PART THIRTEEN: DISCLOSURE! HIDDEN CHARACTERS AND FORMS!

Chapter 63

Translated by Jake Devaro

The sword was broken. Videl had lost the most powerful weapon in the universe, the only thing that could destroy her opponent in a single blow, and the only thing that allowed her to defeat an enemy stronger than herself.

Because that’s what Cold was: stronger than she could ever be.

Taking advantage of her surprise, the king launched a quick and powerful attack with his tail, landing it flush on her face. Videl flew several meters, unable to defend or recover all that quickly. She fell to the ground, dropping the hilt of her broken sword. She finally reacted when Cold charged again. She avoided a kick to her head that would have crushed her skull, and made several gymnastic maneuvers to get away and recover a defensive position.

Without her sword, Videl's strategy would need great revisions... Cold rushed at his opponent again, laughing. Neither noticed yet that just a few meters away, someone has suddenly appeared in the ring.

He was old, terribly old. Even he could not say precisely how old he was. His body was wrinkled, his face a bit distorted, the result of the merger of an unwilling god, and an ugly witch with extraordinary magical powers. He wore the same outfit as the Kaioshins of Universe 1. He was one of the gods, and the gods who had organized the tournament did not fail to notice this.

“A Kaioshin!” exclaimed the largest of the five gods.

“Where did he come from?” said the youngest, East Kaioshin.

“Is he from Universe 9? Will he help the young fighter?”

While the gods wondered, Videl and Cold continued their melee. Videl dodged everything. Without the Z-Sword, she was a bit faster, and could occasionally react faster than the demon. Her power level was still smaller than his though, and she was smaller and less durable. She tried in vain to find a way to take control of the fight.

On the other side of the ring, the former Grand Kaioshin rejoiced:

“At last... They sure took their time to free me! Millions of years stuck in a rock is bad enough, but those years in the hands of these idiots, unable to understand the need to break the sword instead of using it as a sword! It was a nightmare. I saw all, heard all, and had to simply hope that somebody would eventually make a mistake and break the weapon on accident...”

He walked a few steps to observe the fight with his own eyes. They seemed to be engrossed in the fight...

“Nobody pays any attention to me...” he thought.

He stared into Space 1. They were all there. Four Kaioshins and the Grand Kaioshin.

Suddenly Cold managed to knock Videl down a few meters from the god who had sprung from the sword. He threw a punch at her while she was still on her back, and she barely managed to block it with both hands. The shock was incredible and she sank into the ring due to the impact. Employing once again her flexibility and responsiveness, she sprang to her feet and launched a ball of energy at the head of the smiling demon. After the smoke had cleared he still wore that smile on his face, while Videl was looking increasingly scratched and banged up. Exhausted, she relaxed out of her kaioken.

“You’re stubborn young lady...but unfortunately this fight is beginning to bore me...”

“He's almost completely untouched, and still not at his maximum... I have no chance...”

Suddenly, Videl finally noticed the old Kaioshin who had just leaned in towards her, or rather, towards her chest. She didn’t have time to worry about that:

“... And where do you even come from!?”

“At last!” said the old Kaio Shin, raising his eyes to face the girl. “From the Sword of course!!”

Oh yeah, it was so obvious!

The Vargas in the control center were busy. They had spotted the Kaioshin earlier, and sought to find from whence he came. Initially, they thought someone in the universe had come to help the combatant, but that would be cheating.

“I can confirm, his presence emanated from the broken sword,” a Varga unveiled after carefully perusing the data and scanning the ring slowly to find the point of origin.

“Good. So he can participate as an ally to the fighter from Universe 9.”

Cold was tired of being in the ring. The fight had lasted long enough, and he had already had his fun. Now, he had to fight a visibly old man who had come out of nowhere as well. That was enough. An evil aura surrounded him.

“I shouldn’t have wasted time in an intermediate transformation! I’ll finish you both in my original form!!”

The other fighters from Universe 8 were stunned!

“I’ve never seen dad in his original form, other than in picture!” stated Freeza, not believing that what he was witnessing was real.

“I did, when he was carrying you,” informed Cooler. “He had so little control of himself that the entire planet was destroyed while you were born!”

“What?”

Freeza really could not believe it. He was quite controlled in his original form... but if his father could not control it, to the point that it destroyed planets, what would happen? Why transform into it? It could put the entire arena in danger...

“I’m screwed!” said Videl, vexed. “I had a slight chance to defeat him in this mammoth form, a small chance even as it was, but if he transforms again it will be simply impossible...”

“Not at all, little miss! I can raise your power. You’ll become way stronger than your ridiculous opponent...”

“Ridiculous opponent?” thought Videl before saying:

“Really!? You can do that?!”

“Of course! But only if you accept to...” began the old man with a perverse smile. He had a strange idea in mind!

“I accept!!” immediately shouted Videl, who would do anything to be able to defeat her opponent, not even measuring the scope of his words.

