PART TWENTY EIGHT: BALANCING THE FIGHTERS

Chapter 138

Translated by npberryhill

The fallen Frost Emperor bled and groaned where he had collapsed. His broad crest had crashed against the ring, while Bra posed at his side, hands on her hips. All that remained was for the count to be completed.

“That was extraordinary,” Piccolo of the 16th said, addressing Vegetto. “Am I to assume you can do the same?”

“Naturally, only I’m better!” the Saiyan pridefully answered. “You know, the first to have manipulated their energy into constructs was actually Gotenks. Bra and I just followed his example.”

“Oh yeah!” exclaimed Trunks and Goten. “All the credit goes to the powerful Gotenks!”

Among Universe 18, there was even more admiration.

“What a fight!” came Goku’s voice, quite excited. “Her reserves are incredible, with techniques strong enough to offset the lack of power in her normal state. Pretty impressive!”

“I’ll admit she had me worried with the Kienzan earlier,” Vegeta said reluctantly. “Confronting an attack like that in base form is unheard of. I would’ve needed level 2 to handle it with my bare hands.”

“Yeah,” his own daughter whispered. “She’s got class, regardless of her shabby clothes, I can’t deny it...”

“She’s great! Uub said, subjugated by the girl’s grace and presence. “How are we supposed to beat her though, with all the techniques she has?”

“Hey hey, believe me, it’s not impossible,” Goku assured him with a laugh. “But then, shouldn’t you be worried about trying to beat me first?”

“Right, of course,” Uub laughed, rubbing his head.

Over on the Kaioshin veranda there was much discussion as well...

“So is this the power of the offspring born to fusion?” the North Kaioshin said aloud. “It’s truly incredible.”

“Yes, and equally terrifying,” added East Supreme Kai. “It would be a simple matter for her and Vegetto to rule supreme over their universe, if they weren’t guided by justice...”

Grand Kaioshin said nothing, gazing intently at Bra. One might have thought he had no opinion on the matter, but he was in fact arguing mentally with the prisoner in his left hand.

“Finally! I knew they were hiding new and unique abilities! They can create shields, cages, sharp weapons, not to mention teleportation... so many methods available to finish their opponents quickly! Had Vegetto employed any of these techniques against Broly, he’d have defeated him with far greater ease — much as I had planned to do. Instead he preferred the old-fashioned route, and I understand why. He and his daughter want to have fun above all else, and the best way to do that is to voluntarily limit themselves to make things interesting! Bra chose not to use her incredible power, she resisted the temptation and as a result has grown a bit. I sense that through the pains and thrills of combat she’s grown as a warrior even now, using her new techniques to fight at her very best despite the conditions. Quite exceptional!”

“Indeed,” the Grand Kaioshin replied inwardly. “While it is most exciting, I must admit their excessive power remains frightening even for me.”

“Hah,” Buu chuckled. “Would you have preferred that she over-power him from the start? We wouldn’t have enjoyed such a great fight had I not whispered in Cold’s mind, suggesting he request the handicap.”

“True enough. But it doesn’t justify the increases you gave to others.”

“I did no such thing! All of them already had the potential inside of them, I merely revealed it nothing more!”

“Recharging the ghosts of Raichi, repairing the Android, teaching the two Saiyan boys secret fusion techniques... I fail to see how that is merely revealing what is present.”

“Everything worked out fine, don’t blame me. Gotenks was always going to lose against me no matter what, I was just entertaining myself. And if I hadn’t repaired the girl, she would’ve been crushed by the gravity and we wouldn’t have gotten to see XXI at work — even though in the end he did nothing. I do find him... concerning.”

Back in the ring, as the Varga’s count reached 27, Cold made the painful effort to straighten up a bit. He caught the attention of the Saiyan, who stared at him as he panted.

“Congrat... ulations...”

“Hnn,” Bra chuckled arrogantly. In her mockery, there was also a small seed of gratitude which Cold was able to perceive. This page in his story was over, he knew, laying helplessly on the ground. It was time to begin plotting a new one.

“And 30!” Son Bra is declared the winner!”

As the voice of the announcement boomed throughout the stadium, the Demon took advantage of the cheers. Linking his fleeting aura to Bra’s, he tone suddenly shifted.

“Change now!”

