Two oni causally reclined on garden chairs, taking a smoke break as they look out into the surprisingly pleasant hellscape.
"Hey, Goz?" the red oni in glasses broke the silence.
"What, Mez?" the blue oni of average intelligence responded.
"You ever notice that you and I have the exact same body?" Mez asked
"No we don't" Goz disagreed,"You're red and I'm blue."
"Yeah, I know, but I mean our body shape," Mez explained,"we're the exact same height, width, and muscle density; the only differences are our skin, faces, and horns."
"Really?" Goz said,"Never noticed."
"Yeah, I know, which is really weird, because you're stronger than me but I'm faster than you; you'd think you'd be more muscular than me, or I'd be leaner than you. But no, our bodies are almost identical."
"Weird..." Goz muttered.
"Totally..." Mez nodded.
"Guards!"
The two oni were brought to attention by one of the well-behaved damned souls, Cooler, skidding to a halt in front of them with an anxious look in his huge demonic red eyes."I just went to visit my father and his underlings in the super-max hell, and they're not there!"
"Say what!?" Mez exclaimed.
Cooler and the oni ran before the cell in which the prisoners were said to have escaped; to their immediate worry, Cooler was telling the truth: the only one in the cell was Cell.
"Where'd they go, bugman!?" Goz demanded, clutching the bars.
Perfect Cell leaned against the back of the cage, arms crossed and smirking."Oh, them? I ate them..." he sneered.
Goz was stupified."You ate your own grandfather!? I know this is Hell, but that's just messed up!"
But Mex flipped his hands up."Waitaminute, Goz, I get what's going on here," he began, pointing a skeptical finger at Cell."I've been workin' here for millions of years, and this trick's a classic: the inmates pretend to have escaped their cell so the guards will be all like 'huh where did they go?' and open the cage like an idiot, then the inmates jump him and escape for real! What, did you guys paint yourselves to be the exact same color as the wall and press your bodies against it while not moving?"
"I just told you," Cell kept smirking,"I ate them."
"Enough with the evil BS!" Goz. grunted."If they're still in the cage, then we got nothin' to worry about."
"Actually," Cooler said, creeping up behind them,"Cell is not the one who's about to jump you..." he said before clasping his hands around both the oni's necks and bashing their heads together. When they fell to the ground, Cooler plucked the key off of Mez's belt, and stuck it into the lock to open the cage.
"What're you doing, Cooler!?" Goz cried."You're breaking your good behavior streak!"
"As my nephew put it," Cooler began before stomping on Goz's stomach,"in or out of the cage, I'm still in Hell...but not for much longer..." he leered, as Cell happily walked free from the cell.
"Oh, what now, guys!?" Mez complained."Are ya gonna try to escape Hell, just like the trillions of other souls that tried and failed? Beating the crap out of us will get you nowhere; we're undead!" he reminded them, pointing at the lack of a halo over his head.
"That's exactly what I needed to here," Perfect Cell smiled; he loomed over the oni,"I wasn't joking when I said I ate them, you know..." he chuckled, before extending his stinger overhead.
"Wuh-Wait! WAIT NO-!"
The hellscape briefly echoed with two screams.
Aang's face twitched as the boy awoke; as soon as he opened his grey eyes, he flung his upper half forward."I'm awake! ow..." he muttered feeling the middle of his patched-up chest."Right, mortal wound from a Space Frenchmen..."
Katara, who had been sitting by Aang and dozed off herself, flung her head up to see him."Aang!" she cried rushing to his care."Don't get up just yet," she advised, tentatively holding his tiny body.
"I saw it, Katara!" He told her."I saw King Vegeta's invasion of the world, and I saw how Avatar Yangchen defeated him! I know what's weakening Vegeta!"
"You what!?" Sokka burst through the door with an astounded look on his face."What is it!?"
"It's the Avatar Spirit," Aang responded quietly,"Yangchen traveled through the universe in spirit form to find a way to stop the Saiyans; she ended up meeting this being named the Supreme Kai. He planted the seal into the Avatar Spirit and sent Yanchen back home, and that's how the Saiyans lost."
"So, you're saying that you're the seal?" Katara asked, to which Sokka twitched. Unbeknownst to everyone, a tiny ki ball appeared in Sokka's hand.
"Yes and no," Aang replied, which made Sokka's ki ball vanish."Like I said, it's the Avatar Spirit. Even if I die, the spirit will move on into my next life. Also, I saw how it works: the seal doesn't just take Vegeta's power away, it sucks it out of him and spreads all over the world, and fills it into everything, plants, animals, rocks, even people."
"Wait, so, like us?" Sokka realized."Do we have a portion of Vegeta's power? Doesn't that mean we should all be super strong and stuff?"
"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed,"That explains your power! You must've absorbed some of Perfect Cell's while he was stinging you!"
"You think? This power feels way more Vegeta'y," Sokka scratched his head.
"Vegeta did say something about him and Cell being related..." Aang noted, when suddenly his ears vibrated from a huge growl, which was neither from an evil monster nor Sokka's stomach, which caused him to gasp life back into his being."APPA!?" he shouted, ignoring his pain as he leaped out of bed and dashed to the window, out from which he saw his beloved beast bellowing and pawing at him."APPA!" he shouted again, as he lept out the window and onto the bison's forehead, the bison moaning warmly.
"Yeah, he just sort o' showed up yesterday," Sokka noted,"Also, we've had to keep him from eating Long Feng repeatedly; I wonder why..." he deadpanned, crossing his arms.
"You know, Sokka," Katara tapped her chin,"Where is Vegeta anyway?"
Vegeta eyes shot open.
His first instinct was to struggle out his restraints, as his screams were muffled not only by the masked around his mouth but also by the liquid he was submerged in. He then realized that he was inside a healing pod. He turned to his left to see Tarble in the very same fate, stuck in his own healing pod.
Then the bulwark to the room hissed open, revealing Lu Ten and his entourage of apparent Cooler Force soldiers." Ah, I see that I have entered just in time, Prince of Saiyans..." he sneered with his arms folded behind him.
Vegeta watched the latest focus of his pent-up rage calmly pace toward the glass chamber with not a shred of fear as he stood before the angry Super Saiyan."How interesting that destiny would permit me to meet you, the mighty Super Elite, and his less remarkable but still noteworthy brother - the last living Saiyans in the universe."
Lu Ten watched as Vegeta emitted a series of furious grunts under his mask, none of which he could understand.
"I believe he is trying to talk to you, your highness," one scientist observed,"I expect you don't want to know what he's saying..."
"Of course I do," Lu Ten responded tapping the pod's mic to on.
"-WITH A GODDAMN TRANSFORMING HEDGEHOG!" Vegeta finished, assuming his captors heard the entire rant."Now where the hell are we!?"
"This is the moonbase," Lu Ten answered nonetheless, gesturing all around him."An above top secret installation commissioned by Lord Cooler to monitor Planet Avatar; not even his own family knew of this place."
"Cooler!?" Tarble repeated."No wonder Captain Salza was here!"
