Transformation

Cooler stared down at the prince, surveying the battlefield which held the remains of his squadron. He had expected them to fall, but not so quickly as they had. Vegeta had overcome them all effortlessly without taking the slightest damage. Even Salza's beam sword, a formidable attack against any foe, had been rendered completely useless by the prince. Still, the test had served its purpose; Cooler now had a relative knowledge of Vegeta's strength beyond what his ship's scanners could provide.

The dust of Salza's remains was still slowly swirling, refusing to settle due to the small gravitational pull of the moon. Vegeta, though surrounded by debris, had not a speck of dirt on him; his invisible aura kept him clean as well as protected. Cooler lowered himself slowly until he was even with the Saiyan, smiling.

"So good to see you, Prince Vegeta. I must crave your forgiveness for ordering my men to set upon you so clumsily." The tall, slender Frost Demon was cordial and spoke in a diplomatic tone. "I'm sure you'll understand my curiosity; I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see a demonstration of your strength. Your powers are impressive, to be sure. I trust my men didn't cause you any serious inconvenience – they must have been but a mere annoyance for someone who vanquished my brother."

Vegeta smirked, genuinely amused by Cooler's pretended friendliness. He knew these pleasantries were only a precursor to the impending battle. Still, it wouldn't do to appear hasty. "I confess I was a little offended – your squadron was hardly composed of worthy opponents for warriors such as ourselves." Though he felt such a familiarity was beneath him, he knew that Cooler would feel the same way.

Sure enough, the jab provoked a momentary frown from the Frost Demon, though he quickly restored his pleasant expression. "So you say. It's fascinating that a Saiyan would place himself in such a high league," he observed. "You're playing with the big boys now, is it?"

The prince ignored the remark, gazing casually at the gas giant on the horizon. "Tell me, Cooler – just why have you called this meeting? I'm sure it wasn't merely to admire the scenery. You no doubt have business you are simply aching to discuss with me."

Cooler nodded. "I thought an administrative discussion was in order," he replied. "I think you will hold a prominent role in the reorganized Planet Trade Empire."

Vegeta lifted his head calmly. "I don't believe that any reorganization is necessary. As you must recall, I have taken Frieza's place...completely. I will allow you to remain in your current position of Viceroy, but certain taxes will likely be levied on the worlds you control – all for the greater good of MY Empire, of course. You may not have answered to Frieza, but you will answer to me. Your brother was content to rest on his rather pathetic laurels, but I will employ a far more direct management style."

Cooler was immediately incensed at the Saiyan's arrogance. His former politeness gone, he shouted angrily. "How dare you! Our clan is and always will be first in the galaxy! You may have taken my brother by surprise, but I will not be so careless. You will swear your loyalty to me now or I will administer swift and merciless revenge!"

Vegeta continued to smile, barely containing his excitement. He wondered what kind of fearful expression he might earn when he finally transformed into a Super Saiyan. Would Cooler prove as fun to mock as Frieza had been? He hoped so.

"I guess you'll just have to make me, Cooler. Although, if you're still as weak as you were the last time you and Frieza sparred, you may want to reconsider. Despite what you may think, I didn't destroy your brother on a fluke. But you're about to find that out for yourself." The prince was completely confident and filled with elation. Finally, the battle he had been waiting for had arrived. Cooler wouldn't quite be the challenge that Frieza was - even Kakarott might have been able to defeat him with his odd kaioken technique - but he was still a Frost Demon of a high enough power level to merit personal attention.

Cooler grit his teeth and charged the prince, preparing a right cross for the prince's face. Vegeta ignited his pale blue aura, deflecting the attack with his left arm and responding with a hard right kick. His blow missed as Cooler vanished and re-appeared behind him with a knee to the back. The Saiyan was knocked forward a few steps, but turned around and quickly fired dual energy blasts from each hand, forcing the demon to dodge by flying up. From above, Cooler fired a death beam at Vegeta, but he merely smiled at the attack. Clenching his fist, he punched the beam dead on, sending it straight back at Cooler. Surprised, the frost demon prepared to flick his attack aside, but Vegeta teleported behind him. He hammered him forward with both elbows, causing him to collide with the death beam and burn his chest.

