Frieza sat in his hover-chair. He stared at the main viewscreen, which displayed a tactical overlay of the surrounding sector.
"Planet Drak," Frieza mused, tapping the armrest. "Resistance levels negligible. Energy output potential... high. A suitable training ground for my new pets."
He swiped a finger, bringing up the bio-data for his newly formed special unit.
Unit Two (Cress): Stable. High Intelligence. Anomaly. Subject Broly: Volatile. Massive Potential. Threat.
Frieza smiled. It was the smile of a collector who had just acquired a particularly dangerous, exotic beast. King Vegeta thought he was hiding them; Frieza was going to sharpen them until they cut the hand that held them, then dispose of them.
"Zarbon," Frieza purred.
"Yes, Lord Frieza?" The teal-skinned advisor stepped forward, bowing elegantly.
"Prepare a transmission for the Ginyu Force. Tell them to—"
Come down, Little Lizard.
The voice didn't come from the speakers. It didn't come from the room. It blossomed directly inside Frieza's skull, bypassing his ears entirely.
Frieza froze. The glass in his hand cracked, spilling wine onto his white gloves.
"Who said that?" Frieza hissed, his eyes darting around the empty bridge.
Zarbon blinked, confused. "My Lord? I said nothing."
I hate craning my neck, the voice continued. It was lazy, scratchy, and saturated with a boredom so profound it felt heavy. Come down here. Or do I have to come up there and scratch your ship out of the sky?
Frieza's heart, usually a cold lump of ice, hammered against his ribs. He knew that tone. He knew that specific frequency of terror.
Memories, long buried under layers of arrogance and conquest, surfaced violently. He remembered his father, King Cold, gripping his shoulder with a hand that could crush diamonds. He remembered the only time he had ever seen his father truly afraid.
"Listen to me, Frieza," King Cold had whispered. "There are only two entities in this universe you must never, ever challenge. One is Majin Buu."
"And the other?"
"The God of Destruction, Beerus."
Frieza stood up on his own feet, his tail thrashing with genuine panic.
"Hold position!" Frieza screamed at the navigation officer. "Do not move the ship! If we drift even a millimeter, I will vaporize you!"
The crew froze, terrified by the sudden shift in their Emperor's demeanor.
"My Lord?" Dodoria stepped forward, his spiked head glistening with sweat. "Is there a threat? Should we deploy the fleet?"
"No!" Frieza shrieked. "You idiot! Deploying the fleet would be an act of war!"
He ran toward the lift. He didn't glide. He ran.
"Prepare my personal shuttle," Frieza ordered, his voice trembling. "I am descending alone. Zarbon, Dodoria, you are with me. If you speak without permission, I will kill you myself."
Zarbon and Dodoria exchanged a look of pure confusion, but the terror coming off Frieza was contagious. They scrambled to follow.
-)
The Royal Plaza was bustling. Saiyan patrols marched in formation, merchants hawked scavenged tech, and Low-Class warriors hurried to their shifts. It was a normal day under the red sky.
Until it wasn't.
There was no sound. No sonic boom. No flash of light.
One second, the center of the plaza was empty. The next, two figures were standing there.
The crowd stopped. The noise died down, replaced by a ripple of confused murmurs.
"Who are they?" a soldier muttered. "Intruders?"
The two figures looked nothing like warriors. One was a tall, effeminate man with pale blue skin and white hair, holding a staff. The other was... a cat. A purple, hairless cat wearing strange garb, yawning as if he had just woken up from a thousand-year nap.
"This place is dusty," the cat complained, scratching his ear with a foot. "And it smells of wet dog."
"It is a warrior culture, my Lord," the blue man replied pleasantly. "Hygiene is often a secondary concern."
Suddenly, a screech roared through the sky.
Frieza's personal shuttle tore through the clouds. It didn't engage landing thrusters; it practically dive-bombed the plaza, kicking up a storm of dust as it slammed onto the pavement.
The hatch blew open.
Frieza scrambled out.
The Saiyans watching gasped. They had never seen the Tyrant run. They had never seen him sweat.