Lu Ten raised a brow."Oh, he's still alive? Well, I can't have that, seeing as how I'm the captain of Cooler Armored Squadron, now."
"You? A human!?" Vegeta blurted."What the hell is going on here!? First I've gone from being stranded on an unidentified planet I've never heard of to a planet that every goddamn alien and their mother seems to come to!"
"I'm sure that you're very confused, Prince Vegeta," Lu Ten raised his palms with unmoved poise."But please know that it is really none of your concern. And despite being a dog of the Freiza Force, I would be happy to escort you out of this solar system."
"Huh?" Vegeta froze.
"There's no need for you to be here," Lu Ten went on, "your presence is interfering with the development of my home planet; I do not wish for my people to devolve into some xenophobic warrior race such as your own."
"Excuse me!" Tarble butt in, "Do I not have a say in this? We were only here to help the Avatar fulfill his destiny. That crazy fake Avatar plan was of my brother's invention; I was perfectly willing to wait until the solar eclipse to help the Avatar invade the Fire Nation."
The younger man squinted in confusion." Solar eclipse?"
"Shut up, you moron, he's Fire Nation!" Vegeta reminded him.
"Hm, an interesting twist of events," Lu Ten tilted his head for a moment,"Not that I plan on interfering; I cannot wait for Uncle to die so that I may finally assume the throne," he smiled rather unsettlingly.
"You're the Fire Lord's nephew?" Vegeta asked.
"No," Lu Ten answered,"I am his son...by which I mean the son of the man that should have been Fire Lord in the first place: General Iroh."
"So what you're saying is that I have to kill two stupid firebending humans before my brother thinks it's okay for us to leave?" Vegeta leered at Tarble.
"Both of you are leaving effective immediately," Lu Ten stated like it was an order,"As soon as Princess Azula claims Ba Sing Se, the Fire Nation will essentially win this war, leaving only the Avatar and the people's hope left to crush; and via collateral damage, Uncle Ozai."
At this Vegeta chuckled."I think you have more to worry about than me ruining your plans: tell him, Tarble..."
"Tell me what?" Lu Ten asked.
"That's not Azula down there, at least not voluntarily," Tarble explained."That would be Frieza."
"Nandato...?" the Space Japanese man's poise was finally broken by the familiar name.
Now was Vegeta's turn to smirk." Oh Yes-dato, the evil spirit of Frieza has taken control over your cousin's body, along with a living and incredibly powerful ally he's made named Perfect Cell. If you people are truly part of Cooler's non-existent army, then I'm sure this news gets under your skin pretty deep, doesn't it?"
"Masaka," Lu Ten hissed in irritation,"Frieza is dead, there is no such thing as ghosts."
"Says the one that hasn't died and come back to life," Vegeta said to the Fire Nation Nation Prince,"Figures a death-virgin wouldn't believe in the afterlife, but I assure you, it's real; apparently, Hell's running out of room, because both Frieza and Cell both died and yet they've both come back; they are going to raise your planet to ashes, and the only one that can stop them is right in front of you."
"Do not try to mess with me, monkey," Lu Ten warned.
"If we're monkeys, then I suppose you're an ape!" Tarble retorted.
...silence...
"..Because, you know," Tarble elaborated,"We have tails and you don't!"
Vegeta sighed "...an ape is more intelligent than a monkey, you stupid monkey!" He spat at his brother.
"I am not an ape," Lu Ten said,"I'm a dragon - The Dragon of the Stars!" he roared proudly." The one true heir to the throne! So get the hell off my planet, before I send you both into space without a ship. I will leave you two to weigh your options..." the prince said as he turned around to leave.
"Wait, I have one more question!" Tarble yelled."How did a human end up becoming captain of Cooler's Armored Squadron!?"
Lu Ten smirked and turned his head."You are not dealing with the average firebending warrior anymore..." he answered ominously as he walked out the room, the door shut behind him.
Vegeta's eyes tensed for a moment."Why do I feel like he was mocking me in some metaphysical way...?"
Meanwhile, at the Jasmine Dragon...
...you know, the tea shop that Iroh miraculously managed to become the owner of in the Upper Ring that, like Appa or Momo, has been absent-mindedly neglected to be mentioned to exist, Zuko was wiping the empty tables, with an uncanny peachy smile on his face.
"You missed a spot..."
And, there goes the smile...
Zuko huffed."Do you think Uncle actually believes it was all just a dream?" he thought as he eyed his uncle preparing tea for another customer.
"I think that's what he WANTS to believe,"Cooler speculated,"But after that display of mine, we best want to avoid the subject with him."
"You mean the thing about you hijacking my body at random without my permission?"
"Indeed."
"Or that part about you somehow being close to my family? You told me that Uncle captured you and Mom freed you, but not much else, let alone how you escaped a world that takes away your powers."
Cooler sighed."Child, please, it will all be clear soon."
Zuko's brow schrunched."I told you not to mess with me. When exactly will you make these things clear to me, and how are going to get out my body?"
"If you really need to know right now," replied Cooler, "Then just ask Salza - he's right outside..."
"Who's Salza...?" Zuko couldn't help but mutter through his lips.
Just then, the doors were bashed open by a new customer."'ALOH, HOOMONS!"
Zuko, Iroh, and all other customers whipped their heads to see the man that broke the silence. It was an abnormally pale-skinned man with white hair and a poorly fitting black robe." No need to be unsettled, 'umans, for it is I, a fellow 'uman 'ere to partake in zhe consumption of common 'uman beverages!" the pale man said as he flamboyant strutted across the dining area.
Zuko blinked."He's not a real human, is he?"
"It's as if you're omniscient!" mocked Cooler.
"Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon," greeted Iroh nonetheless,"My name is Mushi, owner of this fine tea shop; how can I serve you?"
"Bonjour, strangely familiar-looking 'uman; I am actually here for a bit of knowledge: you see, I have a strange reason to believe that zat a former employer of mine is wizin zis very restaurant as we speak."
"Well, take a look around," Iroh responded amiably,"There's no one else in the back, only me and my nephew run this tea shop; I'm sure he's sitting somewhere around here."
"What kind of lunatic would hire this alien weirdo?" Zuko raised a brow.
Cooler remained silent...
Zuko blinked."...Wait a minute...is he talking about you!?"
Cooler exhaled quietly."Just do as I say for a moment..."
Salza felt a hand tap his shoulder, and he turned to see Zuko with his customer-friendly smile."Excuse me, monsieur, but I believe the one you serve is behind the building; allow me to escort you..."
Salza followed his only lead so far outside, where no one (especially not Iroh) was listening. He crossed his painted arms."Alright, boy, where is he?" He said, fiddling with his scouter."Zis zing can only work so well under zhese conditions, but I can still detect him nearby."
"Do you promise you won't die of a heart attack when I show you?" Zuko prepared.
Salza scoffed."Give me zhe break, Lord Coolair iz not zat scary; personally, I have found Frieza to be far more intimi-"
Zuko's hand gripped Salza's throat and pinned him to the wall, his eyes flaring red."Pourquoi tu me dis pas ça en face, petite merde flamboyante?"