"Oh, ouch," Cooler mocked. "Very sneaky, Vegeta. I must admit you have some good moves. I can see how Frieza would have had trouble with you….well, at least in his first three forms. But you didn't actually think I could be hurt by an attack at that level, did you?"

"What's that, Cooler? Hah. Let's see – are you about to give me the speech about how you're only using a small portion of your true power? Sorry, but I've heard that one before." Vegeta was enjoying this more and more. "Of course you have," Cooler sneered. "Frieza loved bragging about how he only used a tiny fraction of his real power, the arrogant prick. That's probably how he ended up getting killed, but I'll provide you no such advantage."

Vegeta had enjoyed the warm-up, but he was getting eager to knock Cooler down a few pegs. Cooler wouldn't usually toy around with his opponents unless he was absolutely certain of his victory. The prince knew this, and it bothered him that Cooler wasn't taking him seriously.

"But I suppose that if you are so eager to skip right to the part where I kill you," Cooler laughed, "then that can be arranged." The demon clenched his fists at his sides, generating a purple aura, and began to power up. His power rose quickly, much faster than Frieza's had, but topped off at a significantly lower level.

"Bahaha," laughed the prince. "So it is true then. You're even weaker than Frieza! Hahaha!"

The icy tyrant scowled in frustration. "I've had enough of your arrogance, primate! AHHRGG!" He charged the prince, this time at speeds faster than Vegeta could follow, and released a barrage of attacks. The Saiyan was overwhelmed as he tried to block and was soon sent flying across the surface until he crashed, forming a massive crater. Cooler zipped over and hovered above, smiling down at his momentary victory. "I know that attack wasn't strong enough to finish you, so stop playing dead, Vegeta."

The rubble began to glow and Vegeta released an explosion that obliterated the rocks around him. The prince stood, his armor now slightly disheveled, and brushed off the dust. As he did so, he smiled. 'Yes, Cooler,' he thought to himself. 'Keep talking big. I just can't wait to see the look on your face when I transform.'

Cooler dashed forward again, this time kneeing Vegeta in the stomach, causing him to double over. "That's right, primate! Now feel my wrath!" Cooler kicked the Saiyan into the air, speeding past him to position himself for a hammering attack towards the ground. Just as he was about to strike, Vegeta pulled himself out of the fall by spinning around and facing Cooler. He was cunning. The prince had allowed himself to be struck in order to get a clear open shot at his opponent when he wasn't blocking. As he turned, the Prince quickly placed his hands forward.

The Galic Gun energy was usually purple, but this attack was a variation of his technique, the one which would have destroyed Frieza were it not for Kakarott's interference. The color of the energy was initially purple, but crackled with yellow lighting which melded with the attack, turning it deep orange.

"GALIC FLASH!" Vegeta shouted, launching his intense beam at Cooler from point blank range.

"What?" Cooler moved to block, but there wasn't time. He took the full explosive force of the Saiyan's blast, arcing backward to the ground below. Vegeta smiled. He loved the fact that he could humiliate Cooler like this, without even transforming. He had wondered how he would fare in the fight if he had been limited to his newly increased base strength. Despite the Frost Demon having a power level easily eight times his own, Vegeta continued to prove that his tactical skills in battle were unparalleled. He stared down, mocking Cooler with the same words the demon had used toward him just moments before.

"I know that attack wasn't strong enough to finish you, so stop playing dead, Cooler. Hah!" The ground beneath began to shake as Cooler angrily blasted the rubble off his body. His figure, which was dark purple with white plating, the opposite of Frieza's, showed obvious signs of wear from the blast.

"Well, well, Vegeta. I must say I am impressed. Your skill in battle has not been exaggerated. But sadly, if that's all the power you have, I'm afraid you don't stand a chance. You might get in a few well-planned attacks, but I can withstand all you have to offer."

The frost demon claimed to be above his brother's foolishness and arrogance, but the fight was proving that he was just as susceptible to such weaknesses. He continued. "You see, Vegeta, unlike my brother I actually know how to finish off an opponent without toying around. It's been a lark, fighting with someone at your level, but you have insulted me and my family's honor. While I may not have liked my brother, I won't allow you to step in and rule in his place."

