Neiz and Dore laughed as they threw the unconscious body of Krillin back and forth like a football. They were waiting for Cooler to return, and figured they might as well have some fun. Salza sulked in a dark corner of the ship, watching the unconscious monk fly through the air.

"How childish..." Salza grumbled. Dore caught Krillin by the face and turned to look at his captain.

"Come on, stop moping," Dore chuckled. Neiz held out his his hands to signal for another throw and Krillin spiralled into his grasp.

"We've already screwed up the mission, mon amie. Monsieur Cooler will not be pleased when he returns," Salza scowled. Dore shrugged, cocking an eyebrow as Neiz held Krillin upside down by the ankle.

"We captured the target, and got rid of other interferences. I don't see any reason why he should be upset, " Dore argued. Salza sighed and put his head in his hand. He couldn't say for sure about Dore's opponent, but his was certainly alive. He doubted that he was done for very long either, he only roughed him up a little bit. He was sure to come after them.

"Us raising our power levels was sure to alert le singe of our presence here. It would certainly throw a wrench in Monsieur Cooler's attempts at negotiation," Salza rebutted. Dore rolled his eyes and turned back to Neiz.

"Hey, what're you doing, Neiz?" The beppan wrestler asked. Neiz looked up from his scrutinziation of Krillin.

"Aren't these things generally supposed to have a nose?" Neiz asked, spinning Krillin around to present. Dore laughed at the realization.

"Well, the one Salza did in had three eyes, maybe they're just mutants or something," Dore suggested. Salza, truthfully, couldn't care less what was wrong with the earthlings. He merely longed for the day he could be free of these idiots, and free of Cooler's wretched grip. It was at that moment that a 'HISS' sounded and the ramp of the ship lowered.

Cooler walked in, holding the saiyan child by his tail, with a look of mild disappointment. Neiz sprout a nervous grin and proceeded to drop Krillin on the floor. Their hands quickly folded themselves behind their back as the zaltan stood to attention. Cooler turned to face Dore, who quickly stood to attention as well.

"Dore, tell me if you would, the definition of discretion," The tyrant asked coolly. Dore went pale, and shifted in place while looking at the floor.

"It's, ya know, being all sneaky and the like," Dore answered. Cooler nodded slowly, despite the lackluster answer.

"And tell me, Dore, what part of engaging this planet's defenders in an all out brawl in the middle of it's most populated city is discreet?" Cooler inquired.

"Er, none of it, sir?" Dore said, almost as if asking a question than giving an answer. Neiz looked nervously at Salza, who still sat lazily on a wooden crate. Salza mouthed 'told you so' at his subordinate.

"That's right, Dore, none of it," Cooler agreed. He held up two of his digits and held them very close together, "I was this close to getting the information out of that monkey, the compassionate fool. Now he's most likely drowned in a river. You'd do well to hope I'm able to get answers out of these two," He growled, gesturing to Krillin and Gohan.

"Yes, sir." Dore answered, saluting to his lord. Cooler then turned to Salza.

"And you, Salza. I'd expected better from you. Keep better control of your men next time," Cooler instructed. Salza saluted the arcosian as well.

"Oui, monsieur, mes excuses," Salza said in return. Cooler didn't quite understand Salza's native language, but after commanding him for so long he got the gist of the statement.

"Follow me to the interrogation room," Cooler commanded, walking steadfast through the corridors of his ship. The Armored Squadron promptly stood and followed him. The interrogation room was a standard rectangular room, with a few shackles made out of a rare steel. This specific steel absorbed kinetic energy and tightened the more the prisoner tried to break free. Rather useful for powerful beings like the ones they had captured. Cooler handed Gohan off to Neiz who proceeded to shackle the half-saiyan child. Dore did the same with Krillin.

"Wake them up," Cooler commanded. Salza leaned down and smacked Gohan across the face a few times until the boy roused. Dore took a much more rudimentary approach and kicked Krillin directly in the stomach. He woke up sputtering and gasping for breath. Slowly Krillin's vision cleared, and he looked directly up at Cooler. A look of fear struck across his face. The monk then looked to his right to find Gohan struggling in his chains.

"That will not work, petit singe. You are just going to make it harder for yourself," Salza explained. Gohan scowled at the brench warrior.

"I knew you weren't trustworthy," Gohan said, looking Cooler in the eyes. Cooler smirked at the boy.

"Smart of you, boy," Cooler admitted. He turned slowly to Krillin, who had fearful eyes. "You, earthling, are supposed to be dead. Explain to me how it is that you aren't," Cooler instructed.

"Well I'm obviously alive, and a dead man can't be alive," Krillin countered with a nervous look. Cooler was not amused. With vicious speed the tyrant's tail snapped across Krillin's face, and crimson blood sprayed from his cheek.

"I know my brother killed you worm, so how is it you draw breath?" Cooler demanded.

"I don't know, have you tried asking God?" Krillin asked. Cooler looked down at the human with a sneer. His irises shone blue, and concentrated ki beams erupted from his eyes and burned into Krillin's chest.

"Krillin!" Gohan cried in surprise as his friend screamed in agony. Krillin slumped further down in his shackles, breathing heavily with gritted teeth. Smoke still arose from his chest, the smell of burned flesh and fabric filling the room.

