c3 The Mysterious Boy
"Boom!"
All of Frieza's armored soldiers who had just taken to the sky were instantly knocked back down, their bodies smashing into the rocky ground and lying motionless. Dust rose, and the battlefield fell into silence.
"Um?"
From the sky, a young man descended slowly. He had short lavender hair, eyes as sharp as steel, and wore a Capsule Corporation jacket over a dark blue undershirt, with a sword strapped to his back. His expression was calm, but the killing intent radiating from him was chilling. This boy was Trunks, who had traveled back from the future.
Frieza narrowed his eyes, his mechanical limbs whirring faintly as his aura flared. "Earthling, what's the matter with you?" he asked coldly, murderous light gleaming in his artificial eye.
The boy's gaze didn't waver. He looked directly at Frieza, then at King Cold standing beside him, their massive spaceship looming in the distance. His voice was filled with determination.
"I didn't come by accident. I came here specifically to kill you."
"...!"
King Cold raised his brows, intrigued by the boy's audacity. Frieza, however, burst into laughter, his tail flicking behind him like a whip. "You want to destroy me? What a loud mouth! Hehe... do you even know who I am, boy?"
Trunks' expression didn't change. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Of course I know who you are. You're Frieza, the tyrant of the universe. The one who nearly destroyed the Saiyans... and the one who lost to Son Goku on Planet Namek."
Frieza froze for a brief second, surprised that a human youth from this small planet not only knew his name but also about his humiliating defeat. "Oh? What an honor. I didn't think someone from such a weak backwater world would know of me. But you forgot one thing" He spread his arms, his cybernetic parts glinting under the sun. "I am still the strongest in the universe!"
After speaking, Frieza glanced back at his soldiers, waving his metallic hand dismissively. "Dispose of this insolent brat."
"Yes, Lord Frieza!"
Immediately, dozens of Frieza's soldiers surrounded the boy, raising their blasters. They opened fire all at once, filling the air with blasts of crimson energy.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The energy shots struck directly at Trunks' extended right hand. When the smoke cleared, his palm was unscathed, his calm expression unchanged.
"Nani?!" one of the soldiers cried in disbelief. "He blocked them without a scratch! Attack again!"
"Yes!"
But before they could fire a second volley, Trunks' figure blurred. In the blink of an eye, he drew his sword, the blade gleaming as he cut through the air. "Shing!" His movements were too fast for the eye to follow. One by one, Frieza's soldiers fell, cut down instantly, their armor shattered and bodies collapsing into the dirt. Not a single one survived.
Frieza's red eye twitched, and King Cold chuckled, stroking his chin. "Ho... impressive speed. This boy is no ordinary Earthling."
At that same moment, far away, the Z Warriors sensed the disturbance.
"Um?" Krillin stopped midair, his face pale. "That Ki just now was unbelievable... and then suddenly, dozens of other Kis vanished instantly."
"What?!" Yamcha clenched his fists nervously. "Does that mean someone's already fighting Frieza?"
Piccolo narrowed his eyes, his cape fluttering in the wind. "It wasn't just anyone. That energy whoever it is doesn't feel like an ordinary human. It's precise, overwhelming."
Vegeta, flying slightly behind the others, felt his blood boil as he sensed the unfamiliar but distinctly Saiyan-like Ki. He clenched his teeth, muttering to himself. "That's no mistake... that energy belongs to a Saiyan! But who?! Damn it, who the hell is on Earth besides Kakarot and me?"
The warriors increased their speed, rushing toward the battlefield where the mysterious lavender-haired boy now stood against Frieza and King Cold.
After Vegeta finished thinking, he no longer worried about exposure. The flash of ki a moment ago had made him sense someone stronger than Frieza, so he rocketed into the sky and flew straight for that direction.
Seeing Vegeta launch himself, the others followed without hesitation, streaking toward the ridge where the disturbance had occurred.
Atop the highest peak
"What a joke. If it were me, I'd have left nothing but scorched earth where Frieza fell," Lin Hao muttered, folding his arms as he watched the scene below from a crag.
"Also, this world always stacks threats each enemy gets stronger than the last. The odds of Earth being razed climb every time." He snorted, amused and uneasy.
...
"Enough! If your men are gone, come out yourself! Frieza, or you'll never get another chance!" Trunks said, sheathing his blade and leveling his gaze at the tyrant.
"You insolent brat. Since you choose to die, then die!" Frieza snarled, raising his right hand to launch an energy sphere.
"Boom!"
Trunks met the ki sphere with a single effortless swipe; the blast shattered and scattered in the air.
"Tch, worthless." Frieza snarled, his mechanical parts whirring as he surged forward to engage.
They traded blows fists and kicks that snapped through the air, then volleys of ki that lit the sky. Frieza had expected an easy victory, but the boy fought with a ferocity that was unnatural for any ordinary human. In the blink of an eye, golden light flared: Trunks' aura spiked and his hair flashed he had become a Super Saiyan. His power suddenly dwarfed the cybernetic tyrant.
Lin Hao, perched on the ridge, could no longer hold back. He descended and landed between the combatants with a casual thud. "Hey, what are you waiting for? I've been watching long enough get on with it! I'm bored of the staring contest."
"Huh? Who's this? When did he show up?" Trunks, Frieza, and King Cold all turned in surprise.
"Who are you? Another Earthling trying to stop me?" Frieza hissed, his eye narrowing.
Lin Hao said nothing at first. He walked up to Trunks and appraised him with a roving glance. "Not bad-looking. Kinda flashy too. Talks big for a kid."
Trunks stiffened at the scrutiny. "Excuse me do I know you?" he asked, uncomfortable under Lin Hao's stare.
"Hmm? Hard to say. I feel like I do." Lin Hao tapped his chin and pretended to think it over, then nodded as if satisfied.
Their nonchalance enraged Frieza. "Do you not know who I am? I came to take revenge and to erase this planet how dare you mock me!"
Anger flared across Frieza's face. He leveled a concentrated death beam at the pair without hesitation.
Trunks opened his mouth to warn Lin Hao, but the newcomer was quicker. With a sudden twist, Lin Hao deflected the death beam with a palm strike, the blast scattering harmlessly, and before Frieza could react Lin Hao had closed the distance and kicked the tyrant in the gut, sending him skidding back.
"Oof! Who what how fast!" Trunks gawked as Frieza slammed into the rocks.
"Die, you insolent mortal!" Frieza spat, shaking the dust from his armor as he lunged once more at Lin Hao.
"Don't overestimate yourself!" Lin Hao sneered, voice low. Energy began to gather around him, his ki coalescing until the air itself vibrated.
"Ah!" he shouted as he prepared to strike, the moment hanging like a drawn blade.