Above his head, Cooler raised a finger. Almost immediately he formed a death ball of tremendous size, more than large enough to destroy the small moon. "Oh, and by the way, I can gather energy a lot faster than my brother. Now meet your end, miserable Saiyan!" Cooler hurled his sphere of energy towards Vegeta, eager to see if he would dodge it and try to escape or if he would foolishly try to block it. If he ran, Cooler knew he would still have enough time to execute the Saiyan and leave the moon's blast radius before its core exploded. Besides, his ship had already taken off safely into orbit.

Just as Cooler released the ball, laughing in his triumph, he caught a glimpse of the Saiyan's face. It was not at all what he expected. Rather than showing fear or panic, the prince was glowing with anticipation. The unnerving smile upon Vegeta's face turned into laughter just as the crackling orange energy ball reached him.

'THUUUM,' the energy ball crashed into the hands of Vegeta, driving him down into the dirt. Suddenly, the attack halted. From behind it, a golden-yellow light burst onto the horizon, illuminating the entire landscape as far as the eye could see. Abruptly, lightning began to crackle across the empty skyline, the moon trembling under the influence of some unbelievable power. "What!" Cooler exclaimed. Then he heard a loud shout, the voice of a legendary Saiyan warrior.

"Hey, Cooler – is this yours?" the Super Saiyan roared.

With only one hand blocking the Supernova, Vegeta cocked his right leg and punted the giant death ball straight at the frost demon, far faster than Cooler had originally launched it. The frost demon had no time whatsoever to react; he could only act on instinct. Firing a death beam straight into the blast, he caused it to detonate only a few meters from both him and Vegeta.

'KABOOM,' came the rumble of the explosion as it rippled across the moon's surface, silent shockwaves being carried off into space.

"Shields at maximum!" Oniya shouted, fearing the concussive waves from the blast would spell doom for everyone on board the Bringer of Death. The ship was expertly crafted, though, and handled the incoming tremors without difficulty. The crew sighed in relief, but they continued to watch in amazement. Vegeta was glowing with a golden radiance. "C47, see if your scanner can get a power reading on Lord Vegeta," Oniya ordered, still not believing her eyes. "And make sure you lower your sampling rate, or you'll probably overload and blow a circuit." As a scientist, she really wanted to put a number with what she was seeing.

"Statement: My sensors are indicating that the Master's power level is currently one hundred fifty five million. Unequivocally magnificent, especially when one considers that the other meatbag was only at eighty million." C47 relayed the news with a particular satisfaction. Oniya was shocked. "But – a Saiyan? The rumors must have really been true." The crew continued to watch in amazement.

Elsewhere in the galaxy, a pair of red eyes gazed in amazement at a dim viewscreen. The massive frost demon held his cup of dark wine carefully between his thumb and forefinger, twisting the glass and letting the liquid slosh from side to side.

"That's…impossible," he murmured. "This Saiyan is really something else, being able to catch such a large and concentrated ball of energy with ease. Now I'm beginning to see how he was really able to destroy my son." King Cold stood up in the darkness, feeling genuine concern for the life of his eldest child. "Ready my ship, captain."

The explosion ripped Cooler and Vegeta from their trajectories, hurling both backwards. However, Vegeta had not gone ten feet when he regained his balance midair and blocked the remaining incoming waves of energy. Cooler was not so lucky. He was flung across the landscape, crashing through cliffs and ground, skidding through painful, jagged rocks for miles. Vegeta gave a brief smile for the camera, sensing the huge drop in his foe's power level, and streaked across the horizon in a golden trail.

Cooler staggered as he tried to pick himself up. He had narrowly survived the blast that he himself had created. If not for his quick thinking he would have certainly died, yet there was a price for his survival. He felt weak; his energy had been cut nearly in half. He stood, still frustrated at how Vegeta had been able to catch his supernova. As he thought, a voice interrupted him above.

"Nice to see you're still alive, Cooler. I'm impressed one as fragile as you could survive an explosion like that." Vegeta's golden aura shimmered around him, his fiery blue-green eyes gleaming with excitement. "After all, if you died I can't imagine who would step up and rule your empire. Haha."