"I don't have time for this, worm," Cooler seethed. He turned to Gohan, his glare turning much deeper. Gohan tried to look away. His eyes were so similar to that of his brother's. They were so cruel, and so cold. Cooler's eyes were different from Frieza's, faintly. Frieza's eyes were filled with arrogance and cruelty. Cooler's gaze, while threatening, was also rather empty.

"Gohan, I'll make this simple for you. Tell me of what abilities this planet harbors for life renewal, and stay loyal under my service, and I won't destroy the Earth," Cooler bargained. Cooler truly saw no need to destroy the planet itself. It seemed rich in resources, and clearly had the ability to harbor strong warriors aside from the ones that had found asylum from other planets. Son Goku, he would have to make certain was dead, of course. As well as those two saiyans that had destroyed his family. Not out of any sense of revenge, of course, merely to curb any sort of resistance powerful enough to oppose him.

Gohan looked to Krillin for guidance, but the injured man had no wisdom for him. Gohan knew he couldn't trust Cooler with the power of the dragon balls. He almost believed that Earth would be better off destroyed than Cooler have their power in his possession. Gohan knew better, though. Maybe if he was working under Cooler, he could eventually grow powerful enough to defeat him. Maybe he could stage an insurrection. Gohan could work to constantly undermine him and work to make sure there were as few casualties as possible in Cooler's empire. The half-saiyan child steeled his tongue, and looked Cooler directly in his cold, empty eyes.

"They're called the dragon balls..."

Tenshinhan had followed carefully behind the Armored Squadron, sure to keep his presence hidden. Cooler had landed his ship in the Northern Wastelands for ease of access to Cold's transport. Tenshinhan was currently perched on the edge of a plateau, observing the ship. He couldn't sense anything inside of it. Cooler's men had hidden their power levels once again, and Krillin was still unconscious.

"This is a shitty situation," Tenshinhan muttered. He had no plan of attack. He couldn't take the Armored Squadron on all by his lonesome, and he certainly wouldn't be able to handle Cooler once he showed up. He couldn't necessarily alert Goku or Piccolo without drawing his enemies out to himself. He would have gone straight to one of them, but he didn't know what would happen to Krillin. He couldn't take a chance on his life.

In that moment he sensed a sequence of events. He noticed Goku's energy spike, and a strong, malevolent energy soar in quick succession. In a moment, Goku and Gohan's signature disappeard, and the malevolent energy lowered itself.

"That's not good," Tenshinhan muttered. In a matter of minutes a figure that he could only assume to be Cooler sped by. Dangling from his grasp was the unconscious form of Gohan. Tenshinhan sneered, his fists clenched until white bone knuckles shone through. Now that Gohan was on the line as well, he had absolutely no time to spare.

"Looks like I'm going to have to put some old skills to use," Tenshinhan sighed. He leaped down from the plateau, and rolled into a standing position once he touched ground. He sprinted to the ship, and slid against the sand until he had reached next to the ramp. He quickly pulled himself under the ramp and listened in. They were taking them to some sort of interrogation room. As Tenshinhan began to sneak aboard the ship, he heard an angry growl.

A small purple dragon was hovering just above the ground, approximately fifty feet away from him. Tenshinhan thought he'd heard Krillin mention something about this beforehand. Something about Gohan managing to garner a dragon as a pet. The dragon must have witnessed his friend being taken, and followed him here. Tenshinhan motioned from the dragon to keep quiet. Icarus squawked indignantly and landed on the ground, beginning to stalk his way closer towards the ship. Tenshinhan attempted to signal the dragon to stop.

"I'm going in to save, Gohan. You stay here," The former assassin instructed. Icarus huffed, a black plume of smoke drifting from his nose, and continued towards the ramp. Tenshinhan shook his head in disbelief and stepped ahead of the dragon.

"Fine, just be quiet," Tenshinhan instructed. He and Icarus made not a noise as they stalked aboard Cooler's ship.

Yajirobe hummed contentedly as he bounded through the forest. The tail of a sabertooth was coiled around his wrist, the dead beast being roughly dragged behind him. It was his most recent catch, and his plan for dinner. Yajirobe ceased his step as he recognized something familiar floating down the river.

"Huh? What is that?" Yajirobe muttered to himself. He shuffled closer to see the object that was being taken away by the currents. It was orange with a white circle in the middle, bordered with black and a strange symbol lying stitched in the center. If Yajirobe's memory served him correctly, he'd only seen that symbol once before.

"Hey, Goku, whatcha doing? Takin' a swim?" The ronin asked. Goku continued to float down the river and Yajirobe huffed in annoyance. "What're you ignoring me? Jeez, you saiyans sure do have strong lungs," He commented. Yajirobe stood there for a few seconds, just watching his friend float away. Then he stood there for a few seconds more. After just a few more seconds, Yajirobe saw the gruesome wound that adorned Goku's right shoulder blade. This is when he put the pieces together. Yajirobe shouted in surprise and worry as he scrambled to haul Goku out of the river, dropping the sabertooth in the process.