Salza's next compulsion was to scream like la chienne, shouting all kinds of Space-French curse words that not even Cooler knew of; his mouth was sealed up by Zuko's other hand.
"Alright, enough of that, you're not going to wake up in your bed anytime soon." Cooler sighed." Yes, Salza it's me; I have miraculously escaped the underworld, and my incorporeal form has taken residents within this bipolar millenial. Nod if you understand."
Salza and his dinner plate eyes did so, and Cooler removed Zuko's hand."So it is true: zat Super Saiyan killed you after all!"
"Not exactly when you think," Cooler elaborated,"I actually survived the first encounter with a piece of my face remaining; later on, I fused with a supercomputer, created an army of me's, and then killed by the very same Super Saiyan on New Namek."
"...huh..." Salza blinked "...so, what about Dooray and-"
"Dead."
"Dammit..." Salza frowning,"...well, at least you still 'ave me, right?"
"I could have been dealt with worse, but I suppose you'll do..." Cooler deadpanned."Now listen to me: I need you to take that scouter and contact the moonbase immediately."
"Comme vous le commandez, mon empereur!" Salza saluted, tapping his scouter.
Meanwhile, in the moonbase command center...
"Captain!" an alien turned to his officer,"I am receiving a transmission from an older scouter model!"
"I wonder who that could be..." Lu Ten crossed his arms."Put him on."
The alien obeyed and established the connection.
"Aloh? Zhis iz Capitaine Lafayette De Salza speaking!"
The prince huffed."Hello, Captain Salza, this is Captain Lu Ten speaking."
Salza's brow elevated."Well well, if it isn't Lord Coolair's special little social experiment; didn't you die in battle or somezhing?"
"That was the official lie distributed to the common folk," the voice responded."I assumed the same fate for you."
"Well, too bad, boy, I am still alive, and you are sadly still my subordinate!" Salza snapped into the scouter."Speaking of coming back from the dead, I require a dropship wizhin zhe upper ring or Ba Sing Se; I have a very special person wiz me zat you will not believe iz here until you see for yourself."
"If you're about to tell me that Lord Cooler is with you..."
"As I said, you must see to believe," Salza cut him off,"Now make wiz zhe ship chop chop!"
The transmission cut off as well, leaving the control room in silence.
Lut Ten's face scrunched. Bringing Salza back would surely ruin the current chain of command, in which he was currently at the top of."Bring him here now," he hissed,"The sooner I kill him myself, the better..."
"Welp, zhat's it; a dropship shall arrive wizhin zhe hour," he told Cooler happily.
"Perfect," he said, crossing Zuko's arms."Now, I must be off to keep my end of a very nauseating promise I made; take care of Zuko while I'm gone..."
With that, Zuko's eyed came back to normal. In fact, Zuko felt more normal than ever before." Wait, Cooler?" he asked, receiving no answer."Cooler!" he blinked in confusion."Did he leave my body? He could do that all along?"
"What did 'ee mean by Le 'nauseating promise'?" Salza asked."Zhe only zhing I know of zhat visibly nauseates Lord Coolair is..."
"...Freezing!" Aang grunted as he walked across the Earth King's garden with Katara hand on his shoulder."Can I have a blanket or something? It shouldn't be this cold in spring."
"It could be a side effect of your injury, Aang," Katara said, "You were close to being gone for a second there..." she said worryingly.
"So, back to what you were saying," Sokka changed the subject,"You're saying that you basically took a trip back in time to when the Saiyans invaded, and then across the universe to see...God?"
"Still feel like he was just a god..." Aang said,"I don't think he created the universe, but he was definitely in charge of it. At first, he pretended that helping our world, in particular, was beneath him; but then he said something about a devil, and felt sorry for us..."
"You are clearly describing The God..." Toph observed."Not like Vetega, I mean actually God."
"Whichever he was, he was the one who placed the seal into the Avatar Spirit," Aang explained."So now, whenever someone who's too strong comes to earth, their chi is sucked out of them and..."
"Yeah yeah, you told us already, but there's something else you said," Toph raised her finger."You said that the Air Nomads of the time had Saiyan powers and were even able to hold them off until the giant monkey part."
"Yeah, that's true," Aang said.
"So like, what happened!?" Toph exclaimed with flung up hands."If there were humans that could control chi like Vegeta, then what happened to them? Why don't we know how to do it anymore!? Cause I gotta say, that wouldn't have pretty useful when I was about to be murdered by a Super Saiyan..." she crossed her arms.
The Avatar winced, but not from pain. He didn't want to think about the last part of his conversation with Yangchen, or what she had to say about Vegeta; but one thing was clear to him now...
"Anyway," Aang said,"I don't think it's a good idea to tell Vegeta yet,"
"What?" Katara said,"Why not? He's been dying to know how he lost his powers; you owe it to him after all he's gone through."
"Like what?" Toph asked.
"Like how the Fire Nation imprisoned him and took his clothes," Katara said.
"Or how that living swamp imprisoned him and took his clothes," Sokka added.
"Or how Chin Village imprisoned him and..." Aang paused "...took his clothes..." the Avatar blinked."No wonder Vegeta was so angry - the exact same thing happened to him over and over. It's like the universe has a problem with him, but also has a creatively bankrupt sense of humor!"
"Yeah, but that last time when Long Feng imprisoned him and took his clothes was kinda' funny though right?" Sokka offered.
"Yeah, not really, no..." Toph's blind eyes just happen to wander in the direction of the screen.
At this point, it should be noted that Momo was most certainly there the whole time, perched atop Sokka shoulder; when out of nowhere, the lemur screeched in pain. To the Gaang's shock, Momo dropped to the grass, frantically scratching at his little head in agony.
Aang stammered."...Uh, okay, Universe, never mind! I think all the bad stuff that happened to Vegeta was REALLY funny!"
The poor lemur's body contorted, his head snapping in multiple directions until his now golden eyes shot open. The silenced Gaang watched the lemur huff, calmly rise to its hind legs and dust off its fur." Now this is what I should've been doing all along," the voice of Azula noted out of Momo's mouth," An animal's mind is far easier to control than a person..." she said in relief. But then Azula paused, and slowly turned around to look up at the petrified faces of her mortal enemies staring back down at her.
"...uh..." Mozula raised her paws and smiled nervously,"...meow...?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The four erupted in terror as they held onto eachother.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Azula Screamed back defensively.
Meanwhile, on the moon, Vegeta blinked at this faint noise."...So that's what I sound like..."
"Calm down! Calm down!" the possessed animal tried to say over their uproar of the children.
Sokka wrapped his hands around Momo's body and shook Azula violently, "GET OUT OF OUR LEMUR, YOU EVIL BITCH!"
"I! CAN! EXPLAYAYAYAYAIN!" Azula desperately blurted out as she was thrashed by the large human hands.
Toph threw out her finger."Then start talking! Don't think we won't sacrifice Momo to kill you!"
Sokka ended his shaking of the lemur; this gave Azula time to catch her breath." I've been 'talking' to you this whole time, you just couldn't tell because I was in astral form, and have spent the last ten minutes screaming in your ear for help, Avatar," she said, "so much for being the bridge to the spirit world," she rolled her tiny adorable eyes.