Bra’s perception and equilibrium were suddenly rocked like the ocean. At first, she was haughtily staring down at the crippled body of her foe, then she plunged into an unearthly spiral. A whirlwind of strange sensations overtook her as her vision blurred and the world around her spun in circles. When at last the woosines in her mind seemed to wear off she again opened her eyes, Bra was utterly stunned. A young girl with torn clothes was standing over her, a suspicious grin written across her cheeks. But Bra’s head was now heavy, she still couldn’t think straight. Raising a hand in front of her, she found sharp claws and dry reptilian skin — no, it couldn’t be. She was stupefied, unable to even speak as the body snatcher turned and walked away. From the new owner of her power came a single whisper, a parting word from the entity inside.

“I leave you to those weak fools. Farewell, Universe 8...”

Bra remained speechless as Freeza and Coola from Universe 8 landed beside her, the increased gravity now shut off. She still couldn’t believe it: she had exchanged bodies with the Frost Demon! Coola, who knelt beside her, was perplexed. Nearby, he heard his father begin to rage.

“What is this...”

“Oooh!” Buu gasped.

“What is it?” the Grand Kaioshin asked.

“Didn’t you hear? Things are finally getting interesting! This should be fun. At last, oh I’m gonna enjoy this...”

“What’s going on!?” the Kai demanded.

“Let’s just say things are about to get pretty animated on the sidelines of Universe 16, hehe...”

Several Namekians had arrived to offer their healing services to Cold. His wounds seemed quite serious, and acting quickly was essential. In fact, they were fascinated he'd survived what should've been a mortal blow.

“I’m amazed you’re still alive after such an attack! Let me heal you...”

“Do not touch him!” Freeza barked, intervening between the two.

The Namekian recoiled, frightened by the ferocity of the other demon. Coola looked curiously at his brother. Why refuse immediate care to their father? Had he been planning something behind the King’s back?

“Wait... shut up, idiots... heal me...”

Bra was inwardly fuming. She had to get back in her own body as quickly as possible, or at the very least warn the others. Why hadn’t her omniscient father intervened yet? Her mind raced as Freeza continued.

“We don’t go in debt to anyone! We’ll take him to our ship and put him in a healing tank.”

“But... he seems to be asking for our care...”

“We’ll take care of it!” Coola intervened, agreeing with his brother’s logic. “Go offer your services to the Saiyan, she took a lot of damage during the fight, I’d be surprised if she doesn’t have a concussion!”

The Nameks withdrew their assistance even as Bra groaned insults at the two demons who had seized her and prepared to fly out of the arena.

“I’ll carry him,” Coola said to his brother, who nodded.

“Let me go... bastards... morons!”

Coola stared at his father with dismay. To have lost as he did must’ve certainly been infuriating, but not to the point that he would curse his own sons like a primate! With a fierce glance from Freeza, however, Bra decided to finally end her objections, which was saying a lot. Inwardly, she realized that he must’ve figured out what was really going on...

Goku watched as Bra returned to the Universe 16 sidelines. Pan and Uub, standing beside him, noticed a strange look on his face. Hesitantly, his pupil inquired.

“Sensei? What’s wrong, she won right? You don’t seem happy with the result, are you thinking her power might be too much to handle?”

Goku glanced at his student with a serious air, getting his attention, then turned to Gohan.

“Did you hear what Cold said right at the end of the count? We’ve got to warn them.”

With a tremor through his voice, Gohan turned to Universe 16. “Oh, they know...”

Piccolo and Vegeta never took their eyes off Cold as the Frost Demons returned to their ship. After vanishing, they followed the two auras, staying ready to act if necessary. Even if Vegetto was about to step in, they would still be there to assist.

Bra was congratulated by Pan as she returned to the sidelines, who hadn’t realized the situation.

“Great job! How’d you do that? Teach me, please!”

“Oh, I’ll teach you, little one,” Bra said, smiling amiably and patting the girl’s hair. “But first I need to take a shower, if you’ll excuse me.”

“You’re the best, Bra!” Goten and Trunks exclaimed. “We never doubted you!”

The girl smiled and began to walk away, she needed to adjust to the form. To do this, she’d have to get away from the group to avoid arousing suspicions. The body-thief wasn’t particularly attracted to her magnificent curvers, not from a ‘natural’ point of view anyway. After living so many lives in so many different skins, all he cared about was the power it possessed — certainly not the feminine attributes that would’ve tempted a normal human male. Thus, he needed isolation.