"Guh, I don't know CPR, Goku!" Yajirobe announced, in a panic he swung his blade from its sheathe. He'd never been great at the whole ki control thing, unless he used his sword as a focus for the energy. He channeled some energy into the sword's kashira and slammed it directly into Goku's sternum. The energy pulsed into Goku's heart, jostling it into action, and he sat up sputtering. Within seconds the saiyan man was retching, the water he'd swallowed being expelled from his lungs and stomach.

"Y-yajirobe, where am I?!" Goku asksd frantically through his process. Yajirobe scooted away from him to give some space.

"Uh, we're kinda close to your place, Goku. This river let's out from that spot you always liked to fish in." Yajirobe explained. Goku took a few seconds to observe his surroundings and found that they were, indeed, familiar. A few miles off from his home. For him to have floated that far, however; it would have to have taken a while. It was a wonder he hadn't completel. It was times like this Goku was glad he was a member of a warrior race.

"Gohan!" Goku shouted in realization. Cooler was in possession of his son, and he'd been unconscious in a river for am indeterminate amount of time

"What's goin' on Goku?" Yajirobe asked. Goku clutched his wound and hissed in pain.

"Frieza's brother Cooler is here and he kidnapped Gohan and Krillin!" Goku shouted, "Do you have any senzu beans?" Goku asked frantically. Yajirobe pulled a small sack of beans out of his belt.

"Yeah, sure," Yajirobe answered, handing the bag to him. Goku wrangled a bean from the depths of the bag and popped it into his mouth. The wound he'd suffered from Cooler's attack knit itself back together in moments. Goku tied the bag closed once more and tucked it into his shirt.

"I can't sense anyone's energy...they're all keeping on the down low, which means Instant Transmission isn't an option," Goku scowled. He nodded quickly at Yajirobe before he braced his legs and blasted into the sky.

"Wait, Goku, my beans!" Yajirobe yelled in vain, as all that was left of the man was his glistening white slipstream. "What the hell is a Frieza?"

Piccolo touched down in the Northern Wastelands, grunting in annoyance as he did, in fact, see another spaceship from the Cold Empire settled amongst the rocks. He had felt a sudden blip of energy in the mesosphere before it suddenly disappeared. More malevolent aliens was the obvious answer, but he had a suspicion it was remnants of the Planetary Trade coming to snoop around for their missing leaders.

Lo and behold when the last of the triumvirate, the very Cooler himself entered the ship carrying Piccolo's disciple. He'd felt the sudden spike in Son's energy on his way to the Wastelands, and this must have been the outcome. Piccolo was not a stealthy person by any means. He was a smart fighter, sure, but even so he still preferred to face his challenges head on in bouts of strength. That's why he smirked as he saw Tenshinhan and Icarus deftly sneak upon Cooler's ship.

"Well, they could use a distraction," Piccolo announced. He clenched his fists, and flexed his forearms as he bared his power for all to feel. The way Cooler and his goons were operating, he was sure they could sense energy. Just for flare, however, he decided to let loose a roar of exertion.

"There's one a ya!" Goku said as he flashed into existence next to Piccolo. Piccolo merely grunted, it was going to take him a while to get used to that technique. "Couldn't get a read on anyone's energy, so I was having a hard time finding where the fight was. What's the sitch?" Goku asked.

"Tenshinhan is retrieving Gohan. We..." Piccolo pointed at Cooler, who floated from the ship's interior, his tail lazily swinging back and forth. Neiz and Dore followed him out, standing on either side of their Lord, "Are going to fight them," Piccolo explained. Goku chuckled as he rotated his shoulder, loosening up his muscles.

"Good! That Cooler guy got me by surprise, he sure is strong! I guess I should expect that from Frieza's brother," Goku smirked. Piccolo merely grunted as he stared down the sinister aliens.

"My, my, you monkeys are quite hard to kill," Cooler chuckled. Goku clenched his fist, and rocketed towards Cooler from the ground. His fist swung through the air with incredible speed, and landed directly in Cooler's hand. Cooler smirked as he held on to his opponent's fist. "Now this isn't the might that killed my brother. Where's your Super Saiyan power, Son Goku?" Cooler mocked. Goku smirked and tore his fist free, and span around for a kick aimed at the arcosian's temple. Cooler dodged under the leg and grabbed Goku by his ankle, flinging the saiyan through the air.

"Super Saiyan? Nah, you're not as strong as Frieza, I dont think I need that," Goku explained. Cooler's eyes narrowed at the comparison to his brother. The same one his father had made so many times before. The same one he'd killed soldiers and servants for making. Goku gave a quick shout as a crimson aura burst to life around his body. "Kaioken Times Ten!" He declared. Cooler's eyes widened in a mite of surprise as the saiyan's power suddenly rose. Goku dashed forwards and planted a fist in Cooler's sternum. Cooler wheezed slightly, not prepared for the sudden accumulation of power Goku had acquired. Cooler slammed his fists down, intent on caving in Goku's skull, but Goku moved his head in the nick of time.

"Fine then, monkey, I will show you the peak of this form's power," Cooler snarled. His muscles bulged and veins popped ever so slightly as he raised his natural form's power to it's limits.

Goku smiled.

"Should've known you were holding back, guess I'll have to amp it up a bit! Kaioken...Times Twenty!" Goku hollered as the crimson aura flared like a fire that was fed kerosene.