Frieza rushed toward the two strangers. Five meters away, he stopped.
And he bowed.
"Lord Beerus!" Frieza shouted at the pavement. "We... I... I am honored by your presence! I did not know you had awakened!"
A collective gasp went through the crowd. Frieza, the being who made Kings kneel, was bowing to a cat.
Beerus looked down at the top of Frieza's head. "You're loud, Frieza. Wake up calls should be gentle."
"I apologize deeply!" Frieza stammered, not daring to rise.
Behind him, Zarbon and Dodoria rushed out of the ship. They saw their master bowing and immediately dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads against the dirty stone. They didn't know who this cat was, but if Frieza was bowing, they were worshipping.
However, not everyone was so quick on the uptake.
A squad of Frieza's elite guards, stationed at the spaceport perimeter, saw the intrusion. They saw a purple cat disrespecting the Emperor.
"Hey!" the squad leader, a burly alien with a blaster rifle, shouted. He marched forward, his scouter beeping.
"Soldier, stop!" Frieza screamed, lifting his head.
The soldier ignored him, intent on proving his loyalty. He aimed his scouter at the cat.
Beep.
The numbers flashed.
The soldier blinked. He tapped the side of the device.
A cruel grin spread across the soldier's face. "Zero? A power level of zero? And you dare make Lord Frieza bow?"
He leveled his rifle at Beerus.
"On your knees, trash! Or I'll vaporize you where you stand!"
Time seemed to stop.
Frieza closed his eyes. He didn't try to save the soldier. He just prayed the blast radius wouldn't include him.
Beerus stopped scratching his ear. He looked at the soldier. His golden eyes were empty of anger, empty of hate. They were simply... absolute.
"Trash?" Beerus repeated softly.
He lifted a single finger. He pointed it at the soldier.
"Before creation..." Beerus whispered.
A purple aura, dark and terrifying, flickered around his fingertip.
"...comes destruction."
"Hakai."
The soldier didn't scream. He didn't have time.
He began to dissolve. His armor turned to purple dust. Then his skin. Then his bones. In less than a second, the soldier was gone. He was... deleted.
The rifle clattered to the ground, the only proof he had ever existed.
Silence. Absolute, terrified silence.
Frieza was shaking. He stepped out of his hover chair, a gesture he never made in public, and prostrated himself further.
"Forgive him, my Lord!" Frieza squeaked. "He was new! Defective! I will purge his entire lineage immediately!"
Beerus yawned again, ignoring the pile of dust that used to be a person.
"Your pets are noisy, Frieza," Beerus said, rubbing his stomach. "I expected better discipline from the new Emperor. Your father knew better."
"It will not happen again," Frieza promised, sweat dripping from his nose.
"Whatever," Beerus sighed. "I'm just passing through. Woke up early. I'm hungry. Does this rock have food, or should I blow it up with you now and save the trip to the next galaxy?"
Frieza's blood ran cold. He wasn't joking. He would do it as casually as one swipes left on a datapad.
Frieza needed a distraction. He needed a sacrifice.
"The Saiyans!" Frieza blurted out, pointing a trembling finger toward the Palace. "This is Planet Vegeta, my Lord! King Vegeta holds a... a banquet! Yes! They have the finest meats in the sector!"
He tapped his scouter, opening a priority channel to the Palace.
"King Vegeta!" Frieza screamed into the mic. "Listen to me! The God of Destruction is coming! Prepare a feast! Immediately! If he is displeased... if the food is cold... if the wine is corked... you will die! All of you! Do you understand?!"
Beerus perked up. "Meat? I do like meat."
He floated up, drifting past the prostrate Frieza.
"Lead the way, Whis. Let's see if the monkeys can cook."
Beerus and Whis floated toward the palace. The crowd of Saiyans parted like the Red Sea, pressing themselves against the walls, terrified to even breathe in the direction of the purple cat.
Frieza stayed on his knees until they were out of sight.
--
"Again!" I shouted.
Nappa roared, charging at Broly. Broly, calm and focused, stepped aside and swatted Nappa into the dirt. Zuto was firing blasts at Raditz, who was actually dodging them today.
