Last time on Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL, Gohan finally confronted the mastermind behind the attack on West City. As it turns out, our hero learned that the notorious space tyrant, Frieza, has a brother. Cooler, who was exiled and disinherited by King Cold, had returned from the South Galaxy in order to find Goku, the Saiyan responsible for defeating his younger brother all those years ago. Meanwhile, Bulma assembled members of the Dragon Team with Videl, Sharpner, and Erasa in order to stop the Robot Soldiers and the Armored Squadron from completely destroying West City and helping Gohan. What will come from these parties' efforts? Let's find out, now!
Capsule Corporation, West City, Age 774
"...F-FRIEZA!?"
Members of the Dragon Team and the three Orange Star High School students glanced at Piccolo and Krillin with various expressions.
Bulma, C-18, and Tien looked confused due to the appearance of Cooler's image as he fought Gohan in his Saiyaman outfit.
"Wait," Tien said, "That's Frieza? Didn't Vegeta and Goku describe him as a short person with a superiority complex and mostly white skin?"
Krillin shook all over, swallowing hard as he said, "T-That's gotta be him! I can recognize that figure anywhere!"
"I can't really give any input on how he looks. I was stuck in caves and plateaus for most of the Namek fiasco, so I haven't exactly seen Frieza before." Bulma stated, shuddering at her memories. "Besides, Future Trunks killed Frieza when he came back to our time."
"Hm... Outside of the lack of wishing the bastard back to life, I recall this form being described as his Final Form. My readings pick up... something else about the enemy." C-18 revealed, gazing at the computer screen.
Piccolo, sensing Cooler's power, also noticed a distinction between Frieza energy while in his Final Form years ago and Cooler's energy at the moment.
But another thing caught Piccolo's attention.
Piccolo shouted, "Ah! She's right! H-he's holding back on his power! And it feels so different, too! This can't be Frieza!"
Amidst the adults talking, Sharpner and Erasa were whispering to themselves.
"Are you following all of this?" Erasa asked, clearly confused.
Sharpner replied, saying, "Barely. They're making a big deal about a short lizard guy named Freezer."
"So... is Freezer that guy who's fighting Son-kun?" Erasa questioned.
"How the hell should I know?
Videl, sick of being left out of the loop, screamed, "Excuse me! We're here too, you know! Can somebody tell us who this Freezer is and what he has to do with Gohan!?"
The turban-wearing Namekian responded by grunting, "Watch who you're screaming at, brat!"
Videl and the other kids flinched the former Demon King's assertive tone as Piccolo continued.
"...As for your question, Frieza is simply bad news. I'll let Gohan explain everything else about him but to put it in terms you can understand, Frieza is similar in power and skill set to what you've seen in Cell."
The three kids' skin turned pale, recalling what Gohan had told them about ki and the destructive capabilities Cell possessed considering that what was shown during the Cell Games are true.
"B-But you just said that he isn't Freezer–Frieza, whatever his name is! He's not the guy that Brains is fighting! That's a good thing, right? So what's the deal now?" Sharpner inquired, confused and frustrated.
Piccolo retorted, "The deal is that he is most likely the same race as Frieza, possibly another relative. And take what I've told you into context, he's much more of a threat than what Frieza posed twelve years ago."
A deadly silence loomed over the trio of adolescence, with a feeling of dread settling in their stomachs.
Bulma, taking a step forward and turning the attention back to her, said, "Which is why we need to get rid of this robot army and the Frieza wannabe's cronies as soon as possible."
The blue-haired woman soon made her way over to the table and picked up her blueprints of a device she was hard at work on
"Fortunately for all of you, I just so happened to be hard at work on a kill switch for those buckets of bolts!" She said with sass, winking at everyone.
"So that's your angle to stop this! Bulma, that's genius!" Krillin gushed.
Lazuli or C-18 smirked, thinking, 'An old fashion E-Stop button. Clever girl. I can see where this woman succeeded and where you failed, Father.'
Erasa, still confused, asked, "A kill switch? But wouldn't a small remote-only work on one alone? How's that gonna stop the entire army?"
Smirking, Bulma said while pointing to the Dragon Team, "That's where these guys come in. Oh, wait. Before I forget."
"TRUNKS! GOTEN!"
Just then, the two little half-Saiyans bolted into the room in front of the president of the Capsule Corporation.
Videl narrowed her eyes at this sudden action, thinking, 'What is she up to?'
"Yes, Mom/Auntie Bulma?" The kids said at the same time.