Piccolo faced Neiz and Dore, the two members of the Armored Squadron snickering violently at their foe.

"Oi, look at this, Neiz, a Namek," Dore jabbed a thumb over at Piccolo, who glared at him unimpressed. Neiz slapped his knee in laughter.

"I guess Frieza must have missed one!" Neiz guffawed. Piccolo sighed as he pulled his turban off of his head and let it fall to the ground.

"Hey, catch," Piccolo said, removing his cape and tossing it to Dore. Dore, bemused, held out his arms for the cape. As the weight of the cloth landed in his hands, he lost his balance and plummeted a few feet in the air.

"Hey, what?" Dore asked.

"Dore, look out!" Neiz warned. The shout gave Dore barely enough time to drop the cape and dodge the golden bolt of energy that was hurled at him.

"Oh you're rude, Namek," Dore growled. He roared and rushed Piccolo. Piccolo dodged out of the way and sunk a sharp kick into the beppan's back, hurling him away. He turned towards Neiz and swiped at the zaltan's face with his claws. Neiz's head suddenly disappeared.

"What?" Piccolo asked angrily. Neiz's head reappeared and he laughed before forming a ball of energy and slamming it into Piccolo's jaw. Piccolo jumped away and rubbed at his burned flesh. This gave Dore the perfect opportunity to close in and hammer a blow into Piccolo's ribcage. Piccolo gasped for air as the attack winded him. He roared as yellowish energy burst forth from his body, colliding with both of his attackers and sending them flying across the wastelands.

Goku and Cooler were more or less evenly matched. The difference in their powers was so minute that it hardly mattered. Goku was far more martially adept than his opponent, but the Kaioken was a hamper on his body. What Cooler lacked in skill, he made up for in ruthlessness. His fists hammered away at Goku's defenses, the saiyan finding it harder and harder to dodge the fierce blows as the Kaioken wore away at his muscles. Goku ducked under a brutal swing and leaped backwards. He forced himself into a backbend to dodge the sudden Death Beam that Cooler had fired. Goku had noticed throughout their fighting that Cooler was far more adept than Frieza at energy manipulation, which was proving to be quite a pain.

"Kamehameha!" Goku roared as he quickly cupped his hands together and released the azure beam of energy. Cooler sneered and sidestepped the beam, watching as the energy dissipated in the distance. Cooler scoffed at the attempt, but looked back in realization that his foe was already charging another attack. The same blue energy was already pulsating within his hands, now blazing with a crackling red.

"The Kaioken may become obsolete for me in not too long, gotta pump it to it's full potential!" Goku shouted. "Kaioken Kamehameha!" The violent orb of energy was released from his hands in a rampaging beam of destruction. Cooler's eyes narrowed and he attempted to dodge out of the way, but the Kaioken had heightened the speed beyond what he had expected. It crashed into his side and broke off parts of his natural armor, searing bits of the sensitive flesh beneath. The energy disappeared and Cooler was left hanging in the air, clutching his side where blackened scorch marks had been left.

"Alright then, monkey, enough playing around. Let me show you what my brother could never achieve!" Cooler exclaimed. Goku stared pensively, easing back into the traditional Turtle School fighting stance as Cooler began to power up. The arcosian lord's body underwent a complete metamorphosis. The bone-like natural plating he had crackled and expanded, sharp fin like protrusions jutting out from his forearms and legs. Blue gems akin to those adorning his cranium dug their way out from under the bone. The armor around his shoulders grew upwards, and that around his skull grew outwards into four dangerous spikes. The blood red of his irises bled through and encompassed his entire sclera as his canines elongated. Finally, a boney ventilated mask shot up and covered his mouth.

"This is the true evolution of our people. Prepare to die," Cooler said in a cold voice, reverberating and deepened by the mask.

Tenshinhan smiled as he felt Piccolo's power rise and Goku appear. A diversionary tactic, common in his trade. Though, they didnt usually fight them head on if it could be helped. Really, he supposed it couldn't. He felt Goku clash with Cooler, and Piccolo with Dore and Neiz. That left one unaccounted for, Salza. Tenshinhan saw him just around a corner stalking down a corridor of the ship.

"Ah, I suppose I should check on the prisoners," Salza announced, he took a few steps before turning into a room. Tenshinhan sighed and turned towards Icarus, the chubby dragon looking up at him.

"This is definitely a trap," Tenshinhan quietly admitted to Icarus. Icarus craned his neck to look down the corridor, then looked back to Tenshinhan and nodded. The three eyed man sighed, "I suppose we have no choice, I'll distract Salza and you get Gohan and Krillin," Tenshinhan instructed. The two of them crept down the hallway, lingering around the edge of the doorway. In a fluid combination Tenshinhan burst into view as Icarus scurried around him.

"Dodonpa Ray!" Tenshinhan cried, the thin beam of golden energy springing from his finger. Salza easily deflected the ray, and kicked Icarus aside.

"You are sneaky, three-eyes. The scaled beast, however, has claws that make a rather interesting noise against the metal floor of the ship," Salza said. He stretched his arm outwards, and a violent, jagged purple blade of energy covered his upper arm and hand. Before Tenshinhan could react, Salza spun backwards and carved through the air with his blade of ki.

"No!" Tenshinhan cried, pleading for Gohan and Krillin to survive. Salza turned back towards him, bladed hand still bared. Tenshinhan watched as his friends' shackles clattered to the floor. Icarus scurried over and gathered the back of Gohan's shirt in his mouth and hooked Krillin's shirt onto to one of his horns. The dragon began to fly them out, and Salza made no attempt to stop him.

"Let us do battle, guerrier de la terre," Salza said. Tenshinhan took up the stance of the Crane School, and Salza dove at him. Tenshinhan stepped backwards, and the blade grazed his cheek. The wound was instantly cauterized by the heat of the blade and Tenshinhan hissed in pain. He caught Salza in the side of the neck with a chop, but the blue skinned brench warrior dodged out of the way of the knee he threw.

"You're stronger than anyone I've ever fought before, I'm going to need a little boost," Tenshinhan admitted. He covered his arm with ki and deflected Salza's blade. He planted his feet and grit his teeth as veins bulged in his forehead.

"Kaioken Times Three!" The triclops shouted, and a blazing red fist struck Salza square in the nose. Salza stumbled back, blinking tears out of his eyes. Before he recovered, two more blows landed in his ribcage. Salza grunted and shot out a kick that collided with Tenshinhan's forearms, sending the Crane School student skittering back across the floor. Salza held out his other hand and with a flash of violet another blade of ki erupted from his arm. Salza burst into action, dangerous slashes carving through the air. They grazed Tenshinhan's skin but never cut too deep. He stepped through an attack and right into Salza's guard. Tenshinhan reared his head back and smashed it into Salza's own.

"Merde!" Salza spat. He stood en pointe and held his arms out on either side of him. Then he began to spin rapidly at Tenshinhan like a killer top. In a moment of surprise and panic Tenshinhan braced his arms in front of himself. He cried out in pain as the blades slashed through his forearms. He dropped his guard and Salza's attack cut a deep wound across Tenshinhan's abdomen. Tenshinhan fell back against the corridor wall opposite the interrogation room doorway.

"Any last words, earthling?" Salza asked, spinning to a stop overtop of the fallen warrior. There was a strange look in his eyes, almost as if he regretted the actions he was taking. Tenshinhan looked him dead in the eye.

"You don't want to do this, do you?" Tenshinhan asked. The question caught Salza off guard, and the brench warrior looked at him with mild bemusement. "You're Cooler's top dog, but I can only guess it's because you're the strongest he found, and you saw yourself having no other choice. I can see it, I've been there before," Tenshinhan reminisced. He was after all, the strongest student of the Crane School. A place he only existed at because otherwise he would starve on the streets, homeless and without family. He'd been conditioned for murder and cruelty, because that was the path Shen held a lantern out over in a world of darkness.

"Pah, these are your last words? Lamenting on what I could have been? As long as I am the strongest, Cooler will have me to live another day." Salza explained, "I am diplomat and warrior, I speak over seven thousand galactic tongues and not yet have I been felled in battle. Perhaps it is not a glamorous life, perhaps not the one I envisioned as a child, but it is one where I am alive" Salza continued. Tenshinhan nodded along as he spoke.

"You know, I do have one last word for you Salza," He admitted. Salza raised an eyebrow in query. Quickly, Tenshinhan raised his hands into a triangle formation, and gazed into through his third eye, his mind's eye. He locked on to Salza and poured his very spirit into the attack, "TRI-BEAM!" The energy crackled around his fingers and blasted forth in pure concussive force. Salza was flung backwards with a yell of agony and directly through the back wall which was utterly eradicated. Tenshinhan watched as the warrior's body dropped from the sky and tumbled to the grounds below.

"That shouldn't have killed you. Perhaps once we've dealt with Cooler, you can live your own life," Tenshinhan grunted. He pushed himself up against the wall and shambled through the corridors of Cooler's ship. Goku had given him another chance all those years ago, and it was his time to bestow that gift upon someone else.

Goku was, quite frankly, looking a little worse for wear. The kaioken had faded away and his body was covered in bruises and scrapes. Piccolo was holding his ground, but fighting against two foes he had to stay on the defensive, and found it hard to land any blows on his tricky opponents.

"Where's your Super Saiyan might, monkey? Show me the power that killed my brother!" Cooled yelled. The arcosian lord's fists hammered against Goku at all sides. Goku gasped for breath as the wind was repeatedly knocked from his lungs. He attempted to land a kick to Cooler's side but his leg was caught by his opponent. Cooler laughed maniacally as he swung Goku into a rocky outcropping like a club, digging a gruesome rut in the side of the formation. He let go of Goku's leg and let the man crawl out of the rubble he'd created.

"Leave my daddy alone! Masenko ha!" A voice called. Cooler turned his head to see Gohan racing towards him on Icarus's back, hands raised above his head gathering energy. The beam was released and crashed into the side of Cooler's face. A crack formed in his mask showing off a wicked grin from Cooler.

"Perfect timing!" Cooler exclaimed. He whipped his hand out towards Gohan, each finger sparkling with angry lavender energy. Five Death Beams were released from Cooler's hand and Icarus began to fly away, but it was clear he wouldn't be fast enough.