I stood on the sidelines, my arms crossed. The squad was shaping up. Broly was responding to verbal commands. Even Vegeta was training with the group, though he refused to make eye contact with me.
Suddenly, the door to the training hall burst open.
Ruca sprinted in. She was pale, her eyes wide with a fear I had never seen in her.
"Cress!" she shouted.
I signaled for the squad to stop. "Hold."
I walked over to her. "What is it?"
"The plaza," she gasped, grabbing my arm. Her hands were shaking. " A ship landed. Frieza... Frieza knelt."
I frowned. "Knelt? To who? King Cold?"
"No," Ruca shook her head frantically. "Strangers. A tall blue man with a staff. And... a cat. A purple cat."
Purple cat. Blue man.
Beerus. Whis.
The God of Destruction was here.
"What did they do?" I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper.
"A soldier tried to stop them," Ruca said, her voice trembling. "The cat... he didn't even attack. He just... pointed. And the soldier turned to dust. Just... gone."
Hakai.
I felt a cold sweat break out on my back.
I once thought of going to beers planet, but What if they deemed me an anomaly, someone that shouldn't exist.
I was a Reincarnator. I had split myself.
If Whis looked at me with that staff... he would probably know. I couldn't risk even meeting them, even as a clone.
I turned to the squad.
Nappa was walking over, wiping sweat from his brow. "What's going on? Who's the cat?"
"Training is over," I said. My voice was hard, snapping like a whip.
"What?" Vegeta demanded, stepping forward. "We just started! I demand to—"
"I said it's over!" I roared.
I flared my Ki. Not to attack, but to intimidate. The pressure slammed into them, silencing the room.
"Everyone to quarters," I ordered, speaking fast.
"Why?" Prince Vegeta challenged, his arrogance warring with confusion. "If Frieza is kneeling, that means this newcomer is strong. I want to see him! I want to see who humbled the tyrant!"
He started to walk toward the door.
I moved.
I appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
"Get out of my way, Low-Cl—"
I grabbed him by the collar of his bodysuit and lifted him off the ground.
"Listen to me, you stupid boy," I hissed, bringing my face close to his. "That isn't a fighter. If you go out there... if you look at him wrong... if you breathe too loud... he won't just kill you."
I threw him back toward Nappa.
"Stay. Put."
"Lock it down," I told Ruca. "Now."
I turned and walked rapidly toward my own quarters.
--
Prince Vegeta was fuming.
"Unlock the door, Cress!" Vegeta demanded, stalking toward me. "I am the Prince! I do not hide in a hole while history happens outside!"
"History?" I scoffed, crossing my arms. "That's not history out there, Vegeta. That's a natural disaster wearing pants."
"I am not afraid of a cat!" Vegeta spat. "If Frieza knelt, this being must be powerful. Perhaps he is an enemy of Frieza. Perhaps we can align with him!"
I stared at him.
"Align?" I laughed humorlessly. "You don't align with a hurricane, Prince. You board up the windows and pray it passes."
I pointed a finger at his chest.
"No one leaves. If I catch you near the door, I break your legs. And I won't be gentle about it."
Vegeta's face turned purple. "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me."
I turned away, my own nerves vibrating under my skin. I needed to burn this energy.
"Ruca," I barked. "Center mat. Hand-to-hand. No Ki. I need to hit something."
Ruca didn't hesitate. She dropped into a stance. "Gladly."
We clashed in the center of the room, trading rapid-fire blows. The sound of fists hitting palms echoed off the walls, drowning out the tension.
While we fought, I didn't notice the three smaller figures drifting toward the rear maintenance hatch.
--
Prince Vegeta slipped into the shadows of the equipment racks, his eyes locked on the rear exit.
He reached the hatch.
Raditz was standing there. He was leaning against the door, trying to look imposing but mostly looking like he wanted to vomit. Cress had told him explicitly:'Guard the back.'
Vegeta stopped. He sneered.
"Move, Raditz."