"Stand over there next to Krillin and Lazuli, okay? This is very important, so I want you both to listen up."
"Okay!"
Both boys made their way over to the adults, catching Videl off guard while rendering her friend utterly speechless.
'They're nuts! These people let those two little kids go with them!' All three teens thought at the same time.
Recognizing the looks they were giving them, Bulma chimed, "Quit overreacting, kiddos. These two boys are much stronger than Goku was growing up, and he was responsible for the destruction of the Red Ribbon Army."
From there, Videl, Sharpner, and Erasa fell over, nearly fainting from the bombshell that was laid on them.
"Anyways, this not-Frieza got his own Ginyu Force-esque soldiers overseeing the carnage of West City in three different districts. Tien, Trunks, you take the guy with the green skin and long hair. Krillin, Lazuli, and Goten, you handle the one that looks like a frog, Piccolo and Videl will go and take care of the teal guy with the comb-over. As soon as one of those tin cans is scrapped, one of you flies right back here so I can take it apart. I'll do the rest there. Just trash as many robots as you can and take down those soldiers."
"Wait, why is Videl going? She can get pulverized out there!" Sharpner asked with concern, now up and listening.
"Excuse you," Videl said, now furrowing her eyebrows with her arms crossed. "Because I can do this–"
Videl then forms a small blue ball of ki, taking Erasa, Sharpner, Krillin, and Tien by surprise before it vanishes through her will.
"–and you can't." The girl finished huffing with pride.
Bulma agreed, saying, "Videl is correct, Sharpner. Under normal circumstances, I'd have Videl sit this one out while the others handle this, but since she has more experience and can use ki-based abilities thanks to Gohan, she is capable of keeping up with the rest of the gang during this mission."
"Oh,"
"Chin up, kid. Your friend's under the eyes of one of our best fighters. She'll be fine."
Sharpner nodded, accepting the answer while always feeling a bit dejected for his lack of strength in the matter. Erasa rubbed the boy's back comfortingly.
Bulma walked up to a box where she lifted a covering over it
Upon flipping the switch on, one of the doors from the ceiling opened, revealing a small clearing from the Dragon Team to exit.
Working from there, the genius provided them each with a special bracelet that serves as a communication device except for Piccolo and Videl; in which she could simply talk to mentally and due to Bulma having Videl's frequency in her communicator.
After explaining how it functioned, Bulma wished them luck.
"You guys stay safe. Trunks, Goten! That goes double for the both of you!" The scientist ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!" The boys responded.
Krillin waved, saying, "Don't worry, Bulma! We'll keep a close eye on them!"
"You better, or you'll be hearing from both Chi-Chi and me!"
Like that, the Videl and the Dragon Team blasted off in different directions, allowing Bulma to shut the ceiling door.
"Videl can fly too!?" Erasa said with stars in her eyes. "That's so cool! I wish I could do that..."
She then turned to the rich woman and asked, "What do we do while the rest of the fight?"
Smirking, Bulma responded by saying, "I could use an extra set of eyes and hands. Are you tech-savvy, dear?"
Erasa's eyes lit up as she nodded.
"My computer is similar to any pc and or laptop your kids have set up in your rooms. Think you can handle watching the screens for me?"
"You can count on me!"
Turning to Sharpner, Bulma said, "Why don't you hand me that wrench over there, tough guy."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Sharpner went over to the console where a toolbox sat and grabbed the wrench for Bulma to use.
And like that, the whole gang got to work.
-Meanwhile, With Videl and Piccolo-
The pair were flying about, with the Namekian in the lead while Videl, the human girl, struggled to keep up but was fast enough to not fall too far behind.
At this point, while focusing on going to their destination based on the second highest Battle Power, the daughter of the supposed "world savior" was currently processing the revelation regarding the subject of her thoughts.
Son Gohan.
'Insane...' Videl uttered, still thinking about everything she learned about her friend. 'Gohan...he's a superhero who is the son of Son Goku. He's also affiliated with some of the most renowned fighters alive and is the godson of one of the most influential people in the world! I knew this guy was hiding something big, but holy shit!'
Glancing at Piccolo, Videl started to notice his appearance and thought back to the article from the old 23rd Tenkaichi Būdokai regarding Son Goku's victory and the newspapers detailing the conquest of a certain king.
'...Wait! Green skin...that menacingly hard stare... That can't be!'
Too curious for her own good, Videl said, "Hey, uh, excuse me? ...I never got your name! I figured since we're working together that we should get to know each other somewhat! My name is–"
"–I am well aware of who you are, Videl," Piccolo said, taking Videl by surprise. "And to answer your question, it's Piccolo."
