's strikes punch for punch several times before grabbing one another's hands in a knuckle lock, each one pushing forward to gain an advantage, which was more than a little tricky while they were suspended in the air.
"I must admit," Ginyu said, his voice strained from the effort as he tried to push Goku down and the veins in his scalp pulsed, "You are a capable warrior indeed. I can see how you might have easily defeated my Force." Jeice grumbled to himself as Goku pushed back against Ginyu.
"And you're pretty good yourself," Goku complimented, "But I'm just getting started!" As quick as a flash, Goku brought her feet up to her chest and pushed them into Ginyu's chest, keeping their knuckles locked as she pushed off and flipped backwards to fling Ginyu to the ground. Ginyu twisted to splay out and land on his hands and feet to skid away as Goku flew down with a diving kick that missed him by inches. Ginyu sprung forward like a particularly vicious frog and threw out his hands to lob a pair of purple ki blasts at Goku. She dodged one and slapped the other back toward Ginyu, who slapped it off into the distance. Jeice took this opportunity to fire a beam of ki at Goku's back. She just managed to avoid the blast but it sent her directly into the path of Captain Ginyu's fist. To Goku's surprise, Ginyu was upset by this.
"Jeice!" Ginyu snapped as he looked up at his red compatriot. "Do not do that again!"
"But Cap'n–" Jeice started to protest.
"But nothing!" Captain Ginyu shot back. "I will not tolerate backstabbing and chicanery in my battles! If I am to defeat this woman and avenge our fallen comrades, I shall do it on my own!" Goku was… pleasantly surprised by that. "Please," he told Goku as he turned his attention back to her, "I must apologize for Jeice's attitude. He has more passion than sense, I'm afraid." Jeice grumble at that and turned up his nose with a huff.
"It's okay," Goku said with a shrug, "Same thing happened to me once. I don't like people getting involved in my fights, either." Captain Ginyu smiled and nodded in approval.
"Regardless," Ginyu continued as he held his arms at his sides, "I shall let you take a hit in reprisal." Goku blinked in confusion and Captain Ginyu realized that his verbiage might be too advanced for the woman to understand. "I'm going to let you hit me," he explained, "And I will not defend myself."
"Ohhhhh," Goku said with sudden understanding, "You mean a free shot." Ginyu nodded. "Well why didn't you say so?" Ginyu began to respond when Goku dropkicked him in the face to send him reeling. Captain Ginyu wiped blood from his lip with a forearm before charging at Goku, the two meeting an explosion of fists on the ground before they rose back into the sky, throwing kicks knees, and elbows into the mix. "Y'know," Goku said as she bobbed out of the way of a left hook, "You're actually not a bad guy."
"Well thank you," Ginyu said with a bemused smile as he blocked Goku's hook and went for a headbutt. "I suppose that's your way of saying I'm capable as well?"
"Oh, I didn't mean that!" Goku assured him as she ducked out of the way of a headbutt and drove a shoulder into his gut. "I don't mean that you're not a good fighter, you're really talented! I just mean, y'know, you're fighting on your own, you don't want to cheat, you're fighting for your friends." Goku grabbed Ginyu's wrist as he went for a palm strike and guided it off to the side, her other hand grabbing one of his horns and guiding his head down to her rising knee with a cry of fury before continuing. "This Freeza guy sounds like a real jerk, so I dunno why you're working for him. If you stop now, we can call a truce and you guys can help us beat 'im up!" Ginyu wrenched free of Goku's grip and pivoted his body to drive a punch into Goku's liver, causing her to heave in pain before he threw out a front kick that caught her in the face and sent her tumbling through the air.
"Hmm hmm," Ginyu chuckled as he took a moment to catch his breath. "Captain Ginyu and Jeice, champions of good and defenders of the weak and helpless. A novel concept, to be certain." The Captain even turned to look at Jeice with a smirk on his face. "How does that sound to you, Jeice?"
Jeice gave a chuckle of his own, "'Fraid it's not much my style, cap'n." Ginyu turned to see Goku coming in for another attack and met her head on, colliding shoulder to shoulder and pushing against one another, their auras struggling and crackling off of each other.
"Nor is it mine, miss. I'm afraid you don't quite understand something," Captain Ginyu fell backward and let Goku zip past him, throwing a kick up into the air at her midsection that, to his surprise, she spiraled through the air to avoid. "While it is true that I enjoy a fair fight," Ginyu admitted as he weaved through the air to avoid a series of ki blasts, "What Lord Freeza brings to the universe is stability and order. A single force that governs and dictates, with no room for lobbying or corruption. And I am his hand, I am the instrument of that order." He smirked as he fired a beam of ki and tried his best to be undeterred as Goku thrust out her palms and turned in a tight circle to divert the beam off harmlessly toward the horizon. "And, of course, it makes me incredibly wealthy."
"So you're not gonna take my offer?" Goku asked.
"Not a chance," Ginyu told her, "But I have a counteroffer. As you can see, the ranks of the Ginyu Force are currently rather–"
"No thanks."
"Wh… what?"
"I'm not interested. You guys are jerks and you kill people. Besides, your pose was kinda dumb, y'know?" That was taking it too far.
"HOW DARE YOU?!" Ginyu snapped as he defensively struck a pose, with one leg bent to touch his foot against the other thigh to make a shape like a four, with one arm across his chest and the other raised high in the air and a slight twist at the waste. "I'll have you know that my poses are the most infamous and feared across the Northern Qua–" he gawked as Goku mimicked his pose. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"What," Goku asked, "Am I doing it wrong?"
"Yes," Ginyu told her through gritted teeth, "You're doing the wrong legs!" Goku switched her legs. "And keep your foot flat! I can tell you curled your toes from the way your boot is bent." Goku's foot went flat against her thigh. "A-and pivot at the waist! It doesn't look right if you don't…" Ginyu stared at her for a moment. "Oh lord, that looks ridiculous."
"Oh, nah, cap'n!" Jeice called from the sidelines. "I love doin' those poses!"
"See what I mean?" Goku asked as she dropped out of the pose and drove a spear strike into Ginyu's neck. He cried out in pain and clutched at his neck before sneering at her. "If you're gonna keep being evil then I guess I'll stop playing around." At this, Ginyu laughed.
"Oh, a brave showing, miss…" Ginyu blinked. "You know, I don't think I ever caught your name."
"Son Goku."
"Yes, well, Miss Son, I'm–"
"No, my name's Goku."
"Then... then why did you say 'Son' first?" Goku shrugged. Ginyu sighed and shrugged. "As I was saying, Miss Goku."
"My names not miss, either. It's just Goku!"
"LOOK!" Ginyu snarled as the veins in his scalp pulsed. "It's very funny of you to act like you're holding back but I know your power level is only twenty thousand, whereas my power level is twenty seven thousand! I am the second most powerful being in the Northern Quadrant to his Lordship so there is simply no way that you could defeat me. It is I who will cease to play games with you!"
Goku smirked and rolled her neck from side to side to make a cracking sound that the Captain found most unpleasant. "You sure about that?" She asked. Then she started to power up. Ginyu watched the number on his scouter reach twenty seven thousand… and keep climbing.
OoOoOoO
As Vegeta flew back to Freeza's ship, he tried his best to ignore Kakarot's rising power level and the fury it boiled into his blood.
"Just become immortal," he muttered under his breath. "Just focus on that. First immortality then the…" he stopped muttering once he came upon the ship and found the Earth trio digging the Dragon Balls out of the dirt. "Well, well, well," he called as he floated down to meet them, "It's nice to see you three anticipating your proper role in my new world order in the form of slave labor."
"Hey," Krillin responded curiously as Gohan and Suno pulled out the rest of the Dragon Balls, "Weren't you supposed to be helping Goku?" Vegeta shrugged.
"If Kakarot's the Super Saiyan," Vegeta told them flippantly, "She can handle Captain Ginyu."
"The heck is a Super Saiyan?" Suno asked.
"None of your concern," Vegeta replied curtly as Gohan pulled the last Dragon Ball out of the hole in the ground. "So, since you're the Dragon Ball experts, what're we supposed to do now?"
"I don't know," Gohan admitted. "I wasn't born for most of the wishes and I wasn't there when everyone wished mom back."
"Jeez," Krillin muttered as he stepped toward the balls, "It feels kinda weird doin' this without Puar around." Then he threw his head back toward the sky and stretched his arms out wide. "Eternal Dragon Shenron!" Krillin called out, his voice echoing across the plains. "I summon you!" They waited. And waited. And waited. No rumbling thunder. No black sky. No lightning. No Dragon. No luck.
"Well," Vegeta asked dryly, "Is it an invisible dragon?"
"Maybe we need to say it in Namekian?" Gohan offered.
"Gee," Suno grumbled as she gave Vegeta a sidelong glance, "If only one of us hadn't been killing them all."
"Oh please," Vegeta scoffed defensively, "I killed one village. That's not a genocide! That's Saiyan housekeeping!"
OoOoOoO
Dende tried to fight the shivering that passed through his body as he felt that terrible power drawing closer and closer but there was nothing he could do to choke down his terror. It was so… evil! So evil and cold! With Nail gone, there was no one to defend Guru!
"Dende," Guru said softly as he held out his hand, "Come here, my son." Dende stepped carefully toward Guru, his heart pounding with every step. "The earthlings lack the password to summon Porunga. I had intended for Nail to give it to them but he is returning. So the task falls to you."
"B-but Elder Guru," Dende protested, "If I leave, what will happen to you?" Strangely enough, Guru… chuckled.
"My time is short, little one," he told Dende frankly. "It may come even before this evil power does. There is nothing that can be done to stop it now. I have lived a very, very long time. There are others who need your help far more than I do. You must go to them. But first, I must unlock your power."
"Will I fight?" Dende asked as he instinctively nuzzled his head against Guru's palm.
"No," the Great Elder told him reassuringly, "That is not your purpose. You are a gentle soul, Dende, and you are rare. For there are so many that possess the gift of death. It is easy to take a life. Yet you, my son, are so much more rare and powerful. It is within you to give life." With that, Guru hummed softly and Dende felt the Great Elder's power race through him like electricity.
"I… I feel stronger," Dende gasped when it was over. Guru nodded.
"Fly, my son," Guru urged him weakly as weariness began to set in, "Fly for our people!" Dende nodded and ran for the door, taking off and flying as quickly as he could. Once Dende was gone, Guru let out a slow and gentle sigh. Soon, he would be with his brothers and sons. Whether at the hands of an enemy or the sands of the hourglass, his time was nearly over. Soon there would be endless fields and oceans. He would run. He would fly. He would see. "What have I to fear of death," Guru mused to himself, "When the living world has already taken so much from me?"
OoOoOoO
Goku brought her arms down with a smirk, the red aura of Kaiouken flaring around her. Her training had definitely paid off. She didn't even feel any stress from going times two! Ginyu sure looked stressed out, though.
"F-forty… f-f-forty…" he stammered as he stared at her in a cold sweat. Then he let out a wordless scream and charged at her with one fist drawn back to punch her in the face. She could have dodged it if it got to her, but it never did. Goku just smirked and held one leg straight out, letting him run face first into it. Ginyu flew back, his hands on his nose as he whimpered in pain and watched the blood seep through his interlocked fingers. Ginyu stared at her in horror for a moment and Goku was sure he was gonna give up… until he started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Goku asked with genuine confusion. Ginyu brought his hands down and wiped purple blood from his busted nose.
"It's just quite amusing," he told her with a sniffle, "Because now I know I'm going to win."
"...How?" Instead of responding, Ginyu took off his scouter and tossed it to Jeice.
"Hold onto this for a moment, would you?" Jeice caught the scouter and his face seemed to light up with understanding. Goku wasn't sure she liked that very much. Then, to her shock, confusion, and even a little bit of horror, Ginyu rammed his fist into his own stomach, punching through armor and skin with a spray of blood.
"H-hey!" Goku stammered out over his cry of pain. "I know you're upset that I'm stronger than you but there's no need to hurt yourself!" Ginyu smiled at her even as blood seeped through his teeth and pulled his hand out, splaying his limbs out wide.
"BODY CHANGE!" Ginyu roared.
"What the heck does m–" Goku started to ask before she screamed out in agony… with Ginyu's voice. She felt so weird! It felt like she was missing some organs. And her bones didn't feel right. She felt a shooting pain in her side and looked down at Ginyu's hands, one of which was covered in his own blood. "Wh… what's going on?" Goku asked in confusion, still with Ginyu's voice. She heard a chuckle and looked back up at herself, sneering at her with her arms folded over her chest. "What the?"
"So how does it feel, cap'n?" Jeice asked as he flew down to meet Goku's body, handing… her? Him? Ginyu's scouter. Goku smirked and fit the scouter over her ear… before she suddenly spasmed and cried out in shock. "Cap'n!" Jeice blurted out in a startled tone. "What's wrong?"
"Guuuuuuh!" Goku shivered. "Jeeeeice! She… she's covered in haaair! Little hairs, all over her body! Even inside her ears!" Her hands roamed over her body in a confused inspection. "And she has boooones! There's so many organs and they're all in her torso! A-and there's so much water!"
"Nothin' else, though?" Jeice asked, looking down awkwardly as if to imply… something.