Raditz jumped, nearly dropping his scouter. "M-My Prince! You can't! Cress said he'd break our legs! He... he meant it! Did you see his eyes?"
"Cress is a low class with delusions of grandeur," Vegeta hissed. "I am Royalty. If you do not move, I will vaporize you right here and tell Nappa you tripped on a mine."
He raised a hand, purple energy crackling in his palm.
Raditz looked at the energy. Then he looked at the door.
His dilemma was simple: If he stopped Vegeta, Vegeta killed him. If he let Vegeta go and stayed, Cress killed him for failing.
Survival instinct, Raditz's only true talent, kicked in.
"I..." Raditz stammered. "I... I have to monitor you! Yes! For your safety! I'm coming with you to make sure you don't get hurt!"
Vegeta smirked, lowering his hand. "Useful coward. Open it."
Raditz punched the code. The hatch hissed open. They slipped into the alleyway.
--
The alley behind the barracks was dark, smelling of ozone and refuse.
Vegeta and Raditz crept along the wall.
"Quiet!" Vegeta hissed as Raditz's tail knocked over a can.
"Sorry!" Raditz whispered.
They turned the corner and ran straight into a wall.
Or rather, a person.
Broly was standing there. He wasn't wearing his armor; he was in a simple tunic. He was walking back from where his father had spent the last hour running diagnostics on him.
Broly stopped. He looked at Vegeta. Then at Raditz.
He blinked slowly.
"You're sneaking," Broly stated. His voice was soft, devoid of judgment.
Raditz yelped, jumping back. "Gah! It's the mute!"
Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here, mutant?"
Broly pointed back toward the barracks. "Cress said to stay inside."
"We are on a reconnaissance mission," Vegeta lied smoothly. "Top secret. Royal clearance."
Broly stared at him. He didn't seem convinced.
"I'll come," Broly said.
"What? No!" Vegeta snapped. "You'll give us away!"
"I'll check on you," Broly clarified. "Cress says I have to watch the squad."
He wanted to be useful. He wanted to prove to Cress that he could be trusted.
Vegeta scowled. If he argued, Broly might get loud. Or worse, he might get angry. And an angry Broly in an alleyway would definitely alert Cress.
"Fine," Vegeta grunted. "The mute comes too. Just don't breathe too loud. And don't slow us down."
--
The royal palace.
Today, the halls were teeming with Frieza Force soldiers and nervous Saiyan guards.
The trio moved through the shadows.
Vegeta led the way, using his small size to dash between pillars and decorative statues. He moved with precision, timing his runs between patrol sweeps.
Raditz was a disaster. He was sweating bullets, his tail twitching nervously. Every time a door opened, he flinched.
Broly... was confusing.
He didn't sneak. He simply walked behind them. But his steps made no sound. When a guard turned a corner and spotted them, Vegeta tensed to fire.
But Broly just stared at the guard.
His black eyes bore into the soldier's soul.
The guard, unnerved by the silent child, suddenly remembered he had urgent business elsewhere and walked away quickly.
"Weirdo," Vegeta muttered.
"He's scary," Raditz whispered.
They reached the massive double doors of the Royal Banquet Hall. Voices drifted out from inside.
"I hear chewing," Raditz noted.
"The Cat," Vegeta whispered. "He's eating."
Vegeta pushed the door open a crack. They peeked inside.
--
The scene inside the Banquet Hall was something out of a nightmare.
The long table was piled high with the finest food Planet Vegeta could offer: whole roasted dinosaurs, spicy magma-stews, exotic fruits from the pleasure worlds. It was a feast fit for a conqueror.
But no one was eating.
King Vegeta, the proudest Saiyan alive, the man who had executed generals for looking him in the eye, was currently face-down on the floor.
Lord Beerus was sitting on the throne. He was relaxed, leaning back, with one foot resting comfortably on the back of King Vegeta's head.
Beerus picked up a drumstick. He took a bite.
Chew. Chew.
He made a face.
"Pah!"
Beerus spat the meat out. It landed inches from the King's nose.
"Greasy," Beerus complained, tossing the bone over his shoulder. "Unseasoned. Bland. Is this how you treat a guest? I should destroy your northern hemisphere just for the texture of this meat."