"Gohan, no!" Goku called angrily. Cooler growled as the beams were deflected into the air, sailing harmlessly into the atmosphere. Before him Goku stood once more, hair held aloft with golden energy. His icy cold glare met with Cooler's angry red. "Get ready, Cooler!" Goku cried. He dashed forwards and caught Cooler's jaw with a colossal right hook. The already cracked mask shattered into splinter pieces of white and Cooler roared in anger. Cooler threw an uppercut and Goku pushed it aside.

"That's it!" Cooler cried. His entire body crackled with black and red energy, and he charged towards Goku with reckless abandon. They collided, and Goku found himself being pushed back through the air. Cooler's crackling energy hissed angrily against the raging storm of golden energy that surrounded Goku. Goku grabbed Cooler by two of his horns and used their momentum to flip him around and send him crashing to the ground.

Piccolo felt a crushing blow from Dore flash past his face, and countered an energy beam from Neiz with a golden bolt of ki. Dore's move were flashy and brutal like a wrestler while Neiz was nigh unpredictable. As he went to counter another move from Neiz, both of Dore's fist slammed into his back leaving him gasping for air. In that moment, Neiz's foot cracked against the side of Piccolo's jaw sending him spinning through the air.

"Piccolo, get down!" A voiced called. Piccolo steadied himself and looked over to see Krillin, hand raised above his head with a kienzan spinning violently in his palm. He chucked the disk at Neiz and Piccolo let out a groan. Dore was stupid enough to try and block it, and he didn't have the ridiculous ability that Neiz did. As the spinning disk neared Neiz's neck, the zaltan retracted their head into their body and Krillin merely rolled his eyes. Neiz popped their head back out and stuck their tongue out at the monk. Krillin sneered and wrenched his hand back towards himself, directing the kienzan in the opposite direction. Neiz turned around just in time to watch the disk meet their neck. Piccolo watched in disgust as Neiz's head streaked towards the earth, their body following soon after.

"You'll pay for that!" Dore shouted. He began to charge Piccolo. Piccolo brought two fingers to his forehead and grinned as they began to crackle with energy.

"Special Beam Cannon!" Piccolo roared, the spiralling beam of energy soared towards Dore. The beppan wrestler had already thrown himself forward, and was unable to change his momentum fast enough. Piccolo's attack drilled straight through his chest, leaving a gaping, smoking hole. Dore looked down at his wound, and then at Piccolo in disbelief before his eyes rolled up in his head and he joined Neiz in his final resting place.

"Hey, good job, Piccolo!" Krillin appraised, flying over to the victorious namekian. Piccolo grunted in response. "Think Goku needs a hand?" Krillin asked. Piccolo snorted, watching as a cloud of dust bloomed where Cooler launched himself off of the ground. He blasted towards Goku, and was met right between the eyes with a spinning axe kick from the saiyan. He span through the air before abruptly stopping and shooting higher into the sky to gain the high ground.

"Nah, probably not," Piccolo admitted. Krillin shrugged and the two stood in the air to watch the outcome of the battle. Gohan flew over to the two of them, and gazed at his father in wonder.

"Wow, I never got to watch dad fight as a Super Saiyan, he's amazing," Gohan admitted. Krillin grinned at the childlike wonder in the young boy's eyes.

"Hey, keep up your training and maybe you can do it too," Krillin chuckled. Gohan whipped his head towards him in excitement.

"You really think so?" He asked. Piccolo grunted before Krillin could answer.

"Not if your mom keeps weighing you down will all that school work," Piccolo answered. Gohan frowned and looked down at the ground. Krillin sighed and shook his head. Before he could retort Piccolo's comment, he looked up to see what Cooler was doing.

"Oh shit," Krillin announced. Piccolo and Gohan looked up as well, their jaws dropping. Held aloft Cooler's raised hand was a massive burning ball of ki, like Frieza's Supernova but magnified. Cooler always held one thing over Frieza, and that was his energy manipulation. Frieza wasn't as awful as their father, but his control was still shoddy. Cooler, however, had honed this ability. He'd gotten to the point he was able to sense energy without a scouter, and could teach this ability to others. His ki attacks were refined, and he could draw the energy out in mere moments. This was how Cooler had created a Supernova in seconds.

"Die, and take your filthy planet with you!" Cooler screamed, launching the Supernova at Goku.

"Kamehameha!" Goku shouted, releasing the energy wave in an attempt to drive away Cooler's attack. It collided, but the Supernova was not driven back, merely halted. Cooler had poured every ounce of feasible energy into the attack to ensure Goku's demise and the destruction of Earth. After all, he was the only one here that could survived in the cold, ceaseless vacuum of space. "Dammit!" Goku yelled, pumping as much energy as he could into the Kamehameha. He couldn't empower it with the Kaioken, he had no idea what that would do to his body.

"Masenko Ha!"

"Kamehameha!" Goku glanced beside him to see Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan all firing off attacks of their own. Piccolo and Gohan's golden Masenkos combing with Krillin and Goku's azure Kamehamehas to form a spiralling spear of light that pierced the burning cacophony of energy. The Supernova exploded, and Cooled braced himself against the torrent of energy that was blasted his way. Immediately after the combined energy beam crashed into Cooler. It sent him spinning a few yards before he arced through the air and crashed into the ground with a plume of smoke and dust.