"First Ghost Frieza, now Ghost You!?" Sokka exclaimed."Wait, did you say 'help?'"
"Yes I did," Mozula crossed her little arms," As in 'help me get my own body back from Frieza'. He's repressed me so strongly that I've essentially been kicked out and forced to roam the spiritual plain in search of the only being that can help me, the Avatar."
"Oh, okay, evil princess," Taunted the blind girl,"So now you believe that the Avatar is good and that the Fire Nation actually needs him?"
"Don't you 'evil princess' me," Azula scoffed."We're on opposing sides of a century-long war; from my point of view, all of you are evil, for dogmatically prolonging the constant state of poverty, disease, and backward technology that the Fire Nation could solve for the world if you would just let us-"
"I will F&$#ING step on you..." Katara scowled.
"Alright, whatever! Tomato Tomahto!" Mozula threw her paws in the air."Because you know what? It doesn't even matter anymore, because when Sozin Comet comes, there won't even BE a world to have a war on!"
Sokka raised a brow."How did you know about the-?"
"About how Sozin's Comet will undo the curse placed on the alien conquerors and artificial life form that stole our bodies, converted Ty Lee into a traitor, and allegedly has found a way to fully resurrect themselves back to life!? I've been inside Frieza's head, I know everything!" Azula said as she climbed out of Sokka's grip, and hopped down to the ground. "Don't you get it? This war in the grand scheme of the universe is totally meaningless, my divine right to rule is a complete joke, the earth, and possibly the solar system, is about to explode, and now, I AM A MONKEY!" she cried tearfully."So let's just call the whole thing off; we can make a peace treaty in which I myself will sign off ownership of all territories occupied by the Fire Nation back to the Earth Kingdo-oh wait, I can't sign over JACK SHIT because I don't have my body and legal documents ratified by lemurs wouldn't be worth the paper they're written on!" she sobbed.
Sokka grimaced."...so that's what I sound like..."
"Good thing I can translate 'pathetic Sokka rant'," Toph crossed her arms."So let me get this straight: You're willing to call off the entire war and work together to defeat Frieza?"
"If you help me," Azula assured,"I'll kill my own father for you, and let Uncle take the throne."
"Uncle?" Toph repeated.
"Uncle Iroh," Azula explained,"You know, the Fire Lord's shockingly older brother who was once a great warlord but following the death of Cousin Lu Ten devolved into the lazy, overweight, treacherous hedonist you know today?"
"Oh yeah," Aang recalled,"He's funny."
"That he is..." Azula crossed Momo's arms."So what do you say?"
Aang was beside himself at this turn of events: if he could truly take the demon-possessed lemur at her word, then he could actually end the war within the day; forget the eclipse or the comet, he could actually restore the balance of the world and fulfill his destiny right now! As much as he wanted to shake her tiny hand, he still felt the princess could not be trusted."Let's say you get your body back, we defeat Cell, and Vegeta leaves the planet; what'll stop you from turning around and resuming the war like nothing happened?"
Azula scoffed as if the answer were painfully obvious."This is the Fire Nation we're talking about - I've already brought immeasurable dishonor to myself just by asking you for help! Father will never forgive me for this, let alone losing my own body to a space lizard, so as of right now, surrender and peace is my only option."
Aang turned to his friends."Guys?"
Sokka felt his chin."This isn't what any of us had in mind, but it's sounds like the quickest way to save the world."
Toph shrugged."I say go for it."
Katara scowled."I say we cut her to pieces and used her guts as fish bait."
Sokka blinked."You know this is still Momo we're talking about, right?"
"We'll honor Momo's sacrifice," Katara responded,"We can't trust the Fire Nation."
"Well, too bad, sister," Azula smirked,"It looks like you're out-voted."
Katara seethed as she stepped closer, but Sokka stopped her." Open your eyes, Katara! This is our only option! Freiza and Cell have messed up this world so much that the Fire Nation doesn't even matter anymore."
"Freiza and Cell didn't kill my mother!" Katara yelled in Sokka's face.
"Oh no," Toph drooped,"They just annihilated countless planets and plan on adding ours to the list!"
"I-!" Katara barked, sealing her own lips as she had nothing to counter her argument."...fine...Fine! Do whatever you want!" she relented, turning the other way with her arms crossed.
"What say you to a truce?" Azula happily stretched out her new paw to Aang.
The Avatar gulped, then bent over, and shook that paw."Truce."
It had gotten deafeningly quiet in the room Vegeta and Tarble had imprisoned. The Saiyans had very melancholy expressions and did not want to look at each other.
"...Go on, Tarble, say it..." Vegeta grumbled.
"Say what?" Tarble asked.
"Say this is all my fault, that this was an idiotic plan," Vegeta deadpanned,"And while you at it, you can remind me what a gigantic bastard I've been for never attempting to contact you all these years."
"I wasn't gonna say that," said Tarble.
"You're thinking it," Vegeta surmised,"You've had to roam the universe on your own, vulnerable to all the persecution that was meant for me; for Freiza's sake, how do you not hate me?"
Tarble blinked."I don't hate you, Vegeta, you actually care about me. You're not like other Freiza Force soldiers - once you find someone who's genuinely nice to you, you always repay them in some way, and you never forget them either. Nice people in the universe are so few and far in between that we can count them on our fingers..." he thought, looking down "...But this planet? It's just full to the brim with nice people, and I just wanted to help them," he said, and sighed,"dammit, this is my fault: we had the chance to leave but I just had to screw it all up with some self-righteous dogma..."
"Tarble..." Vegeta realized,"...You want to stay on this planet, don't you?"
This made a tear shed and float around in his healing pod."This universe is Hell to me: all that matters is strength, not money, not looks, just the capacity to destroy as much you can. I can't take it anymore," his breath quickened," I take one look at a planet, and all I can think about is how big the explosion will be when it's destroyed by the next galactic tyrant. I get up every day expecting to be in that explosion. How the hell could my life possibly matter while I watch millions just like me cut down like grass!?" he shouted."I just want to be happy; I just want people to like me and not die two seconds later. That's what I love about this planet: that can't happen here, the planet won't let it happen because it's seen what happens to planets that let it happen. I never want to find whatever magical seal is doing this; it's not a curse, it's a miracle!"
Vegata stared at his poor little brother, and huffed."You know what, Brother?"
The teary-eyed Saiyan looked back at the older Saiyan.
"...I don't want to find it either," Vegeta said,"the moment that the seal is found and destroyed, this planet is doomed. Which is exactly why we need to get out of here before Cell finds it; so hurry up and get out of that pod, Brother."
"How am I supposed to get out?" Tarble asked."This screen could only be shattered by a powerlevel of at least 25,000, which doesn't matter because powerlevels don't matter here."
"Oh, but I think they do," Vegeta smirked under his face mask,"Do you remember when you first landed here? You said you felt fine, and even powered up in front of Aang."
"Yes I remember," Tarble nodded indifferently.