But she hadn’t counted on the sharpness of her host’s relatives. As she made her way towards the corridor, her path was suddenly blocked by Son Gohan. The older brother’s face was threatening, his tone stern.

“Hold it right there...”

“You’re not really Bra,” came a voice behind her.

She turned to it, instantly met by Vegetto. The fused warrior’s face was enough to stop a god in their tracks. Trunks, Goten, Videl, and Pan had all lost their smiles, not understanding yet. Piccolo grabbed the two boys by their shoulders, holding them back. Suddenly concerned, they didn’t try to break free.

“Of course I’m not Bra,” she sighed, exasperated. “I’m Son Bra, stop calling me just Bra!”

She was quite pleased with herself, displaying her talent for analysis and comedic diffusion. Having known he would face the Saiyan girl for some time, he had studied the behavior of Vegetto’s daughter — her attitude, her relationships with others, her uncontrolled outbursts, and her tendency towards arrogance and selfishness. During the fight she had set a few of those aspects aside, surprising him somewhat. But, with how much power this body had it was a perfect chance... he would play whatever role. How ironic that the best body was that of a Saiyan monkey...

Only, the real Bra would’ve never called Pan ‘little one’. Though she’d softened somewhat morally during the fight, that would be turning over a whole new leaf. Vegetto and Gohan saw this as only further confirmation.

“Nice try, but you’re not fooling us,” Gohan said.

“You’re Captain Ginyu,” Vegetto spat, taking a step towards the girl.

“Huh?” Pan gasped, not knowing what or who they were talking about.

Trunks and Goten, who had heard tales about Ginyu from their respective fathers, recalled the story and finally put things together. Clenching their fists, they were reminded of Piccolo’s restraint, who silently suggested they not intervene.

‘Tssh,’ Ginyu thought, frustrated to have been discovered so quickly. ‘It seems they met me in their own universe. Did they kill me, or find a counter to my technique? Oh well, if the game’s up I might as well be honest. Perhaps I can convince them to accept me in place of that unbearable brat!’

Ginyu bowed slightly, taking a respectful and elegant pose, causing Vegetto to raise an eyebrow.

“Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time,” he said, his words feinting sweetness. “A long time... They called me emperor Cold for the past many years. Now you can call me Son Bra. I’m a student of martial arts, a serious and dedicated warrior. You can count me as a friend from here on, and I’m the life of any party. I even thought up a special Saiyan pose, if you’re interested in seeing it! Thank you for accepting me, I consider it an honor to be a part of your family.”

Everyone was shocked, even Goten and Trunks — hearing a well mannered voice from the body of their usually degrading and insulting sister was super bizarre. And it had the opposite of the intended effect.

“How dare you!” Trunks shouted, struggling to escape Piccolo’s grasp. “Get out of Bra’s body this instant, you filthy bastard!”

“Hold on, Trunks!” Piccolo exclaimed, his face sweaty.

The boys suddenly froze, sensing a terribly intense negative aura from Vegetto. Even Gohan stared at his father frightfully. The fused being had visible veins on his forehead and temple, and his eyes were raging. He grabbed his ‘daughter’ by her top with such force that it lifted her off the ground. Ginyu offered his new father a cruel grin. The adolescent role of annoying parents — he was pleased with it.

“You!! You’ll see!”

He put two fingers on his forehead and teleported instantly with Ginyu — who gave one last wink before disappearing. The members of the 16th and 18th universes traced their aura to the spaceship just outside the arena.

“Say...” Uub began hesitantly. “If there’s some kind of problem outside the official matches, why don’t we just appeal to the Vargas? Why did we just let the two Frost Demons take Col...I mean Bra with them?”

“That would make things worse,” Piccolo replied. “The Vargas wouldn’t understand what actually happened, and Freeza doesn’t seem to want to draw unnecessary attention or get his group sent back. This can only be solved behind the scenes without involving the organizers, assuming that Vegetto won’t do the same as he did yesterday...”

“What are we gonna do?” Goku asked aloud, directing it towards Gohan and Vegeta. “Should we help?”

“Are you kidding?” Vegeta retorted. “It’s not our concern. Vegetto is perfectly capable of handling this. And personally, I’d prefer to watch the next fight anyway.”

Indeed, the arena had just been repaired and the Varga was starting his announcement.

