"Gohan, I want you to be careful out there... You're all we've got..." A single tear rolled down Bulma's face in this time of desperation.
Gohan wiped the tear off of her face, "Don't worry, Bulma. I've seen the worst things a person can see, and I don't want it to happen again.. I'll do everything I can to save this timeline."
"Okay..." her mood lightened up, "Just be sure to tell my past self to watch what she eats more! I don't want her to end up like me!"
"Oh, Bulma.. I'm gonna miss that attitude of yours," Gohan smirked as he opened the door to the time machine.
"Please come back, Gohan..."
The time machine door closed.
Mecha Frieza and King Cold had arrived on Earth sometime earlier this present day. They stood in front of their spaceship with their small army of grunts and soldiers, eyeing down the various Z Fighters.
"Little boy!" Frieza pointed to Gohan, still just a child, "I thought you would huddle back to your mommy after what you saw on Namek! Clearly, the life of fighting isn't the life for you... nor is it the life of your father..."
"You take that back, creep! My father was an amazing fighter! He was able to defeat you, after all!" Gohan rebuttled angrily.
"Ah, but alas your father's luck is the only thing that outweighs his dimwitted behavior... Once a monkey, always a monkey.. A shiny new coat of fur doesn't change a thing," Frieza immediately replied, sophisticated in a certain manner, but condescending to an unimaginable degree at the same time.
"And you'll always be a cruel, cowardly monster! Your new makeshift body won't change that! If you really thought you were high and mighty, then you wouldn't have had to bring your father and his goons with you here. You would have faced us by yourself, like how my father would have! And since he's not here, I'll do this on his behalf! Masenko, ha!" Gohan quickly charged a Masenko beam, hoping to make it fast enough for Frieza to not be able to appropriately react.
Frieza smacked the beam with his tail, not undoing the crosses in his arms. The entire beam was reflected right back to he and the others. Gohan quickly dashed to the left to dodge it, grabbing Bulma on his way. As he stood back up, he realized he didn't quite have all the power he had talked himself up to have. Gohan was trying very hard to hide his fear, despite the fact that he was drowning in his own self-pity and worries.
The deadly combination of Frieza and King Cold reminded him of Vegeta and Nappa some time ago, their gruntish soldiers being the equivalent to their Saibamen.. He recalled being on Namek, not being protected by his father and having to face the wrath and power of the Ginyu Force.. Though when things got tough, his father always came through and saved him. Having been recently told that his father was alive and on his way back to Earth, he couldn't help but wonder how much longer he'd have to wait for Goku to rush in and save them all like he was known to do.
"I will give your father one thing... For a monkey, he was definitely a modest one.. He never seemed to boast about his power, unlike you.. You, on the other hand, are a cocky little bugger who doesn't know his own strength! You should think before you talk up a big game, child," Frieza stated, pointing his metallic finger at Gohan, "And no one likes an arrogant person, do they? Hehehe... Die!" Frieza shot a death beam straight at Gohan.
Gohan, not being able to react quick enough due to his shock, stared as the beam darted toward him almost instantly. Gohan covered his face, bracing for the impact of the blast. He could feel the heat coming off of the pure energy that Frieza had so easily shot from his index finger without second thought.
A large hand grabbed the death beam and deflected it toward the skies.
Father? Gohan thought. He slowly removed his arms from his face to see who, or what had just saved his life.
The man was a tall, built fighter with black hair. He was wearing an orange gi similar to how he knew Goku to wear, except with a Capsule Corporation logo on the back instead of a typical kanji symbol that usually belonged to a martial artist's master. He could not yet see the figher's face.
"You call that fast?" the fighter asked.
In what seemed to be a nanosecond, the fighter was immediately in front of Frieza with his palm on his stomach. A small blue ball of ki began to charge in the fighter's right hand. As the ball began to expand, everyone around him could feel his power skyrocketing. Frieza felt overwhelmed by the power, and in pure shock did not move. As a precaution, the fighter had firmly placed his left hand on the fighter's right shoulder, gripping him into place.
"Ka.. me..." The figher began.
"No! Not this!" Frieza exclaimed in pure terror. He began to further examine the fighter who was charging the blast that was about to utterly destroy him. He identified the blue aura the blast was producing as a Kamehameha, and recalled Goku using it back on Namek. He looked into the figher's eyes, knowing that he had met this person before, "This can't be!"
"Ha... me..." Gohan continued, his voice rising in volume.
"Father! Do something! This youth is not a joke!" Frieza shouted with a very noticeable tone of desparation and fear in his voice. Once more, Frieza had been humbled.
King Cold rushed toward the two as the figher prepared to launch the finishing blast. The fighter knew that he had to put all he had into this blast if he wished to defeat the newly-rebuilt galactic tyrant with one move, and didn't want to have to prematurely launch it.
As he rushed toward the scene, he began to charge up a mighty punch, one that could quickly be summoned, but powerful enough to surely interrupt the fighter's ki charging. His eyes fixed on his struggling son, he left himself open for a surprise halt.