As her blood froze, Videl responded, "Y-You're him? D-Demon King Piccolo?! How can somebody like you possibly know who I am!?"
"No. I'm his son. And that was a long time ago!" Piccolo scowled. "...The kid spoke of you for quite some time as of late."
"That doesn't make any sense, though! Weren't you and Son Goku bitter enemies at one point? Who are you to Go–?"
"That's enough!" Piccolo cut off, clearly agitated by pestering questions Videl was spewing left and right. "I'm not one of those thieving human criminals you can screech and push around! I won't tolerate it! And there's no time to be asking a thousand questions when there are people dropping like common house flies! So you either focus on the task at hand or stay out of the damn way!"
Videl's face scowled as it burned red in anger. But after hearing the part about people dying made her bite her tongue.
Piccolo was right, now was not the time nor the place to be playing detective.
The Namekian, thinking about the girl's situation from her perspective, decided to throw her a bone for just one time.
"...Gohan, he was my first and only student," Piccolo answered, catching Videl completely off guard.
'W-What kind of crazy life does this guy have!?' Videl screamed in her mind, concerned about her friend's mental health and well-being.
"To keep it brief, after watching him survive on his own in a wasteland for six months at a young age, I threw every brutal obstacle I could at him. And even after all of that, he extended his friendship to me. It wasn't until I gave up my life where I knew that I had turned a new leaf. That kid changed everything."
Hearing this from the former Demon King's son made the daughter of Hercule's heart skip a beat. The thought of a little Gohan befriending Piccolo of all people only further increased her interest in the boy. That turned into fear as she watched the destruction of the city and thought of the alien that was being compared to Frieza and Cell.
'Gohan... There's so much mystery surrounding you, and I feel like I'm barely scratching the surface. There's more to you than meets the eye. You better stay alive out there... Because I'm not through with you yet!'
Videl smiled before concentrating on flying as Piccolo and she made their way towards a district where Salza resided.
West City Plaza, West City, Age 774
The battle between the two superpowers that were Cooler and Great Saiyaman Ziam (Gohan) raged on.
His helmet miraculously was left intact besides a few cracks around the sides of it. The armor had somewhat been tattered and damaged with a part of Gohan's cape being slightly burnt from the various ki-blasts being thrown at.
At mid-air, Gohan glanced upwards as he began to charge up a Super Masenko with Cooler being his desired target. Smiling devilishly, Cooler simply floated in place without a care in the world. The eldest son of King Cold's next action struck Gohan to his very core.
Upon launching the yellow beam with a purple accent, the conqueror took his index and middle fingers from his right hand, and at the last minute, Cooler vanished out of the way of the wave.
'What the-!?'
Before he knew it, Gohan was sent to another part of the plaza where he landed at an abandoned warehouse via a massive tail slap from the brother of Frieza. Shortly after, the half-Saiyan re-emerged with his visor now cracked as piercing gold eyes gleamed in anger.
With his ki burning around him, Gohan once again shot up into the air onto another building while realizing how much destruction he was contributing in West City. Mentally reminding himself to take the fight elsewhere, Gohan spun around at the sound of Cooler teleporting behind him six feet away from him.
'Hm... This stubborn simian is much more durable than I thought. Still, he doesn't seem to possess the power to transform like what that entity showed me. Either he doesn't have it, or he's holding back. Judging from his energy, it's more likely the latter than the former.' Cooler thought.
"I must say, monkey spawn, quite I'm impressed." Cooler said, clapping at Gohan casually as he placed his hands behind him. "It's not every day where I find an individual who can withstand twenty percent of my power in this form. Perhaps there is truth to your claim after."
'D-Damn it! That was Instant Transmission! I thought Dad only knows a Yadratian technique... I better be careful with this guy if I'm going to stop.' Gohan mentally noted.
"Glad that I could deliver. Now, start talking. What are your intentions with this planet? Why do you seek my father?" Gohan asked firmly.
Looking up to the sky, Cooler began his monolog.
"One hundred years... I've spent one century wandering in exile. During my travels, I've learned how to survive in the harshest of conditions that most would perish in a matter of days. I did that for the first twenty-five years. Of course, I'd have my bastard father and brother dearest to thank for that."
"...King Cold banished you? Why?" Gohan questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.