"I was a woman for twenty years, Jeice," Goku huffed. "Twice as long as I had that body over there. Before that, I spent five years as a species with no sex and three years as a species with a third sex. It's really not that big of an issue. If anything, males put too much focus on their–"
"Hey!" Goku interjected. "What's going on here?!" Goku looked at her and chuckled.
"Oh my, you're slow on the uptake, aren't you? It's obvious! I stole your body, as it's far more powerful than the one I had before. So I'm going to use my new body to kill all your loved ones while you use your new body to bleed to death! Toodle-oo!" With that, Ginyu, as Goku had finally figured out, and Jeice flew off.
"It won't work!" Goku called after them. "I don't say Toodle-oooohhh…" Goku blinked as her vision started to swim and she began to drift downwards. Oh jeez, she had lost a lot of blood.
OoOoOoO
Ginyu and Jeice went maybe half a mile back toward the ship when Ginyu came to a sudden stop.
"What is it, cap'n?"
"It's this hair!" Ginyu grumbled in frustration as he fought with his new, spiky hair. "How did she keep it out of her eyes?!" He groaned and threw his hands up in frustration. "Ugh, I haven't had hair in so long that I forgot to keep a comb with me. Give me yours." Jeice nodded and fished a switchblade comb out of one of his pockets, snapping it open and handing it to Ginyu. He managed to get everything slickly into place… before it exploded back into its unruly shape. "Confound it! Do you have any gel?" Jeice found a small vial of mousse and handed it to the Captain. He squeezed every last drop into his hair and then smoothed it out and combed it down. It held for exactly thirty seconds before exploding into its previous shape and sending product everywhere. "OH FUCK OFF!" Ginyu screamed in a rare moment of vulgarity. "Do you have… a scrunchy?" Jeice took out one of the ones he had hidden in his left glove and handed it to the Captain, who pulled back his hair into a ponytail and, finally, held it in place. "Much better," Ginyu muttered. "Let's get going." He and Jeice resumed flying as he said, "And once they're dead, I simply must get a change of clothes! I feel like I'm wearing pajamas!"
"Y'know," Jeice offered, "If yer gonna try an' convince her friends that you're her, ya should try t'sound like her."
"What are you talking about?" Ginyu asked. "I sound exactly like her!"
"No, no, no, I mean, yeah, y'have her voice, but yer not talkin' like her. Yer still talkin' like you." Ginyu supposed that Jeice might have a point. He'd never actually tried to use subterfuge after swapping bodies. He'd just kill the old body and go right along being himself.
"I suppose you're right," Ginyu muttered. "So how might I accomplish this ruse?"
"Y'can start with less syllables."
"Hmm…"
"There ya go."
OoOoOoO
Nail spotted Elder Guru's hut, putting on an extra burst of speed and ignoring the beads of sweat that raced down his scalp and flew away, ignoring everything as he raced to put himself between his father and evil.
"Elder Guru!" Nail gasped as he finally reached the door, "I came as quickly as I–"
There was an almighty thunderclap, as if the sky had been ripped open, and Nail looked up to see that the clouds had been torn apart. He looked back down and nearly fell backwards in a fright. The evil was right in front of him.
He did not quite look how Nail had expected. He was only a little taller than Dende and his primary color was… pink. The flesh of his thighs and biceps were pink, with a long pink tail with a purple tip, pink-and-white natural bone-like armor on his forearms and shins, with that armor taking up most of his torso and around his head as well. The skin of his face and neck was a light purple, almost a pinkish hue, with thin black horns coming out of the top of his head and strange… jewels growing out of his shoulders, chest, and head. He also had some sort of… gloss or shine on his lips. But when Nail looked into those cruel, merciless black eyes, he knew for a certainty that this was the evil. In those eyes, Nail saw nothing but death, slaughters beyond counting. Despite his appearance, Nail knew in that moment of eye contact that he was staring at nothing less than a death god.
"Hello," the death god said in a surprisingly amicable tone, "I am Lord Freeza, singular power in the universe." He snapped his fingers and Guru's hut exploded into ash, although Guru himself was left completely unharmed. "You will tell me how to use the Dragon Balls."
"A-and if I refuse?" Nail asked as he balled his fists and tried not to sound so terrified. The death god chuckled.
"Oh, that was not a request, my good man," Freeza explained, "Merely a statement of fact. A premonition, if you will, since I know you savages are so wonderfully superstitious. You will tell me how to become immortal. The only variable…" Freeza's eyes narrowed and he glared at Nail contemptuously, "Is how many pieces you will be in before you tell me."