“We will proceed to the next match now. It will be Gast from Universe 7 against Raichi from Universe 3!”

A few minutes ago, aboard the Frost Demon spaceship...

Freeza and Coola, with the help of several footsoldiers, had managed to place their father in a regeneration tank, but not without some difficulty. Still in an augmented form, the seriously wounded Emperor had struggled and insulted everyone around him. He gave a last angry look out the porthole before falling asleep as the greenish liquid encased him. Freeza put his arm against the window and sighed.

“Pfew, finally he’s calm...”

“Let the sedatives do their work,” Coola instructed the care staff. “He will return to his original form on his own in time, just ensure that the wound is closed — that’s what is most important.”

“Yes, milord,” the replied in unison.

“Before you start messing with your machines, clear the room,” Freeza dryly instructed them, slamming his tail. “My brother and I need to speak alone.”

The soldiers hurriedly did as they were commanded, while Coola approached his sibling. He was finally going to figure out what was going on inside Freeza’s head. The younger prince shut his eyes a moment, tightening his fists and murmuring furiously.

“Coola, this being is no longer our father!”

“What do you mean?” Coola answered, taken aback. “Because he lost? Or because of his monstrous new form? I know his power is terrifying, even I was shaking from the raw strength. But that’s no reason to disown him!”

“No, I’m afraid that’s not it at all,” Freeza interrupted curtly. “Before I explain further, I must ask you a question. Do you remember a certain former captain of mine? Specifically, the leader of my commandos.”

“Do you mean Ginyu?” Coola asked, puzzlement in his tone. “If you’re referring to the one that used to pose ridiculously with his men, how could I forget? In spite of his oddities I seem to recall he was rather reliable. But what does your long-dead captain have to do with Father?”

“Yes, it is true that I executed Captain Ginyu long ago,” Freeza explained. “However, he possessed a very rare unique ability, one only known to myself and a few select others — he could perform a body change with whomever he wished.”

“Really...?”

“Near the beginning of this tournament,” Freeza continued, not allowing his brother to interrupt. “A certain source approached me in private and informed me that Ginyu was still among us, hidden within the ranks of someone in our universe. I had an investigation performed in secret to try and determine who he might be disguised as, and through that I concluded that he had infiltrated the upper ranks. But even so I didn’t give him enough credit...”

“Wait, what source?” Coola gasped. “And are you really telling me that he was in Dad’s body this whole time?”

Coola didn’t bother saying ‘Father’ anymore. He was gradually becoming aware of the fate of his actual biological parent, and though affection among Frost Demon family wasn’t particularly strong, a certain lightheadedness overtook him. That, as well as disappointment and frustration at having been deceived for so many years.

Freeza dodged the first question and replied to the second.

“I witnessed him use the body-change technique at the last second of the countdown. There can be no doubt, and we have likely been fooled by this pretender for years. It also explains why he was so strong, and had developed his abilities to such a degree. Ginyu was not only talented at fighting, but also quite driven!”

“Wait... are you telling me that Captain Ginyu is now in the body of the Saiyan girl?”

“Indeed. And Papa likely died years ago.”

The two brothers remained silent a few moments. Coola was starting to have a headache. His father, who was his inspiration to grow stronger, his end-goal being to challenge and overcome him, had been replaced and had his body strengthened by a parasite. The thought alone left a bitter taste in his mouth. All his hopes over the past few centuries, all that he had done and strove to accomplish was now nothing but smoke and vanity. His father was dead... wait... father? Coola gasped, surprising his brother.

“What’s the matter?” Freeza quickly asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Vegetto,” he uttered a single word. “The girl, she’s the daughter of the practically all-powerful Saiyan, right? Once he realizes what’s happened, he’ll come for his daughter — what will we do then? We’ll be obliterated on the spot for sure!”

“No, you mustn’t forget,” Freeza exclaimed, “for the moment, we share the same problem. If he is reasonable, we should be able to solve things amicably.”

His sentence was cut short by the sudden arrival of the Saiyan in question. On the other side of the room appeared Vegetto and the so-called Bra, firmly restrained by her father. The fused warrior wore a terrifying expression, causing Coola to back away slowly. Freeza, meanwhile, tried to communicate in spite of the knot in his throat.

“You... I see you figured it out as well! Our captain is in your daughter’s body. We don’t like it any more than you, but we can fix this. Let’s find a solution together...”