Scowling, Cooler stated, "My father's clan established the Planet Trade Organization which existed for centuries. In case you weren't aware before, our business practices involved ruthlessly clearing out planets for extortion purposes and business transactions. So, you can only imagine the kind of pressure and burden that was upon my shoulders in order to succeed as his "majesty's" legacy."
"You mean a legacy of dragging innocent people out of their homes and sniffing out their lives for profit?" Gohan sarcastically heckled without an ounce of humor in his tone. "I'm sure it was an honorable privilege to stress over."
"That waste of matter had no sense of honor and neither did that sniveling coward, Frieza! In fact, Father and I were constantly at odds. He desired for me to follow in his exact footsteps, have his demented way of thinking, and base my choices on his ambitions! He was an authoritarian first, a politician second, rarely a warrior, and a father never."
Some of what Cooler told Gohan reminded him of his family dynamic. Whenever the world was in danger, Gohan had been forced to participate in confronting the foes along with his father and the rest of the Dragon Team. And when he came back from it all, Chi-Chi had ten textbooks ready for it at his bedroom desk. There was no time to play or socialize with the other kids since there weren't any.
He was all alone, with no choice in the matter.
"I, on the other hand, delved into other peculiar fields of expertise." Cooler continued, gesturing to the Robot Soldiers that had been scattered across West City. "Aside from my interest in hand-to-hand combat upon adopting the philosophy of you Saiyans, I've shown astounding talent in computer programming, electrical engineering, coding, and robotics. As a young man, I thought with these attributes, I could usher in a new wave of technological advancements, a renaissance for the Cold Force. I had high hopes...Yet Father laughed in my face and dashed my chance to prove myself just the same, considering my pursuits as meaningless as it was a waste of my, and most importantly, his time."
Gohan remained silent but slowly started to loathe King Cold further than he already did.
"Our strained relationship only got worse after Frieza was born. Years later, he sent me out on a mission one day to a distant planet in a solar system not too far from this one to claim it as another unit for the Cold Force. Planet Hera, if I recall. Normally, the forces would purge the planet of its warriors and enslave the masses until Father arrived to make the final decision. I always found his hasty methods to be of poor taste. So, as the captain of the squad during the time, I took it upon myself to handle the task at hand in my own way. "
"And your way was..."
"I challenged the Herans' strongest warriors into a battle, where if I claimed victory without underhanded tactics involved, they were to submit under my father's rule peacefully. I would have hidden their planet using a cloaking device to make it appear to be destroyed without my father noticing. I won, which was followed by the Herans to swear allegiance to me, and my father by extension. However, due to not following his barbaric orders, my father decided to take action for my so-called "failure". When his ship arrived at Planet Hera with reinforcements, the world turned into a bloodbath. The men fought with honor, but we're overwhelmed and murdered. Many women and children were caught in the crossfire."
Gohan gritted his teeth, imagining the horrible things that Frieza did on Namek but with King Cold on Hera.
"My father grew beyond peeved at my "disgraceful" behavior, though, what drove him over the edge was when I sent the remaining Heran families away from the carnage in space pods. I, a son of King Cold, showed mercy. I, a son of King Cold, showed vulnerability. It was a sign of weakness. My father did not stand for that. Upon returning to base, he immediately dragged me into the main hall with Frieza in tow. From there, they proceeded to utterly brutalize me in front of the entire Cold Force, blaming me for the mission going wrong. After an hour of this, I was disowned and was tossed into a space pod that was programmed to take me to a deserted planet deep in the southern region of the universe."
Gohan's stomach twisted and turned in disgust. If it wasn't for the situation he and Earth were currently in, the bile would have escaped his throat.
'T-Those heartless monsters! What kind of family would do that to their own flesh and blood! Raditz was one thing...but that's just too cruel!'
"By the time I crash-landed on the barren wasteland that was Planet Shamo and struggled to maintain my sanity, I came to the conclusion that I only rely on myself and those who I deem of use, and that the only thing that matters is strength."
Getting impatient, Gohan growled, "Alright, you told me your life story. But why are you here, and what's my father got to do with all of this?"
"Patience, monkey spawn," Cooler said, waving a finger similarly to Frieza. "I'm getting to that..."
"I've spent over two decades repairing myself mentally and physically with the assistance of the Shamoians. In return, I aided them in gathering scarce resources for their and my own survival. Seizing an opportunity for an alliance, I used the remains of my space pod and sent a distress call to one of the neighboring colonies that I acquired before my banishment. Coincidentally, I ended up being greeted by the remaining Herans whose children grew into adults. When they arrived in Shamo, we spent another ten years advancing Shamoians tech using my own Heran technology that specialized in enhancing combat, military practices, and galactic travel. From the fruit of our combined labors, the Big Gete program was born. This marked an alliance between the Shamoians and the Herans along with their undying loyalty being sworn to me. Upon these events occurring, I had set a new purpose for my life."