"Whoo, good job guys!" Goku grinned, dropping the Super Saiyan form. The four of them hovered down to the ground, and Icarus swooped down to meet them. Krillin waved at Tenshinhan, who was hobbling over to them. He was clutching the lacerations and burns that now adorned his torso. Krilling winced at the sight and jogged over to his ally.

"Let me help you there, Tien. Guess you took on that Salza guy huh, must've been pretty strong," Krillin said. Tenshinhan nodded.

"Yeah, he was certainly a lot to handle," Tenshinhan admitted.

"Yeah, Cooler was really strong too! I didn't expect him to have another transformation. He ended up being even stronger than Frieza," Goku laughed, scratching the back of his head.

"His other subordinates weren't quite... competent," Piccolo stated gruffly. Krillin rubbed his neck and looked down in embarrassment.

"Yeah, they sure roughed me up earlier though..." Krilin admitted. Piccolo merely snorted and shook his head. He jerked his head to the side, his antennae picking up the noise of moving earth far off.

"I think we may still have a problem," Piccolo announced. Goku turned towards him and cocked his head. The wind gently ruffled his hair, giving him a look of innocence.

"What's up Piccolo? I don't sense Cooler's energy anymore, he shouldn't be a problem," Goku said. Piccolo sighed and shook his head.

"Use senses that aren't your sixth, Goku!" Piccolo shouted. Goku glanced at the ground, which was shuddering and shaking as if something was tearing through beneath it.

"Oh, but you don't think that's-" Goku was interrupted as the rumbling ground moved closer. The earth suddenly exploded upward and Cooler emerged with a devastating uppercut to the jaw. Goku flew skywards and Cooler quickly whipped around and caught Tenshinhan with a powerful straight that sent the three eyed man soaring backwards. Piccolo threw a punch at him that was blocked by Cooler's forearm. Cooler opened his bloodied mouth and spewed a ray of purple energy. Piccolo too was sent flying away from Cooler's range.

"Kamehameha!" Krillin yelled. Cooler turned just in time for the beam to blast directly into his chest. Cooler laughed heartily as he walked directly through the blast and smacked Krillin's hands away, causing the monk to lose control of the energy. Cooler's tail whipped out from behind him and coiled around Krillin's throat. Krillin gasped and clawed at the tail in an attempt to free himself, but to no avail. Cooler leaned down and grabbed Gohan by the skull, holding him up in the air as to present.

"I'll be leaving this planet now!" Cooler called to the warriors, who had pulled themselves up and were heading towards him, "Any attempts to stop me will be met with this child's end!" Cooler roared. The Z-Fighters halted hesitantly.

"We'll let you leave, Cooler, just let Gohan go!" Goku said. Piccolo's face twitched in anger, but he made no move towards Cooler.

"I'll honor no agreement with you, monkey. I'll make no deals with the murderer of my family!" Cooler spit. His hand tightened around Gohan's skull and the child cried out in pain. Icarus flew towards Cooler in rage and spat a stream of fire at Cooler. The fire washed over him and the arcosian's eyes narrowed in anger. Cooler lifted Krillin up and hurled him at the dragon with his tail. Krillin crashed into Icarus with a yelp and they both span haphazardly towards the ground.

"The beast holds less intellect than yourselves, if barely, so I'll let that pass," Cooler said. He slowly walked backwards, watching as his opponents wracked their brains on how to save Gohan. Cooler stopped, a sudden pain bursting into his chest.

"What?" Cooler growled weakly. He glanced down to see a purple blade of energy sprouting from his sternum. The surprise of the pain caused him to release Gohan, who caught himself in midair and smashed his foot into Cooler's nose. He used the momentum to spring off of Cooler's face and fly over to help Krillin and Icarus. Cooler looked down at the blade coming from his body, coughing up blood. The blade vanished and Cooler turned around to see the Captain of his Armored squadron, other arm still alight with burning energy.

"Salza, you traitorous scum..." Cooler spoke through gargled blood. Salza spat at his feet.

"You call me a traitor, the galaxy will call me a hero. What is the word of one versus many?" Salza asked. Cooler chose not to answer, and Salza felt him gathering energy. In one swift motion Salza swung his arm through Cooler's neck. Cooler's head fell to the ground unceremoniously.

"Pourrir en enfer," Slaza growled, kicking the head towards Cooler's ship with the side of his foot. It sailed through the air and landed sticking out of the ground by one of the spikes adorned on it.

"So, you came around after all," Tenshinhan said, walking towards Salza. The others took his lead and hesitantly approached as well. Salza nodded slowly.

"Perhaps I would not have, if not for your words, or perhaps if I didn't see him so weakened by you already," Salza shrugged.

"You spared an enemy, Tenshinhan? Huh, Son must be rubbing off on you," Piccolo snorted. Tenshinhan nodded his head at his namekian ally.

"Perhaps. I saw myself in him, and knew I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for Goku, so I decided to make a choice," Tenshinhan admitted. Goku grinned at his friend and turned to face Salza.

"So, what're ya gonna do now? Please don't tell me you're one of those 'Ha! You've killed my master and now I will assume power!' typa guys," Goku asked, putting on a mocking impersonation of a dastardly villain. Salza raised a brow at the man's antics.