“Shut up!” Vegeta roared, his tone authoritative beyond question.

With an ultra-fast movement of his hand, he flung two air pockets at the two brothers that flattened them to the ground like pancakes. Dragging Ginyu on the floor behind him, he plastered his face against the tank window so that he couldn’t even move.

“Undo the exchange, now!” he ordered, his voice muffled by absolute rage.

“Oh yeah? Or what? You can’t threaten me! I know you’d never do anything to hurt this body,” Ginyu chuckled.

“Or else you’ll disappear. And I’m not talking about dying, but something much worse.”

“Worse than dying?” Ginyu mumbled. “Very funny, I didn’t know you Saiyans had a sense of humor, haha! You won’t kill me, my life’s too important. Besides, you know if I die you’ll never get your daughter back!”

“I can destroy your soul,” Vegetto continued in a deep, sinister voice. “With this technique, there’ll be no afterlife, no heaven or hell — and no possibility of being resurrected by the Dragon Balls. Not even Shenron will be able to put the pieces of your soul back together once I’m done with it! But he will be able to put Bra back in her original body. Transfering a soul to an empty vessel isn’t that difficult for him.”

“You’re bluffing,” Ginyu chuckled. “If it were that easy, you wouldn’t have bothered trying to explain it to me — you’d have destroyed my soul already. So go ahead and do it, I’m waiting!”

“Change back!! I’m giving you this one and only chance to stay among the living, you’d better take it before I exterminate you permanently, miserable scum!”

Ginyu recognized the tone and expression as quite similar to Vegeta’s. It gave him a certain nostalgia even, but also irritated him to the highest degree. So, he wanted him to open his mouth and shoot a beam of light? Fine, he’d get what he asked for.

“Alright, fine,” Ginyu sighed, falsely resigned. “Then, change no — !”

Instead of finishing the name of his technique, he fired a powerful mouth-blast directly at his old body, certain he could now force the hand of his new father. However, instead of immediately seeing the rubble of the device, he was startled to find he was now off in space, on the surface of an asteroid. Using telepathy, he managed to communicate with his captor.

“What’s this? Where are we?”

“You’re not fooling me that easily, you putrid parasite,” Vegetto scowled from behind him. “I’ve been preventing Bra from lashing out like that for years, you’re not gonna catch me off guard.”

“That bastard teleported me!” Ginyu racked his mind internally before finally regaining his composure. The situation remained unchanged all the same, and he still held the advantage.

“I don’t think you’ve fully understood your position. When Vegetto gives an order, your only course of action is to obey. You will return to me my daughter, or your existence will be erased forever!”

“In your dreams,” Ginyu retorted, again wearing that honeyed look. “That body back in the tank is dying, and thus your daughter is dying. It’s just a matter of time. You’re gonna have to come to terms with the simple fact that the Captain of the Saiyan Special Forces is your new daughter. So attack me if you dare, Lord Vegetto, hahahaha!”

In a fit of rage, Vegetto grabbed Ginyu by the hair and smashed his head into the ground. He knew his daughter’s body was resilient, and it wasn’t really Bra who was suffering or taking the blows. Bulma’s daughter, his offspring, slept peacefully in a repugnant foreign skin, and he was going to rescue her no matter what. There was no holding back, there was no calm approach, only making Ginyu suffer until he gave in.

Ginyu managed to stand, his face bleeding. He offered a sadistic laugh as he saw his new body damaged, but this was nothing.

“If you fight me out here, we’ll be sent back to Universe 16. You’ll be separated from your daughter forever! Are you really willing to risk all that?”

“We’re light-years away from the arena. Nobody knows we’re fighting, I can assure you that.”

“Ah, well in that case, time to test out this new body!” Ginyu exclaimed, transforming into Super Saiyan.

He was already thinking like the girl, and seeing as how he was likely to stay as one he tried to channel that way of thinking. Mademoiselle Ginyu would be a suitable title, though he might even keep the name of the teenager. And then, he felt it. He knew he was in control, mastering every last fiber of the stupid Saiyan was much easier than expected. The Frost Demon Emperor’s power had been a nearly impossible to properly control, and in comparison this was simple.

In front of him, Vegetto also transformed to level one. Both fighters took a fighting stance, unaware that on a nearby asteroid a tiny black eye with a small pink puddle was watching their every move closely. Oh yes, this fight was going to be exciting!