Cooler's eyes trembled as he tried to understand what he was looking at. Vegeta had transformed into something else entirely, and it was painfully unsettling. He grit his teeth and charged the Saiyan, determined to overwhelm this new form with his might.

Vegeta was ecstatic, and waited until the very last fraction of a millisecond to dodge Cooler's right hook. The ice tyrant's fist swung blindly through the air, the clumsy punch missing the far faster Super Saiyan, catching only the afterimage that his form left behind. He growled in anger. No one dodged his punches, ever. He had forgotten about the amount of extra energy lost when swinging a blow that didn't connect.

Vegeta quickly reappeared behind him, no longer content to let Cooler tire himself out on his own. So far, the prince had done nothing but block and dodge. Now, the prince of Saiyans was finally about to display his Super Saiyan might for all to see.

'THUUUM,' the prince kicked Cooler in the side of the head, nearly snapping the demon's neck. He crashed violently into the ground below, grasping at anything to try and slow his path through the hard rocks. He had never before experienced agony anywhere close to this. Having fought both his father and Frieza, he knew what pain felt like and had some limited experience fighting opponents slightly stronger than himself. This was completely different.

'CRUNCH.' Cooler had barely picked himself up when he felt a Super Saiyan fist shattering all the ribs on the right side of his body. He was totally helpless against the might of Vegeta. The demon coughed blood, trying his hardest to get his breath back. Although he didn't need air to survive, it was an important part of recovering energy after injuries.

"Whaa…" huff huff, "What are you?" The demon could barely form a sentence, and hoped he could get Vegeta to talk for a few moments while he tried to regain his strength.

The prince of Saiyans looked down at his pitiful opponent. "Clean yourself off, you're a disgrace." His opponent was staggering just to try to stand, but Cooler tried to brush the dust off himself and wipe the blood trickling down his side off. He looked back at up the prince, hoping this would satisfy him.

"You want to know what I am, Cooler? Yes, perhaps you're right. I suppose it is time to let you in on my secret. That is...you and everyone else watching."

"What are you talking about, Vegeta? Who else?"

"Oh, didn't you know?" Vegeta raised his right hand towards the sky, gesturing grandly in the direction of his vessel. "My ship has been watching our entire fight, and it is being broadcast live across my entire Planet Trade Empire! So far, I'd say you've made quite a fool of yourself, Cooler."

Suddenly realizing that his every action was being viewed by not only all his men and regents, but all of Frieza's as well and possibly even his father, Cooler quickly pulled himself together. "Ah, very clever of you, Vegeta. I suppose you planned on humiliating me in front of everyone, then?"

"Hahaha. Humiliate you? If that was my goal, I'd say you accomplished it for me all by yourself. You're pathetic, Cooler. At least your brother put up a decent fight before he died. You're so pitiful that I daresay you don't even warrant the honor of fighting a Super Saiyan!" The prince chuckled loudly, excitement growing in the increased projection of his voice. "Yes. That's right, Cooler. Haha! Did you hear that, everyone? I am the legendary warrior, the Super Saiyan the stories herald as the great doom of the universe, the strongest being to have ever lived!"

Vegeta flared his golden aura mightily, inviting the entire universe to bask in fear of his Super Saiyan glory. He could only imagine the outcries from across the universe, the shouts of disbelief and cries of terror. He would forever tip the scales of power away from the Frost Demons.

"You? A Super Saiyan?" Cooler stared at the Saiyan. "Hmm. Now I see how you were able to defeat my brother. Hahaha, I find that so ironic!" he shouted.

"Ironic? Perhaps the terror of your imminent death has made you lose your mind, fool," Vegeta snapped.

"You don't realize it, do you? Freiza destroyed your home planet because he was terrified of a Super Saiyan rising up to defeat him. But do you know why?" Cooler laughed again. "Haven't you ever wondered who planted the seed that led to your planet's destruction? Frieza was terrified because it was I who taunted him with the legend."

Cooler was screaming now, his words filled with defiance. "I told him that he was doomed for ever allowing your race to work for him. I mocked him constantly, warning him that leaving even one of you filthy primates alive would be foolish. So when he finally did it, it was because I told him to! I was always able to manipulate my little brother. And now, OF COURSE the one Saiyan he allowed to live would be the one to rise up against him! Hah!"