"Well, when I first landed here, I had no control over my ki," Vegeta said,"I couldn't even shoot a single ki blast."
"I presume that was when you first attempted to murder three children for annoying you?" Tarble deduced.
"And they're still alive! Crazy, right!?" Vegeta exclaimed."I was like that for over a week! It took the maddening fight with the blind girl to push me into going Super Saiyan for me to finally retain control over it! but then you - a textbook lower class Saiyan - land here and experience none of that!? I was up all night thinking about it!"
"Didn't you spend all night trapped in a dungeon indefinitely screaming your guts out?" Tarble reminded.
"I can multitask!" Vegeta reasoned."But I think I figured it out," he explained,"maybe, this magical seal works something like a Space-Chinese finger trap - the harder you try to pull your fingers apart, the stronger the trap holds them together."
"Vegeta, if it worked that way, then powering up into a Super Saiyan would have made you weaker, if not killed you." Tarble noted.
"Will you let me talk my mouth off for once!?" Vegeta demanded."What I mean is that I think this seal was meant specifically to weaken beings of a certain powerlevel; there has to be a limit to the ki weakening effect, otherwise, all life on this planet would die! There has got to be a threshold, and I think it's right above your powerlevel!"
"So you think this 'threshhold' is 300 battle power?" Tarble raised his brow.
"Of course!" insisted Vegeta."It would explain why you only suffered the effects of the seal precisely when you charged to full power!"
"So if I try to charge to full power again, I'll just faint again." Tarble reasoned.
"So don't go to full power then!" Vegeta counter-reasoned."Just be close to full power."
"How would I even know how high my powerlevel is without a scouter!?"
"Well that's easy, you just..." but Vegeta paused. He remembered that other pesky side effect of the seal: Vegeta was still totally unable to feel the ki of others. Not even Vegeta could tell how much ki Tarble would exert. Thic caused him to grunt."Look, don't you feel anything when you get close to full power?"
Tarble looked up thoughtfully."Well, recently, I've been getting a rather odd sensation..."
"Yes! You see?" Vegeta smiled under his mask.
"...the sensation of HELLISH agony before I lose consciousness, which we have already gone over!"
"For Freiza's sake, Tarble!"
"Why don't YOU just do it!?"
"Because the seal is still affecting me and if I do it, I'll burn right through my stamina in the effort, and then be too weak to fight off the non-existent Cooler Force to escape!"
"Now you're just making excuses!" Tarble bickered.
"No I am not! This is why I wasn't able to turn Super Saiyan when I first landed here!"
"You're making up an excuse not to fight Prince Lu Ten, because you're afraid of losing to another human." Tarble insisted.
"WHAT!?" Vegeta cried in outrage."I will NOT lose to him! I just need to reserve my strength for when I do have to fight him!"
"You mean reserve your strength to run away because you've never won a fair fight in your entire life?" Tarble raised his brow.
The claim struck the older Saiyan like lightning."Oooooooh, you are SO lucky that this seal is still in effect because if it weren't I would-!"
"Well, IT IS!" Tarble roared back."And if you even tried to attack me, I'd just sock your monkey ass in the stomach again and leave without you!"
At this, Vegeta exploded out of his pod in Super Saiyan form."FEEL FREE TO TRY IT AGAIN, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"
Tarble also exploded out of his pod, nearly at full power."I THINK I'LL ENJOY PUTTING YOU DOWN A SECOND TIME EVEN MORE, YOU GIANT BASTARD!"
As the two Saiyans stared each other down, something occurred to them...
"...Did we just break ourselves out respectively?" Tarble asked, still scowling.
" 'Told you so..." The scowling Vegeta quipped.
The Gaang and Mozula soared for the Earth King's palace atop Appa.
"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Sokka cried.
"Afraid I am," the possessed lemur crossed its little arms."The Earth King's secretary is leading Freiza right into the palace, where the king will be forced to sign over the rule of the city, and by extension, the entire Earth Kingdom."
"That could be happening any minute right now!" Aang yelled frightfully.
"We've got to hurry up!" Katara exclaimed."The entire world is at sake, Aang!"
Azula sighed."I know, I beat you without even beating you - I guess I'm just that good..."
Sokka glared with a rather sadistic smile."Don't you mean Freiza beat us?"
"If you're trying to get under my skin, you'll have to do better than that..." Azula looked away dismissively.
"All we gotta do is tell the Earth King it's not really Azula," Toph pointed out."That'll render whatever he signs as void."
Azula chuckled."Oh yes, brilliant plan, earthbender: let's just kick down the door and tell him that my body has been possessed by a space alien's ghost and that I - who is currently a talking lemur - am the real Princess Azula."
"He's a very religious man, I'm sure he'll believe any crazy thing we tell him..." Sokka rolled his eyes.
As Appa landed before the entrance, squads of Dai Li agents surrounded the bison, lowering into their fighting stances.
"We cannot let you see the Earth King!" the front-most agent said so predictably that it hurt.
Aang sighed loudly."Don't tell me: You're not at liberty to divulge the information that Princess Azula is in the throne room getting the Earth King to sign a treaty as we speak?"
The agent's eye swiveled left and right as he could not look at the Avatar directly."...um...No?"
"Bitch, get outta the way!" Sokka exclaimed before teleporting in front of him and backhanding him out of sight. Sokka then let loose a volley of ki blast against the ground to both knockback and scare away the rest of the agents.
"Overkill much, Snoozles?" Toph said as she and the Gaang got off of Appa.
"I've accepted my powers are within me however they got there, so let's just go," Sokka lowered his head.
As they ran through the Earth King's grand hall, Azula, being carried by Aang, noted this, and after a second her big lemur eyes got even bigger."Wait a second...Cell got you too! We can't trust him, he's possessed!" Azula shouted as she frantically pointed her tiny finger at Sokka.
"As opposed to you?" Katara eyed the lemur."Sokka's not possessed, the seal that weakens Vegeta takes his power away and distributes it into every living thing in the world, including Sokka; I think Cell gave Sokka an extra boost by accident."
"Well I think you're in extreme denial," Mozula retorted,"given that if he were, then you'd have to kill him-"
"Even I am, which I'm not!" Sokka persisted,"Whoever's in me has been in here for a very long time and has yet to take control of my body and try to kill my friends, so what does that say!?"
"It says the evil spirit is waiting for the perfect time to kill your friends, for example: when the Saiyan brothers aren't here to stop it, which would be right now!" Azula countered.
"Ignoring you!" Aang announced as he covered Azula's mouth, as well as her muffled screams.
The group neared the big fancy door which concealed the Earth King's throne room.
Sokka smirked as he increased his momentum."Oh yeah, I am TOTALLY gonna kick that big fancy door down with my super strength! Everybody don't blink, 'caused this door is toast...!" he announced as he powered up and epically dashed for the door foot first.
Right before he made contact, the doors swung open, and Perfect Cell caught the incoming kick by Sokka's ankle.
The Gaang gasped.
Cell smiled "...So is this habit of setting yourself up for an ironic punch line derivative of Vegeta or have you been cursed with it yourself from birth?"
Sokka blinked."It's the other thing..." he chirped.