“Well, then do not move. The first part is very important.”

She stood facing him, while the former Kaioshin began to dance around Videl...

“What, a dance, really?” thought Videl, not believer her eyes. Still she remained motionless: it was her only chance!

Cold began his transformation. A purple aura surrounded him, and his body began to shine. Soon, out of sheer will he started to change his height and thickness.

In Universe 1, the North Kaioshin, the oldest among them, clasped his hands together. He understood everything. This Kaioshin had the appearance of an old man, the unusual magical powers...

“Of course! He must be the great Kaioshin from long ago! He disappeared at about the same time the legend of the Z-Sword began... It all fits! We should break ours immediately and free him in our own universe!”

“Break it?” said the East Kaioshin. "But, we can't even remove it. Should we invite someone from below, some powerful mortal, to obtain it? You said...”

“No, to break it will be very easy,” said South Kaioshin. “The force used by Cold to break it is nowhere near mine. I had already raised the weapon, before you joined us.”

“You removed the sword?” East Kaioshin was surprised. “I had no idea!”

“Not removed, raised. I tried, like the others, but while I pulled it the entire mountain followed... So I stopped, I thought the sword would not accept me. As stated by our North Kaio Shin, the sword probably has an anti-Kaioshin charm upon it, to call up a hero from the lower realm.”

“That is why the sword is at the top of a stone column,” said West Kaioshin. “For us to remove it we would totally destroy the landscape!”

“Anyway, all that to say that the legend has been distorted over time, obviously. The secret of the sword is that it has the ancient Kaioshin trapped inside."

Beside him, the other Kaioshins nodded. Meanwhile, Cold was finishing his transformation, and his aura exploded. They only had a few seconds left.

“Is it going to be long? Cold will be ready soon!!”

“Oh, for your potential? I’d say about ten hours.”

“Ten...hours?” Videl said in a small voice, disgruntled and discouraged.

The smoke around Cold faded to reveal his new, original body. This was a body that he had not worn in years. He looked much more human now. The bulkiness of his former transformation was gone. The only differences between him and his sons were the horns on his wrist and ankle cuffs. The shoulder plates had disappeared along with the huge horns on his back, and his shoulders now reflected light like crystals. His face was recognizable again, much more similar to his second form. He had recovered his nose, and although he was not as hideous as his former transformation, he certainly looked more evil.

It was clear that he did not want to play around at all!

“Come. Attack me both together...”

Videl hesitated... Trunks looked down, hoping she would give up. Everyone knew she could not harm him now. The Gohans from Universe 16 and 18 were recalling their wives fights against Spopovich... They had almost lost control of themselves, enraged at the one who abused Videl. This time it was even more dangerous... They had to be ready to intervene.

The old Kaioshin continued his little dance around Videl as if nothing had happened, while she contemplated one last ditch effort.

“I have something for you,” she said to the demon. “Lets see if you can catch it!” She hoped that she could taunt the demon into not avoiding her attack.

Cold feared nothing, he was completely sure of his victory. He stood ready and waiting. Videl changed her posture. Right leg forward, knees bent, right hand just above the left, and both hands together at her left side. Her red kaioken aura flared stronger than ever.

“What is she doing?” asked Trunks in the Universe 9 space.

“She’s using up all of her strength...it’s dangerous,” commented Tien.

Videl was ready. She could only use kaioken at it’s maximum for a few seconds, which would be just enough time to launch her attack. Her muscles thickened, which usually made her feel less feminine, but at this moment she didn’t care one bit. She took a deep breath, then shouted:

“Ka...”

“This is...” both Gohans were surprised.

“Me...”

“Mom, do you know how to do that?” asked Pan of her real mother, who shook her head in response.

“Ha...”

A light appeared between the palms of Videl. Cold prepared for the energy attack.

“Me...”

“Stop moving or it’ll never work!” declared the old Kaioshin.

This was the conclusion, the final battle. An incredible sight for thousands upon thousands of people in the stands. Videl was proud of herself, and happy to have been able to fight such a monster. She smiled as she focused the last bit of energy...then swung the wave at her opponent.

“Ha!”

The Kamehameha flew quickly toward Cold, who held out both arms to counter the blue beam that was shrouded with a reddish aura. The impact pushed him back several meters, leaving a mark on the ring, then there was a violent explosion.

Videl fell to her knees, exhausted. She breathed deeply as the god approached her. When the smoke began to clear, she rose to her feet.

Cold appeared completely unharmed.

“It was really useless...” thought the human before declaring:

“We quit.”

“What?! Why?” asked the the old Kaioshin, “I assure you that you can beat him! His new, final, form really is something... but with your new power you will defeat him!”

“You just said it would take hours and hours!” exclaimed Videl.

“You just have to be a little patient!!”