Vegeta was livid. "You were the one who told Frieza to annihilate my race?" he demanded.

"That's right, Prince Vegeta!" Cooler's voice was filled with sarcasm. "I was there and watched as he blew your planet to atoms. And look what good it did him. The one Saiyan in the universe that Frieza spared turned out to be the only one worth killing in the first place!"

"Frieza paid for his part in this, and now it's time that you pay for yours, Cooler!" Vegeta roared. "You have confessed that you were responsible for pushing Frieza to destroy my home, and now you had the audacity to think you would turn me into your little lapdog? Well, I've got news for you. The Prince of Saiyans bows to NO ONE!"

Vegeta rushed Cooler again, crippling his foe with a powerful uppercut. Cooler bled, a lot. He was done for, and everyone seemed to know it. Yet suddenly, the frost demon began to chuckle again. Soon, it grew into a full out laugh. "Hehe, hehehe, HAHA, bahahahaha!"

Vegeta crossed his arms, awaiting an explanation for his opponent's hysterics.

"Frieza always was competing with me, trying to beat me at everything. And for a while there, he definitely had the advantage. But then…it happened." Cooler stood tall, smiling at the prince even with a stream of blood still trickling down his chin. "As you know, I am currently in the third transformed state, my family's original form. But I found a fourth transformation beyond it! You should consider yourself fortunate, as you'll be the first one to ever see this form!" Cooler clenched his fists out at his sides, and began to tense his entire body. "First you will see, then you will DIE!"

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Thanks to everyone for your continued support! I hope you found part 16 to be an exciting start to the big fight. Closing out this chapter, I'd like to make a few special mentions. First, today is the birthday of my best friend and editor Davidstarlingm. I can't give him enough credit for how much he has done in helping bring this story to life. When I started out, chapters were around 1,000 words in length but with his help we have been able to increase them to an average of 3,500. Also, my birthday is this Saturday. Whooo! I'll be a quarter of a century. A third of my life is now over!

Now, as always, I'd like to try to respond personally to some of the comments recently posted.

Q. Actually, planet Vegeta's gravity is ten times that of earth, so training at ten times Vegeta-sei's gravity would be 100 g's of earth gravity.

A. Yes, I thought we made that relationship rather clear. Vegeta simply ordered his gravity chamber built where the standard unit of measurement is from his home planet rather than Earth. He would have no real reason to use Earth as his measuring stick for gravity, and the scientists are all familiar with planet Vegeta. They knew what he was asking. Therefore, it was intended in our writing that the reader understand we meant 350x Earth's gravity when we said he trained with the machine set on 35x gravity. I don't know if that was miscommunicated, but for anyone else who also had this question I hope my explanation here clarifies things.

Q. Wouldn't it be better to call Vegeta the King of all Saiyans?

A. A valid question. However, in DBZ canon Vegeta never claimed that title as his own, either. In order for him to be the King, he would need a group of his own people to rule over. He would need to be crowned King officially, but there are only three other Saiyans alive, including Gohan. Therefore, while he may deem himself Lord Vegeta or Ruler of Frieza's Empire, he will never claim to be the King of Saiyans because, sadly, that is a title he can never have.

Q. Cooler hiding his energy? I don't know he was capable of such a thing.

A. In the DBZ movie "Cooler's Revenge", he is able to suppress his ki signature. He snuck up on both Goku and Piccolo without detection, something he wouldn't have been able to do were he not hiding his energy. In contrast, the Z fighters sensed both Mecha Frieza and King Cold from space before they even arrived, commenting on the enormous power levels each possessed. It would be impossible for Cooler to have not been noticed were he not concealing his energy.

Q. ...I can't believe I never realized how much HK-47 and Vegeta would get along myself xD.

A. He will provide a great deal of comic relief, using his own twisted sense of enjoyment. Obviously, he is not an android such as Dr. Gero created, so he has no real fighting abilities or knowledge of ki. However, I have always thoroughly enjoyed his character and wanted to incorporate him however possible. I don't imagine he will have any key role other than providing colorful feedback on battles or making Vegeta chuckle. Still, I'm glad to hear you like HK and I hope it isn't too cheesy