"Non, that is no plan of mine. Honestly I never dreamed I'd actually be in this position," Salza admitted with a sigh, "I always thought I'd die in service of that bastard. Perhaps he'd kill me when he saw me no longer useful, perhaps someone stronger would come along and kill me in the thrill of battle," Salza turned his gaze towards Tenshinhan, "I'd began to hope for the latter, I thought you'd be the one to finally fulfill that," Salza admitted.

"Well, hey! We could use more strong fighters. In a few years a couple of really strong enemies are supposed to show up and I'm sure we could use all the help we can get taking em on, what do ya say?" Goku asked. Salza gazed off distantly.

"I am sure I am wanted dead by many out in the greater galaxy," Salza admitted. "Perhaps it would be better, just for now, to lay low on this planet. I will disable the tracking relays in Cooler and Cold's ships, as to make sure no more unwanted visitors such as myself are to appear." Salza said.

"Where are you gonna stay though? Piccolo lives by himself in the wastelands but he's weird and only has to drink water," Krillin said. Piccolo glared down at Krillin.

"Watch yourself Krillin, I can still grind you into dust," Piccolo growled. Krillin chuckled nervously and inched away from the menacing namekian.

"I'd offer my place, but Launch recently moved in after she got out of jail," Tenshinhan sighed. Krillin raised his eyebrows and snickered.

"Ooooh, Launch is staying with you, huh?" Krillin said, nudging Tenshinhan in the leg with a wink. Tenshinhan rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Krillin, please," He said. Krillin put his hands up defensively while still chuckling.

"Okay, okay," Krillin said.

"I'm sure Bulma will let him stay at her place. I mean she's got tons of space and she lets Vegeta stay there. This guy seems a lot more tolerable than him," Goku admitted. The rest of them nodded in agreement.

"Bulma's it is then. I'll take him there Goku, I've got nothing better to do, and I bet Chi Chi is getting worried about you two," Krillin said. "And Tien, I wouldn't want to leave Launch anywhere by herself for too long," He continued.

"Chiaotzu is keeping any eye on her, but...good point," Tenshinhan admitted. He rose into the air and gave a small wave before blasting off.

"Hmph, Goku, keep up on Gohan's training. We could use another one of those Super Saiyans, and we can't rely on Vegeta coming back," Piccolo told Goku. Gohan looked up at his dad in excitement.

"Yeah, of course, if Gohan wants to get stronger I'll train him right up!" Goku said, ruffling Gohan's hair, "But I don't think you need to worry about Vegeta, he'll be back," Goku said. Piccolo looked at him skeptically but decided not to question it.

"Well, later kid, Son," Piccolo said, not bothering to give a farewell to the others. Krillin frowned as he watched the namekian soar away.

"You know he may be a good guy now, but he's still mean to me," Krillin said, hands on hips glaring at where Piccolo used to be. Goku laughed, and Gohan smiled sympathetically.

"Don't worry, Krillin, he's just like that," Gohan said in an attempt to comfort his friend. "We should get going, dad. Come on, Icarus!" Gohan yelled to his dragon, who was scurrying around trying to catch a lizard. Icarus perked up and flew over to Gohan.

"Later, Krillin," Goku waved, and the three of them were off.

"Man, I'm so lonely," Krillin sighed. Salza coughed from beside him.

"Ah, désolé, petit sans nez," Salza said. Krillin looked up at him, not having understood what he said.

"Oh right, sorry about that, I can go show you to Bulma's now if you want," Krillin offered. Salza shook his head and pointed to the spaceships lying idly amongst the rocks.

"First the tracking relays, then you shall show me to the home of bloomers," Salza said. Krillin cocked his head.

"Bulma," Krillin corrected.

"Yes, that is what I said," Salza rebutted, already walking off to the ramp of Cooler's ship.

"Well, at least he's not Vegeta," Krillin sighed.

"Hey, Chi, we're home!" Goku called, opening the door to his home. He heard shuffling from the hallway as his wife came out from the other room.

"Oh good, dear, did you and Gohan en- Oh my God, what did you two do?" Chi Chi gasped, looking at her battered and beaten husband and son, draped in tattered and wet clothes.

"Well ya see Frieza's brother Cooler came down to beat me up." Goku began to explain.

"And Icarus breathed fire at him!" Gohan chimed in.

"Roughed me up pretty good and he got Gohan and his men got Krillin,"

"I had to tell him about the dragon balls, but then everyone showed up to rescue us!"

"Cooler was even stronger than Frieza, had to go Super Saiyan,"

"And one of Cooler's men cut us free so he could fight honorably with Tenshinhan,"

"Piccolo and Krillin took out Cooler's other goons, and helped me take out Cooler,"

"But Cooler was still alive and he nearly used me to get away, but then the guy Tenshinhan fought turned on Cooler!" Gohan finished, there was a thud, and the two of them looked down to see Chi Chi's fainted form on the floor.

"Oh, maybe we should've just told her we fell down a hill?" Gohan asked looking up at his father. Goku grimaced as he went to pick up his wife.

"Haha, maybe, but maybe she'll just think it was a dream!"

Bam, here's the chapter, didnt check for typing errors I'll do that some other day.Good guy Cooler? Not today son, good guy Salza.