"That's rough, buddy..." Cell lamented, before using his free hand to fire a ki blast into Sokka's face, launching him into the ceiling; Cell dashed after him and kneed Sokka in the stomach, Sokka crying in pain. Cell grabbed Sokka's neck, but Sokka grabbed Cell's arms to weaken the grip. With a scream, Sokka unleashed his ki aura, which actually blew Cell away long enough for Sokka to dash into him, them both crashing into the ground in front of the Gaang.
"I got Cell! Get to the king!" Sokka growled before getting punched by Cell. They both dash overhead and rapidly exchanged blows as the Gaang ran into the throne room.
The Gaang confronted a rather startled Earth King, Long Feng, what appeared to be Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai, as well as two entourages of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom soldiers; the Firebenders readied themselves without a second thought.
"Oh great, them again..." Friezula spat disdainfully; now that the body of Azula was devoid of her soul, all that came out of Azula's mouth was Frieza's voice.
"WAIT! DON'T SIGN THE TREATY, EARTH KING!" Aang raised his free hand."THAT'S NOT THE REAL AZULA!"
The king, his pen inches away from the scroll, raised a brow."Excuse me?"
Both armies gasped dramatically.
"She isn't?" Long Feng legitimately asked.
"No!" Aang continued, producing the lemur."THIS IS!
The throne room was deathly silent, save for the faint breeze.
Mozula took in several deep breaths as she felt her furry forehead."...literally, we were literally playing out this scenario in our heads one minute ago..."
Earth King Kuei blinked."...Avatar Aang, I may be a religious man, but that doesn't mean I'm a fool - explain yourself!"
"Or," Frieza raised an impatient finger,"You could just shut up and sign the treaty while I watch these innocent children die," he said as he snapped Azula's finger.
Not a second later, the Fire Nation soldiers created a ring of fire around the Gaang, who gained frightful expressions.
A chunk of the roof of the palace exploded as Sokka was sent flying out of it, with Cell in hot pursuit. Sokka powered up again and stabilized himself, dashing down for Cell. The two clasped hands in mid-air, their aura's flaming.
"I don't care how many moons you can blow up," Sokka grunted."I'll stop you!"
Cell scanned Sokka." I'm sorry, just who's talking right now, you, or the guy I put inside you?" he grinned evilly.
"Shut up!" Sokka punched Cell in the face, pushing him away.
Even though Cell's head whipped to the side from the punch, he seemed unfazed as he crossed his perfect arms."What's the matter? Have you not given thought to this? You saw what I did with the princess and her friends, and you have got to know I did the same thing to you."
"Shut. UP!" Sokka unleashed a volley of ki at Cell, who casually dodged the blasts as they pelted the palace roof behind him.
The ring of fire shrank around the group.
"STOP RIGHT THIS SECOND!" Mozula shouted.
Upon hearing the voice of their princess, the soldiers put out the fire. They all spoke amongst themselves in shock.
The lemur dropped to the floor before her soldiers."I am the real Azula-can't believe this is working," she muttered as she rolled her lemur eyes; she pointed to Freiza."That bastard next to you is an impostor!"
Again they gasped, eyeing the sheepish Friezula.
"I...I don't understand..." Long Feng gave a stern look at the false princess."Who are you!?" he said, snatching the scroll treaty from the Earth King's hand.
"I am SO confused!" the Earth King cried.
Frieza felt Azula's brow."Oh, for my sake..." Frieza then shot two Death Beams through Long Feng's and the Earth King's heads.
"NO!" roared Aang.
As their bodies hit the ground, the Earth Kindom soldiers were in an uproar, erupting in an elemental brawl between the two armies.
Frieza rose from her seat and tried (not really) to pacify the people."There, the Earth King's dead, the Fire Nation wins, no reason to fight anymore, because I rule you all..."
"Lord Frieza!," Captian Ginyu blurted out,"Wasn't that a rather impulsive decision!?"
"Can it, Captain Mai!" Frieza fired back at his subordinate."I'm sick of playing pretend in this filthy human skin! I conquer this world in the name of Emperor Frieza!"
Aang's pupil rattled. The raged was enough to trigger his Avatar State. The ensuing tornado sent earth and firebender alike flying through the throne room.
"Ohoho!" Frieza laughed."Oh my! I suppose I'm not dealing with the average airbending warrior anymore...!" she mocked, spreading Azula's arms openly and powring up."At least I can crush one legendary warrior today...!" she blasted off for her opponent.
Frieza and the Avatar clashed, aura against air sphere, the shock of which blasted away dozens of soldiers on either side and rocked the whole throne room itself; they both dashed upward through the ceiling.
Cell sailed through the air as he continued to dodge the ki blast as Sokka angrily chased him.
"Oh, this is even better the second time!" Cell smirked."I wonder what I'll draw with his trail of craters...?"
That is before Sokka actually caught up with Cell, tackling him through the air; they slammed into the ground, Sokka used Cell's face to gouge a long trail of destruction across the palace grounds. Cell had to fire ki from his hands to blast off of the ground and back into the sky as they parted."Woah now...!" the surprised android yelled."Where did that burst of power come from? Is the evil voice in your head helping you out?"
Sokka breath heavily, his clothes torn, his wolf tail ondone to let his long hair drift upward from his powerful aura."You better start taking this fight seriously, you stupid bug!"
Cell laughed."You're starting to sound like him already! Look like him too..."
Sokka roared, and unleashed a galick gun in Cell's direction.
"Yeep!" cried Cell, briefly revealing his inner Goku as he hastily dashed to the side; the purple beam darted across the upper ring, and finally crashed into the ring itself with a bright explosion.
Both Zuko and Salza noted this, among many other citizens.
"Was that Cooler!?" Zuko gazed.
Salza felt his chin; the makeup was starting to peel off."Hmm...looked more like Vegeta to me..."
Iroh barged out the back door."Did you hear something, Nephew?"
"Nope!" Zuko quickly chirped.
Iroh blinked, then shrugged and went back into the restaurant.
Zuko tapped his foot anxiously."Come one, Cooler, Where'd you go?"
Cell and his perfectly wide eyes and smile woah'd loudly at this display of ki."Okay...No way you did that by yourself!"
"Vegeta taught me how to do it!" Sokka quickly reasoned.
Cell raised a brow." Which one...?" he leered, before his face met with Sokka's knee, causing him to reel back, this time in genuine pain.
Frieza was having a similar time with the fully powered Avatar, being pursued by him through the air, and dodging massive tunnels of wind that blew away the clouds.
"You know...!" began Frieza with arms crossed,"You were supposed to transform after watching me kill all your friends! We're going completely off-script!"
The Avatar suddenly increased speed, his air sphere slamming right into Freiza.
Frieza frightfully tumbled through the clouds, no longer able to see her opponent. Suddenly, Aang came at her from the left, compelling her to fire a Death Beam in the direction he fled in, only to be struck from the right. This continued a few more times, Frieza grunting with each strike. He soon found Azula's hair undone, and veins protruding from her enraged face."DAMN YOOOOOUUU!" Freiza howled, overwhelmed by the rush of Namekian nostalgia, purple ki erupting from her body. Freiza madly threw ki in every direction she could think of, lighting of the sky in explosions - every direction except up, from which a swirling windy blur slammed down upon Freiza, sending them both plummeting from the sky and right back into the palace.