"A new purpose?"
"Yes, monkey," Cooler responded, "A new purpose. My new purpose. I, Cooler, could build my own empire. One separated from the Cold Force. A power that can bring down the Planet Trade Organization and usher the universe to a new age, an order!"
"So that's it, huh?" Gohan spat, disgusted by the answer he got. "You're just another tyrant who seeks to erase their predecessor's mark?"
Cooler chuckled at the cheekiness of Gohan as he retorted, "Of course a pessimistic primate such as yourself would jump to conclusions for the sake of battle. Tyrants oppress their subjects in a cruel fashion without sparing a second thought. I see myself as a conqueror of sorts. I value my subjects and honor their hard work if done correctly as ordained. They are rewarded for their loyalty when appropriate."
"I find it hard to believe since you've sent these death machines to waste one of the cities on my planet! Not to mention I've seen what loyalty could mean to a person of your kin. So sorry if I'm sounding so skeptical!"
"Believe what you want, but what I say holds true. Besides, conflict was inevitable either way. You Saiyan monkeys are territorial over where you reside and what is considered "yours". I've anticipated a fight from you and your kin alone before landing on this blue marble. I had no further intentions to murder anybody unless provoked. And well, those Earthlings took a shot at my right-hand officer."
"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." Scoffed the half-Saiyan. "So this new "order" you speak of... you plan to spread it across the universe?"
"Why of course! I desire to spread my will across the universe. A will that lays down the law against planet jacking and mass genocide of races that holds value. A will that can command respect in strength and honor. That is my ambition. However, in order to achieve this, I must eliminate any and all threats and obstacles that are in my way. And a large one came to mind during this time that I'm sure you can guess."
A laughing pompous galactic emperor appeared in his mind as Gohan answered, "...Frieza."
"Correct," Cooler answered with a disgusted tone in his voice. "Due to father favoring him and grooming him in his image, the haughty little brat inherited the throne and rebranded it to the illustrious "Frieza Force" that the North Galaxy feared. Even back then I could have taken him down, but I was no for. That force had numbers, resources, and funding on their side along with centuries of experience. So I've spent another sixty years traveling through the South Galaxy building up connections secretly expanding more of my territory through my usual methods until I returned to the north. Though I was tempted, I left most of the planets alone to avoid attention. And the planets that I did visit, I went to study and learn from. I even paid a visit to a particular world that taught me how to sense energy and home on energy signatures to warp around. It's quite a nifty skill, don't you think?"
"Get on with the rest of the story already!" Barked the golden-eyed half Saiyan.
"If you insist. I fought strong opponents that were so impressed with my skills that they offered their servitude to me. Three of them in particular rose from the ranks and joined an elite Armored Squadron of my growing empire. During this time, my power increased dramatically. With me effectively going into incognito, I stayed in a deserted planet near your solar system as a base and sent small drones to nearby worlds that Frieza's army preoccupied in order to spy on him indirectly. I originally intended to wait for the right moment to strike down Frieza once and for all, but through an unknown source, I found out that they were already dealt with at the hands of a Saiyan by the name of Son Goku."
"Let me guess... you're mad that he took that chance at revenge from you?"
Laughter erupted from Cooler that forced him to hold his stomach.
"Hahahahahahaha! Do you think after all that I've explained to you that I'd give a damn about who killed that narcissistic little shit? I hope that stupid imp is strung up in a cocoon while the most annoying and purest little creatures torture his black soul in hell!"
An expression filled with confusion took form under Gohan's helmet.
"Wait, if you're not out for revenge then why are you here, to begin with?"
"Contrary to popular belief, I always admired the strength and philosophy of the Saiyan race. Regardless, I never thought that a person of my blood would fall at the hands of a Saiyan with a power that I thought was merely a legend. People with that kind of potential should be an ally, not an adversary." Taking a few steps towards Gohan, Cooler extended his right hand to him like a businessman as he answered, "I want you, son of Goku, to come and work for me. Join my empire."
To Be Continued...
Finally, a plan has been set in motion. The Dragon Team is now off to defend West City and retrieve a piece of technology from the Robot Soldiers. Meanwhile, Gohan was offered a position by the enemy? How will Gohan react? Will Videl and the others make it out of this invasion? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL!