"That's amazing, Frieza." Goku gave him a thumbs-up.
Frieza's smile grew more confident, as if for one glorious moment he had regained the bearing of the universe's emperor.
Piccolo only smiled faintly. "When Goku defeated you back then, you didn't reach Earth until a year later. Your power barely seemed to grow during that whole year. Why didn't you train then?"
Frieza's smile stiffened.
"And once you reached Earth," Piccolo continued, "weren't you sliced in half by a Super Saiyan with a sword?"
Frieza trembled with fury. His fists clenched, veins rising across his forehead.
"Shut your mouth, Namekian!"
He threw both hands forward, blasting a surge of energy toward Piccolo. Piccolo slipped aside cleanly, letting the attack tear past him.
"Did I hit a sore spot?" Piccolo asked. "It's simple enough. During all those years in Hell, you kept training through meditation, didn't you?"
Frieza snorted, but for once, he had no clever answer.
"I've trained seriously too," Piccolo said as his own energy rose. "Don't assume I stayed where I was."
Neither of them wasted another word. They rushed at each other and clashed in the center of the arena.
Their fists met in a burst of pressure. After several exchanges, Piccolo drove a heavy punch into Frieza's stomach, forcing a bitter spray from his mouth. Before Frieza could recover, Piccolo's elbow slammed into the back of his head and sent him crashing down. Piccolo followed with a brutal kick, launching him high into the air.
"Makankosappo!"
Piccolo brought two fingers to his forehead, then fired a spiraling beam after him.
Cold sweat broke over Frieza's face as the beam closed in. He twisted aside at the last instant, but the attack still pierced through his shoulder, leaving a bright trail of blood.
Frieza stared after the beam as it tore off into distant space, sweat sliding down his cheek.
"Still refusing to transform?" Piccolo's voice sounded beside him. "You're planning to keep fighting me in your first form?"
Frieza's expression shifted.
Piccolo grabbed him by the head and drove straight down.
Frieza's pupils tightened as he struggled, but he could not break free.
Piccolo smashed his head into the arena with a thunderous crash, carving a crater into the ring. When the dust settled, Piccolo stood over him with one hand pressed to Frieza's skull, looking like a war god pinning down his prey.
"That useless bastard Frieza," Beerus growled through clenched teeth. "He's embarrassing me."
"If this weren't a tournament, you'd already be dead," Piccolo said coldly.
Frieza's body shook. His face had gone terrifyingly dark.
"Use your real strength already," Piccolo said, slowly releasing him. "Don't wait until you're eliminated and start regretting it."
Frieza sprang back to his feet, his expression poisonous.
"Namekian," he said, voice low, "you're far stronger than I expected."
A surge of power burst from him and shattered his battle armor. His body twisted and refined itself, returning to his final form.
"So you're finally taking this seriously," Piccolo said.
"You have completely angered me," Frieza hissed. "Now I'll show you what true fear feels like."
"Hey, Frieza," Goku suddenly called from the side. "Do you just not wear clothes?"
Frieza froze.
For a second, every bit of his murderous momentum stalled.
"Son Goku!" Frieza roared. "Mind your own business!"
"Come to think of it," Goku added, scratching his head, "how do you pee? I don't see a Hit anywhere on you."
Hit's entire body went cold.
Why was he being dragged into this?
Champa's face darkened. He turned to Vados. "Who told him about Hit?"
Vados blinked. "What about Hit?"
"Never mind." Champa gave up on her and marched over to Vegeta. "Was it you? Did you run your mouth and tell him?"
"Hmph. I'm not that bored," Vegeta said. "Kakarot probably figured it out himself."
"Yeah, I suddenly understood it," Goku said with a grin.
"Goku," Ken said, "watch the match."
Goku nodded obediently.
Hit glared at him.
That Son Goku had no sense of boundaries at all. Why did he have to use Hit as an example?
Frieza glanced toward Hit. He knew who Hit was; they had both been in the God of Destruction Selection Tournament for Universe 18 years ago. What he did not understand was what Goku meant by not seeing a Hit on him.
He was certain it was not a compliment.
Frieza shot Goku a furious look before turning his anger back to Piccolo. "Namekian, everything Son Goku just said to irritate me, I will return to you twice over."
"Then come."
Frieza raised one hand and pointed a finger. A red beam shot from his fingertip and screamed toward Piccolo.
Piccolo slapped it aside.
The red beam flew into the sky and exploded like a burst of crimson fireworks.
"Not bad, Namekian," Frieza's voice came from behind him. "Your reactions are better than I expected."
Piccolo had already sensed him. He threw an elbow back, but Frieza caught it with one hand and kicked him hard across the face. The blow left a deep bloody mark and sent Piccolo crashing into the ring, his head scraping across the surface and leaving a green streak behind.
Piccolo pushed off the ground and shot back into the air.
"Oh? You've gotten much harder to put down," Frieza said with a smile. "In the past, that would have been enough to keep you crawling."
Piccolo's arm suddenly stretched like a whip, and his fist smashed into Frieza's face.
The punch knocked out one of Frieza's back teeth and nearly sent him stumbling to the ground. His expression turned hideous.
"You're not much either," Piccolo said.
"You miserable Namekian! I won't forgive you!"
Frieza rushed him, and the two erupted into a fierce exchange above the ring. Their fists and feet blurred through the sky, each impact thundering across the arena as their speed and power climbed higher.
After about a minute, Frieza caught Piccolo with a side kick and sent him flying backward. He flashed above him next and slammed down with a sharp axe kick.
Piccolo crashed into the arena, forming another crater.
Frieza flung a hand down, launching an energy blast after him. Piccolo sprang up, caught the blast between both hands, and crushed it with sheer strength until it exploded in his grip.
Frieza's face darkened again.
He had not expected a mere Namekian to be this troublesome.
"Piccolo, that's it! Beat him!" Gohan shouted excitedly from the stands.
"That's enough, Frieza!" Beerus finally snapped, baring his teeth. "Use your real power and eliminate him already!"
"Yes, Beerus-sama."
Frieza took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at Piccolo.
Piccolo's expression grew more serious.
"Namekian, you've angered me completely," Frieza said. "I was willing to play with you for a while, but there's no need anymore. Now you'll learn what true terror is. A real genius like me should reveal a little of his true strength."
Piccolo did not answer. He simply watched him.
Golden light erupted from Frieza's body. The pressure swept outward in violent waves, whipping storm-force winds across the arena. In the span of a breath, much of his body turned brilliant gold.
Golden Frieza had appeared.
Several people stared in disbelief.
"So this is what Frieza gained from four months of training?" Goku said, nodding thoughtfully. "That's incredible. Frieza really is something."
"Tch. It's nothing special," Vegeta said.
"Still, Vegeta, getting that strong in four months really does make him a genius."
"What's so impressive? How much stronger did we get the moment we became Super Saiyans?" Vegeta snorted. "When you fought Frieza on Namek, your battle power at the start was around three million. One Super Saiyan transformation and you surpassed him easily. Frieza taking four months to reach this level isn't worth acting shocked over."
"You've got a point," Goku said.
GT Goku watched Frieza closely. "I didn't expect Frieza to become this strong either."
"Hmph. Emperor Frieza, copying the Saiyans with his own Super Saiyan transformation," GT Vegeta said flatly.
"Vegeta, since you brought it up, I named this form—" Frieza began, glancing at GT Vegeta.
"Super Frieza?" Goku asked immediately.
Frieza nearly shook himself apart with anger.
Super Frieza?
Absolutely not.
"Do you think I would use the same naming style as you wild monkeys?" Frieza shouted. "This is Golden Frieza!"
"Golden Frieza. That's a pretty good name," Goku said, then added with a smile, "I still think Super Frieza sounds better."
"Shut up!"
Frieza's fists trembled. If Goku had been in the ring, he would have attacked him first.
"Frieza, good luck," GT Goku called. Then he turned at once. "Piccolo, you too! Honestly, I haven't seen you in so long…"
Piccolo looked back at GT Goku and fell silent.
After a moment, cold sweat appeared on his forehead. "Am I dead in your timeline?"
"Yeah," GT Goku said. "When Earth was about to explode, you stayed behind and died with it."
Piccolo no longer wanted to talk.
Frieza's high laugh rang out, his mood instantly improving.
"Namekian, you're lucky this is a tournament. Otherwise, you'd suffer the same tragedy as your other self." Frieza smiled coldly. "But I will still grind you into the ground, just as I will grind Son Goku."
Then Frieza turned back to Piccolo and prepared to attack.
"Wait," Piccolo said suddenly.
Frieza stopped for the moment, smiling with contempt. "If you're going to surrender, do it quickly. I have no interest in cowards who give up."
"I'm transforming too," Piccolo said, his voice low.
A vast surge of power burst from his body. His aura roared outward from the center of the ring, and in an instant his skin shifted into a deep orange while his body grew larger and more imposing.
The fighters from the GT timeline stared in shock.
Orange Piccolo stood before them.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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