Cold watched the human for a few seconds, then walked off towards his space. Before flying off, he looked at his hand. It was not injured, but it was tingling. He knew she could never defeat him, and was surprised that she could even cause his hand to tingle. This fight was actually interesting.

In the space of Universe 18, Gohan and Piccolo talked, while continuing to look at Videl who had remained in the ring even after the reconstruction had begun to talk to the old god.

“If I can trust my memory...neither Future Trunks nor Goku would have been able to beat Cold if he had this form when he attacked the Earth.”

“He is much stronger than his sons now...” concluded Gohan.

In the Universe 8 space, Cold had returned and was standing before his two sons. He was at least a foot taller than Coola...and Coola was already thirty inches taller than Frieza. The latter thought that his original form would be smaller than his second form like himself... boy was he wrong!

“Dad...can you control yourself in this form?” asked Cooler.

“Surprised? You both managed to learn how.”

The two young frost demons stood in a stupor regarding Cold. Their father was now much stronger than either of them, far and away the most powerful in their universe. Coola had been training his art of combat and mastery of his body for decades. Trying to overcome the other two members of his family took every bit of effort he had.

In the end, his work had somewhat paid off: Coola stayed in his original form day and night, but still could not beat Freeza’s ridiculous power. He was, however, stronger than his father in his second reduction form. Still, Coola knew that his father could still catch up easily, as he was hundreds of years ahead of him.

Then one day, Coola invented a new form. He was the first of his kind to achieve it, as neither his father or brother had ever seen it. It was a form of increase, beyond the original state.

This meant that if he had betrayed his father, before the king learned to control his greater forms, Coola would have been able to overwhelm him.

After his brother had his troubles with the sacred Saiyan or something like that, he had a change in his demeanor. Freeza sought to control his original form, and succeeded. This did not worry Coola, as the laziness of his brother would prevent him from finding the form of increase. It was just a matter of time before Coola become known as the most powerful member of his family.

But for Cold, his father, to master his original form? What bad news! He had not been able to stay in this form for hundreds of years without destroying everything around him. This was a fact that Coola, and only Coola, could bear testament to: the horrifying, uncontrollable power. When Cold had Freeza in his stomach, he reduced the empty planet chosen for delivery to what looked to be a military testing ground. Craters, new volcanoes, and oceanic faults were created daily.

And now he was wearing this form as if it was nothing! He had trained in secret to get there. The fiend!

Videl finally picked up the broken pieces of her sword and helped the Kaioshin to their space. He was a strange character, but he was still a god.

“Well, well... I have a guest. He offered to increase my strength to help me beat Cold, but said it would take hours...”

Tien saluted respectfully, clasping his hands together and bowing slightly.

“Welcome, master Kaioshin.”

“Hi there, gramps!” said Yamcha.

Krillin said nothing, but nodded when their eyes met, and he stepped forward to congratulate his student.

“You were perfect. It’s a shame that you drew him in the first round.”

“Don’t say that, I was delighted to fight him! I had fun and got beaten thoroughly. And now I’m exhausted!”

“Bravo, Videl!” Trunks congratulated her as he stood next to the bearded dwarf. “You proved once again that you’re stronger than me!”

Videl smiled and sat down on a bench. Suddenly, she felt the repercussions of using such an extreme kaioken. Trunks helped her massage her aching muscles. Bulma didn’t just stand around doing nothing either.

“Come inside, we’ll take care of you. I’ll make you something to drink.”

“Thank you, Bulma,” replied Videl as she was escorted by Trunks back to the apartments.

Behind them, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha found themselves alone with the old Kaioshin. They wanted to talk to him...they had so many questions! They would talk about Cold later, because each knew that he was more powerful than anything they had encountered in their world, and it made them a bit afraid.

“How long were you locked in the sword?” asked Tien.

“I stopped counting the years...millions of years for sure.”

“Who imprisoned you?” Yamcha asked. “Was there an entity even higher than you?”

“No, an old enemy imprisoned me while I was fighting. It was a terrible curse. There was only one way to escape, and that was the break the sword. I waited longer than you could know.”

“We didn’t know...” intervened Krillin. “But you could see?”

“Yes. When someone grabs the sword, I can “see” what is happening around it. So no need to tell me about this tournament, I already know what’s worth knowing. I must go and talk to the members of Universe 1.”

“Videl said you would increase her strength,” Yamcha interrupted. “How?”

“It’s a secret. A technique that only I know. I can reveal the full potential of a warrior and even beyond.”

“Would she really have had a chance to defeat Cold with this “potential” revealed?” Yamcha continued, quite interested.

“I’m not certain, but I think so. In any case, she would be as strong as when she uses the kaioken technique. Without fatigue, she would be very formidable. But don’t think I’m doing it for free.”

“What do we need to do?” asked Krillin.

The old Kaioshin smiled and laughed stupidly. What was he thinking now? Videl had accepted without even knowing what it was. If she learned, perhaps she would rather simply not have him fully reveal her potential...