The miffed perfect being strained to block every mad punch and kick from the enraged Sokka. With a loud and angry grunt, he vanished, Sokka surprised as his fist went through the afterimage. Cell reappeared behind Sokka and threw the boy in a chokehold, with a perfectly frustrated expression.
"Okay, seriously, Grandpa, are you actively trying to kill me!?"
"What kind of insult is that!?" Sokka sputtered as he tried his best to pull away, his legs kicking in the empty air."I'm not even old!"
"I wasn't TALKING TO YOU!" Cell roared as he pulled back his right fist and jammed in into Sokka's spine, Sokka screaming in pain; Cell followed up with a swift downward slice against Sokka's skull sending him rocketing to the ground with a thunderous dust cloud.
The android huffed for a second, catching his breath; he watched the dust settle to see the boy in the crater of a destroyed building, his face in the mud; he then snorted."Like father like son..."
"Speaking of fathers..."
Cell whipped his head to level to see the translucent incorporeal form of Cooler, his ghostly arms crossed "...do you mind informing me as to where your father is? It's time..."
"Unc-Cooler?" Cell stared."Aren't you supposed to be bonded to that deformed millennial?"
"This is my planet; I go where I please," Cooler responded firmly."Now where is my brother? The dropship will be here any second now."
"You'll just be very mad if I tell you..." Cell deadpanned.
"Of course Frieza's trying to conquer the planet; as if I'd expect anything less," Cooler's eyes nearly rolled out of his head."Has he murdered the Earth King yet?"
"Probably..." Cell deduced.
"And you didn't even try to stop him?"
"I tried to talk him out of it..." Cell crossed his arms defensively.
"For how many milliseconds?" Cooler retorted
"No really!" Cell said."Honestly, I thought you'd be much more furious about it."
"That's because you keep comparing my temperament to Freiza, just like everyone else." Cooler said.
"Do you really want to give Frieza a new body, though?" Cell asked earnestly."With him out of the way, the universe would be fair game for you, 'Emperor Cooler'."
At this, Cooler chuckled."Spare me: he can have the whole damn universe and everything that goes with it, including the part where he'll have to spend the rest of his life kowtowing to Lord Beerus..." he smiled widely.
Cell matched his smile."So you get your revenge after all..."
"Best served cold, my nephew," Cooler responded. He then looked down."So who's that powerful human you were tussling with?"
"hm? Oh!" Cell remembered, then quickly gathered his perfect poker face."Apparently, he's the very first Water Tribe Elite."
"Neat," Cooler noted,"He'll make a fine addition to the Cooler Force..."
Lu Ten paced along the control room, waiting for the latest updates to the development, right when the bulwark behind him exploded outward, causing him to pause in confusion. The powered-up Vegeta and Tarble took battle stances within the threshold in badass Cooler Force officers line a defensive position between Lu Ten and the Saiyans. The Fire Nation prince snorted, and cooly parted the line of personnel aside, facing down the two Saiyan princes with not a drop of fear.
"May I presume that you have made your decision?" Lu Ten quired indifferently.
"You damn right!" Tarble barked."We're gonna chew your bubble gum and kick your ass, yo!"
"Please stop milking the moment, you're ruining it..." Vegeta quietly said.
"I am trying my best to be diplomatic," Lu Ten felt his sinus,"But I suppose that everything they say about your kind is true..."
"Then you know that you're about to die if you don't see to my demands!" Vegeta growled, powering back up into Super Saiyan.
"We've done the math," Tarble said,"the seal won't anyone's powerlevel go beyond 300; it doesn't matter how hard you've trained, because even at 400, you couldn't take us both."
Lu Ten felt his chin, then he smiled and started chuckling, which rose into a peal of ominous laughter that visibly unnerved his subordinates and confused the Saiyans."So...you two are still operating on the assumption that the effects of the void apply to my people as well?" he asked before taking a deep breath, stomping on the floor, and growled with his mouth wide open.
At this point Tarble's stance faltered."er...Vegeta, do you feel that...?
Vegeta's eyes ere like dots."I...I actually do...it's the only energy I can feel..."
The room itself began to rattle; the other soldiers ducked in cover as the Fire Nation Prince yelled, his burst of chi blasting the Saiyans back by and inch or so.
"WHY IS IT THAT EVERY TIME I BRAG ABOUT MY POWER, THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE TO REVEAL THEIR TRUE STRENGTH AND WRECK MY SHIT!?" Tarble exclaimed, the energy blowing his hair.
"YOU REALLY ARE MY BROTHER!" Vegeta realized.
Lu Ten roared as he dashed for the Saiyans, who blocked his charge but were carried through the corridor at frightening speed; they were smashed through multiple wallls until they ending up in the hanger. Lu Let laugh maniacally as he held the Saiyans by their necks.
"Baka mono! Do you think you were the only ones that could spend years training to become the strongest in the universe!?" he exclaimed as he threw the Saiyans down into the metal floor, creating huge dents. The powered-up Lu Ten touched onto the floor as he watched sadisticly the Saiyans strain to push themselves onto their feet.
Tarble felt the back of his head."The seal doesn't work on the natives of this planet!?"
"Of course not, fool," Lu Ten chuckled,"Why would Avatar Yangchen had done something that would adversely affect her own people. The true reason that my race is so weak is that when she realized the destructive potential of energy-bending, she outlawed the teaching of it across the world, only allowing the bending of elements - a reliable but pathetic substitute, pathetic enough for her to strengthen her dominance of the world. It was because of this that my people learned to divide themselves into four nations, living in a tenuous harmony. But then, everything changed when-"
"...the Fire Nation attacked, we know, goddammit..." Vegeta grumbled.
"No, the war is the result of the four nations forming in the first place! Everything truly changed when Lord Cooler arrived and trained a select few to become the elites of his Cooler Force."
Other soldiers descended around the Saiyans; Vegeta and Tarble stared in shock as they realized these soldiers in Cooler Force armor were in fact other humans of this planet, all roughly the same age as or younger than Lu Ten himself.
"It is not just this one planet that Lord Cooler dominated, but the entire solar system," Lu Ten spread his arms in mad glee,"The Void of Vegeta has become his domain, that no other in the universe can claim for themselves: Welcome to The Void of Cooler!"
The Avatar bashed Freiza through the palace, all the way down to the caverns of Old Ba Sing Se, where she was slammed to the ground, and pressed under the Avatar's swirling air sphere. Freiza struggled to push back against the wind force-field with all her might."How can a common gas be so powerful!?"
"I dunno, brother, you've seemed to have gotten very far in life with that alone..."
Freiza whipped Azula's shocked face to see Ghost Cooler with his arms cross; Cooler dashed forth into the Avatar's body. Aang and the countless voices from within screamed; the sphere dissipated as Aang dropped to the dirt, clutching his head, writhing, screaming in agony, until he fainted altogether, and Cooler was shot right back out, shaking his head.