King Vegeta didn't move. He didn't speak. He just trembled.
Whis stood nearby, holding a goblet of wine. "Perhaps the sauce is better, my Lord?"
"The sauce tastes like mud," Beerus grumbled.
Suddenly, Beerus's large ear twitched.
He stopped chewing. He turned his head slowly, looking directly at the crack in the door where the three children were hiding.
"And the appetizers are spying on me," Beerus drawled. "Come out, little monkeys."
--
Vegeta tried to run.
He couldn't.
An invisible force grabbed them. It yanked them through the doors. They slid across the polished floor, their boots screeching, until they stopped in a heap right in front of the throne.
Vegeta scrambled to his feet, trying to maintain dignity. Raditz curled into a ball. Broly stood up slowly, dusting off his tunic.
Whis leaned in, inspecting them.
"Oh my," Whis murmured. "How unusual."
He looked at Vegeta. He looked at Raditz.
Then his eyes lingered on Broly. He smiled, a knowing, dangerous smile.
"Quite a collection," Whis noted.
Beerus ignored their Ki signatures. He ignored their potential. He cared about one thing.
Lunch.
He leaned forward, removing his foot from the King's head. He looked at the three terrified children.
"You three," Beerus said. "You look small enough to fit in ovens."
Raditz whimpered.
"Unless you can find me something edible on this rock within the hour," Beerus continued, pointing a clawed finger at them, "I'm going to start destroying things."
He pointed the finger directly at Raditz.
"Starting with the one with the silly hair."
Raditz shrieked.
King Vegeta lifted his head from the floor.
"Go!" the King roared at them. "Find the chefs! Find the reserves! Find anything better than this!"
"Scram," Beerus waved a hand. "Tick tock."
--
The trio scrambled out of the Banquet Hall, the heavy doors slamming shut behind them.
They collapsed in the hallway.
"He's going to kill me!" Raditz hyperventilated, grabbing his hair. "He didn't like my hair! I'm going to die because of my hair!"
"Shut up!" Vegeta hissed, pacing frantically. "We need food! Better food! Where do we find better food than the Royal Kitchen?"
"There isn't any!" Raditz wailed. "That was the best stuff!"
Vegeta slammed his fist into the wall. "Think! Who knows about food? Who knows about... things outside the norms?"
Raditz froze. His eyes widened.
"Wait..." Raditz whispered. "Cress."
Vegeta scowled. "What about the mechanic?"
"He knows things!" Raditz insisted. "If anyone can find a solution it's him!"
Vegeta paused. It was true.
"You want to ask him?" Vegeta asked, his face twisting in distaste. Asking Cress for help felt like swallowing glass.
"Do you want to die?!" Raditz shrieked. "Do you want the cat to eat us?!"
"Fine!" Vegeta snapped. "We ask him."
Then, he stopped.
"But we can't go back," Vegeta realized. "He gave a lockdown order. He said he'd break our legs if we left. If we walk in there now and admit we snuck out..."
"He'll kill us before the cat does," Raditz finished, horrified.
They were trapped.
Vegeta looked around. His eyes landed on Broly.
The large boy was standing quietly, watching a bug crawl on the wall.
A devious idea formed in Vegeta's mind.
"Broly," Vegeta said sweetly.
Broly looked at him. "?"
"You weren't in the barracks when Cress gave the order," Vegeta said. "You were outside. Remember?"
Broly nodded slowly.
"So technically," Vegeta continued, "you didn't disobey him."
Raditz caught on instantly. "Yes! Exactly! And you're his favorite! He never hits you! He likes you!"
Vegeta grabbed Broly's arm. "You have to go in. You have to wake him up. You have to ask him for the food."
"Me?" Broly asked.
"Yes, you!" Raditz pushed him from the other side. "Tell him... tell him it's an emergency! Tell him the Prince commands it! No, wait, don't say that. Just go."
Broly looked at the door to the barracks. Then back at the terrifying memory of the purple cat.
"Go!" Vegeta shoved him.