"No fair! If my dad can't interfere, then neither can you, King Cold, you big bully!" Gohan screamed as he struggled to keep King Cold's fist from going any further. His feet created mass friction on the ground below him.
"Agh! Learn your place, fool!" King Cold shouted, masking the fact that he knew he was legitimately in trouble at this point.
"My place is here on Earth, defending my friends!" Gohan argued, "Raaaah!" Gohan twisted King Cold's wrist and pushed him back a good distance and onto the ground.
Gohan glanced back at the fighter. His ball of ki was ever-growing. He had gotten a headache some moments ago from feeling his massive power, a power he hadn't witnessed in a long time. He dashed back to King Cold, knowing that the fighter was waiting for Gohan to leave the area before releasing the blast.
"HAAAA!" The Kamehameha blast that the fighter had been charging up was finally released onto Frieza, obliderating him almost instantly.
"Stand back," the young Gohan said firmly as he walked toward King Cold. Still not sure exactly who he was, he trusted the tall man after sensing his enormous power.
The fighter had been watching Gohan closely the entire time. He was amazed at his power for such a young boy, astonished by his initiative he took when his father wasn't around to save the day, and in awe at his innocence and focus on saving innocent people, all bottled up in such a small body.
Additionally, the other Z Fighters had been watching the fight from a safer distance. As badly as Vegeta wanted to be the one to defeat Frieza this time around, he knew that this was no joke. He, Piccolo, Yamcha, Tien, Krillin, and the others simply watched in amazement at this brutal fight that was unfolding before their very eyes. All that they had done was defeat the additional goons that came along with the father-son duo on their ship earlier on, as to keep the fight simple.
"You know what it's like to have a son, King... How does it feel to have just witnessed your son be destroyed in the blink of an eye? How does it feel to know that I, just a small child, could do the very same to you if I was so inclined? Do you feel humbled? Do you feel scared?" Gohan heroically, but sadistically spoke to King Cold.
"Ha! You think you could defeat the mighty King Cold!? Don't even get me started, brat! I've fought Tuffles stronger than you!" King Cold said in an arrogant tone.
King Cold greatly resembled Frieza in his second form at this point. Tall, muscular, and horned. Gohan recalled flashbacks from Namek. The beatings Frieza tossed him in this terrifying form. Rage overflowed his spirit, however he was somewhat at peace knowing that Frieza was gone once and for all.
Gohan turned around to face the fighter, "I appreciate you saving me, but a part of me wishes that I could be the one to defeat Frieza.. But thank you."
The fighter remained silent for the moment. He didn't quite want to tell the young Gohan the truth just yet, "I understand... You're a great fighter for your age. Never stop your training... Gohan."
"Wha!? How do you know my name?" Gohan's tone quickly changed from serious to confused. King Cold watched their discussion, allowing it to continue as he collected himself.
"You don't need to know that right now. You may have missed your chance on Frieza today, but I'll let you take King Cold. He's definitely someone you could deal with... He isn't half as strong as your father," the fighter told Gohan, hoping to boost his confidence even more.
He knows my dad, too... This guy is really something.. Gohan thought to himself, "Thanks, but I'm done with him. He isn't worth my time. You can take him," Gohan smugly said as he walked away from King Cold.
"What!? Surely you can't be serious, child! Though I suppose that's the excuse I would use if I was too afraid to fight someone as well..." King Cold countered. Gohan stopped in his place. King Cold continued, "For such a small boy you really do have a big head. First you talked up a storm, saying how you could defeat my son, only to have yourself saved by your little bodyguard.. Were it not for him, you would be as dead as your pathetic father."
"My father is still alive, for your information! And he may not be perfect, but he's a much better father than you!" Gohan argued.
"Do I look like I'm trying to win Father of the Year to you, little boy? I'm just here to defend my dying empire... I knew I shouldn't have sent Frieza to destroy the Saiyans... If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself, they always say... Frieza kept babbling to me about how your father was a Super Saiyan, but I personally never believed him.. That whole thing is just a myth! I won't believe it until I see it."
"Oh, really?" the fighter sarcastically asked, "I guess I'll make a believer out of you, then..."
The fighter squatted slightly as he clenched his fists and began to summon all the power he had inside of him, "Haaaaaaaaa!"
The fighter had became a Super Saiyan right in front of everyone's eyes.
Gohan stood in amazement. The only Super Saiyan he had ever seen was his father. This man proved to be one thing after another, seemingly.
Piccolo, Krillin, and the others likewise were in a state of awe. This was something they had not ever seen. This amazing power that they had heard of since they had gotten back to Earth was finally physically in front of them. They were in almost as much shock as King Cold, who was breathless at the sight of a mighty hero of legend.
Vegeta fell to his knees. How could this happen? Two Super Saiyans? He was the prince, and two random Saiyans had reached his saught after form before him. His shame was slowly consuming him.
"Do you believe yet, Cold? Or do you need some more convincing that this a truly astounding form?"