Freiza gasped and shot to her feet, breathing loudly."How did you-!?"
"No time! Dropship! Now!" the sick-of-explaining-things Cooler gripped Azula's arm and placed his other fingers on his head; in an instant, they disappeared.
The next instant Azula seemed to magically appear before the confused Zuko and Salza.
"Azu-!" Zuko was not even allowed the opportunity to say as his eyes flashed red. Those eyes looked to the sky."Right on time..."
They could barely see the faint silhouette of a cloaked spaceship descending into the city. Three Cooler Force soldiers descended in front of them.
"Captain Salza?" the squad leader, who happened to be a human, vocalised,"What are the Fire Lord's children doing here with you? You're compromising us!"
Freizula blinked in disbeleif, glaring at Zuckooler."Is your Cooler Force so short-handed that you outsourced to these native worms?"
The squad leader blinked, and raised a weak hand at the girl."...why does she sound just like Frieza?"
"Because she IS Frieza," answered the jaw-dropping voice of his leader,"And I am Cooler. It is too long a story, now let us in the ship, and do not forget to stop by the Earth King's palace while you're here."
As the palace was raised from the inside out, the two girls that were actually men easily defeated the two girls that were actually girls, standing before the stairs to the palace
Captian Mai confidently placed her foot against Katara's stomach."You should have known better than to have stood in the way of the strongest branch of the Frieza Force!"
"Not gonna argue with them there..." Toph grunted, held by her collar by the grinning Ty Lee.
"How could you!?" the waterbender cried."Ty Lee! You're turning your back on the entire world!"
"pft..." went Ty Lee."The only thing I'm turning my back on is being the gullible lackey of my so-called best friend," she said, pointing her thumb back to the helpless lemur.
"But, But We ARE best friends!" Azula cried."I wouldn't have manipulated you if I thought you were worthless!"
"Not..." Toph hissed in pain,"...how friendship works..."
"I think she has a point, Ty," Burter argued."Frieza not killing us for wasting his time is undeniable proof that he loves us!"
She rolled her eyes,"Oh, whatever!" turned and smirked at the monkey."Maybe after my NEW boss is resurrected, I'll keep you as a pet..."
"OMG OMG That is such a great idea!" Guldo cheered."Imma give her a cute lil' bow and teach her how to do tricks...!"
"I can hear you..." Mozula grumbled.
Then they looked up and saw the dropship. Unlike before, in was uncloaked, and landed next to them.
The side door slid open, revealing Freizula and Zuckooler.
"ZUKO!?" Katara exlaimed.
"Who?" peeped Toph.
"Step right up! Step right up and get your free new bodies!" Frieza happily cried like a street salesman, waving Azula's hand.
The real Azula's fur stood on end." I've never felt so much hatred to see my own face in my entire life!" she exclaimed, then blinked."...well that's not entirely true, sometimes I see Mom in my reflection..."
"What shall we do with the human welps, Lord Frieza?" asked Ginyu formally.
Before Frieza could answer, Cooler held Zuko's hand in front of Frieza's (Azula's) outrages face."We take them with us; they seem like good recruits."
Katara's eyes shrunk, shocked to realize they got Zuko as well.
"GOOD RECRUITS!?" Freiza blared."Has this void driven you mad!?"
"Madness, little brother," Cooler smiled,"Is to believe you can rule the entire universe without a catch..."
Frieza raised Azula's brow."Pardon?"
"I have a question, Mr. Cooler-person!" Ty Lee rose her hand.
"What do you want, child?" Cooler responded.
"Well, um..." Ty Lee looked away."Since Lord Frieza just killed the Earth King..."
Cooler smacked Zuko's forehead.
"...It basically means my people won the war, which I guess means you won the war..."
The grim reality set in the eyes of Katara and Toph.
"...so keeping that in mind..." Ty Lee rubbed her chin,"What happens to Avatar Aang?"
"Do you intend to recruit that human as well, brother?" Frieza asked maliciously.
"No, I intend to kill him," Cooler said,"but only after he kills the current Fire Lord first. Now, will all of you just get in?"
Seeing nothing else to talk about, Ty Lee and Captain Ginyu floated into the ship, dragging the unwilling Katara and Toph with them as it flew off.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something..." Freiza felt Azula's chin.
"Whaz it zhe talking lemur?" Salza asked."She jumped in at zhe last second and is yanking your pant leg in seezing fury." he pointed down.
"GIVE ME MY BODY BACK! GIVE IT BACK YOU MOTHER-" she was cut off by her own boot to Momo's head.
"No, something else..." Frieza continued, then snapped Azula's fingers."Ah yes! We forgot about Cell!"
"Then forget him again," said Cooler,"He has his body..."
Cell let his perfect body descend into the crater in which Sokka lay. He crossed his arms, and grunted quietly. He stared at Sokka, well not really Sokka, in contemplation, his fingers rolling along his arm. After a moment, he smirked."Now I understand! You're waiting for the perfect opportunity to kill the Avatar, aren't you? You know that if you do it now, he'll just reincarnate, and never truly die." he said at first glance to himself. Cell bent over, the sleeping form of Sokka."Well then, Granpappy Saiyan, let me tell you a secret that Cooler told me: If you were to kill the Avatar while in the Avatar State, it would break the cycle, causing the Avatar to cease to exist."
The body's eyes twitched for a second.
Cell patted Sokka's cheek." So yeah, have fun with that..." he said before flying off, leaving the glowing Sokka be.
Aang strained as he climbed the hole he apparently left through the palace. He felt so strange, stranger than the usual post-Avatar State frenzy. it was as if someone had punched every past life of his in the face. The boy felt violated, but not in the Misty Palms Oasis-kind of way. When his head rose out of the hole, all he could see in the throne room was a bunch of Fire Nation soldiers cheering over the bodies of Earthbenders, and War Minister Chin, plant his foot on the Earth King's throne, looking over the dead Earth King.
"I now claim Ba Sing Se, along with the entire Earth Kingdom, in the name of the Fire Nation!" Chin shook his raised fist. The soldiers cheered.
Tears fell from the last airbender's eyes."...no..."
"...no..." Vegeta hissed, his eyes trembling.
Like their father before them, the Saiyans lost to these humans, though not in the same way. They surrounded them as they now faced the spaceship they were meant to enter, to leave the solar system as per the demand of Lu Ten, his foot tapping expectantly.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Lut Ten asked.
There was nothing Vegeta could do: all these trained human soldiers would just kill him and Tarble if they did not comply. It wasn't fair, only leaving by this human's mercy.
"Vegeta..." The Saiyan in question swung his face to his right to see something he'd regret looking at: it was the broken face of Tarble, too worn even for tears."Let's just get the hell off this planet already..."
Vegeta allowed the soldiers to escort them into the ship; Lu Ten watched with satisfaction as the ship activated, floated through the force feild that protected the hanger from the vacuum of space, and took off into the pitiless universe.
"May Vegeta never enter our threshold evermore." Lu Ten smiled.