"You weren't lying," I hummed, staring as my eyes were filled with a glint of excitement, "You did get stronger since my last time here. Much stronger."
"That's thanks to your friends," Goku shot back, his lips curving up into a cocky grin, "Those androids gave me some trouble for a while. I thought I was going to die a couple of times, but then, I beat them, and I figured this out. I call it… Super Saiyan Double!"
I blinked, my excitement halting at his words, "S-Super Saiyan Double?"
"Yup! It's like the normal Super Saiyan, but twice as strong! So, it's Super Saiyan Double!" Goku grinned wider, looking a bit proud of his name.
Was this what the Butterfly Effect really was? Here I was, all worried that I might screw something up by stealing Bulma and thus ensuring that Trunks was never born, but this was the real threat I needed to worry about - the technique names!
"Ah, what about… Super Saiyan 2?" I said after looking like I was deep in thought for a moment, "Rolls off the tongue easier, don't you think?"
"Super Saiyan 2? No offense, but that's kind of dumb," Goku wrinkled his nose at me, looking repulsed by the idea, "Having a number in the name just doesn't sound good!"
Yup, that was coming from the guy who came up with 'Super Saiyan Double,' and who just increased the number by 1 whenever he used a stronger Kaio-Ken technique. That was all perfectly reasonable, but I'm the idiot for suggesting Super Saiyan 2!
Well, for now, it was fine. I'd only get seriously pissed off if he called Super Saiyan Blue something like 'Super Saiyan Double God' - though, I guess that wasn't much worse than the official but rarely used true name of 'Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan.'
"Whatever. So, you defeated the androids?" I hummed, and as I gauged his power level, I could definitely see how much he had grown.
Even if Android 16 and 17 had become stronger through fighting with Goku on Earth, which was probably more like 'beatings' at the start, I still doubted they'd be able to even land a blow on the Goku in front of me. Their power levels would've been in the mid-hundred millions, and even if they had somehow doubled their power through training, they would've been barely at a billion.
In comparison, right now, Goku sat at roughly 4 billion - I didn't have a scouter on, so I could only gauge with my Ki sensing, but he was definitely in the 4-5 billion range. Which, considering he had been in the low millions even as a Super Saiyan when I left, was pretty insane growth. The weekly Zenkai Boost beatings had paid off, and Goku was far ahead of schedule.
Right now, he could probably defeat Cell, and possibly even perfect Cell - at a time when Future Trunks wouldn't even show up for a bit more than a year. After that, it was another three years until Cell would start getting active. At that point, I wouldn't need to handle him because Goku would probably be able to beat him with his pinky after another three years of training.
My plan to accelerate the timeline had worked just as I hoped it would. This, along with my cloning and overall improvement of the planets within my Empire, meant that I was on good pace - Universe 7 was on track to avoid the Tournament of Power entirely. Or, if the Tournament of Power never happened because of the butterfly effect, then we'd be kept out of the group of universes that were erased for having too low of a Mortal Level.
"They gave me a lot of trouble at first… those two were really tough," Goku grinned again, looking almost reminiscent - which wasn't a feeling I would normally associate with getting your ass beat, but Goku was definitely special.
"For a while, they were way too strong for me to handle. But, with Super Saiyan Double, I can handle them no problem," Goku finished, flexing a bit as his power spiked around him. I was glad he had grown strong enough to defeat them, but there was still a pretty important lingering question.
"Did you kill them?" I asked bluntly, raising an eyebrow at him. If he had, then it would have both benefited and hurt me in the long run.
On one hand, two strong Androids had been destroyed. They were two beings that could've been useful in raising the Mortal Level, and for overall helping in the far-far future against either godly or other-universe foes I would face.
But, on the other hand, Android 17 was someone Android 18 cared about, as he was her brother. If he were killed by an Earthling, then she'd be pushed away from Earth even more and be more likely to stick by my side. It was a pretty dark line of thinking, but it wasn't like I was killing Android 17 - I was just reaping the benefits.
But, in the end, the decision had been in Goku's hands, and I shouldn't have expected anything less from the Saiyan.
"Eh? Why would I do that?" Goku looked at me strangely, as if I had asked a stupid question, and I couldn't help but feel like I had.
"Hah, never mind. It's my fault for asking," I just chuckled. "Then, let's get started, shall we?"
This was Goku - of course he wouldn't kill them. For once, I would admit that the man who had two children without even learning what a 'kiss' was had the right to look at me like I was stupid.
"Ugh, not you too! We just got here, and you're really going to fight?!" Bulma shouted with a huff, glaring over at me lightly, but then finally just sighed as she shook her head lightly, "Fine. It's not like I can stop you."
"It, um, won't take long, Bulma!" Goku called over 'helpfully', looking a bit sheepish as the intimidating aura of Super Saiyan 2 didn't match his facial expression.
"It won't," I agreed, though for a much different reason than Goku was, as I didn't think it would take long to kick his ass. But, first, I didn't want Bulma to be too pissed about this, so-
"W-What-" I vanished, appearing next to Bulma, and then we both vanished with Instant Transmission. A moment later, we landed on a very familiar beach.
"-are you doing?" Bulma finished, blinking as her vision changed, and she glanced around, "Kame House?"
We were now on a very small island, which was nearly entirely filled up by one singular red house.
"Some of your friends are here," I started, then clarified at her dry look, "The ones who are still alive, I mean. I'll come back when the fight is finished."
I had murdered most of the Z-Fighters a few months ago, but the forest Goku had been training in was pretty close to where Kame House was, and I could sense Roshi, Chi Chi, and who I assumed was Launch inside.
With that said, I vanished again and appeared back in front of a surprised Goku. This way, Bulma would both be out of danger, and she wouldn't be angry - because instead of pouting as she watched me kick Goku's ass, she could catch up with her friends.
Not that I was worried about her being too upset at me or anything - at this point, I was confident she wouldn't suddenly change her mind and decide to stay on Earth. Our relationship was more of a casual one with random bouts of sex, but I could tell I wasn't just a rebound. She definitely had feelings for me, even if she wasn't eager to show them all that often.
"What was that?!" Goku muttered, staring at me with wide eyes as I reappeared, "You weren't just moving quickly… you teleported!"
"Instant Transmission," I smirked at his shocked face, "As long as I can sense someone's energy, I can teleport to them in an instant."
"Woah…" Goku breathed out, his eyes wide, "That's a cool technique!"
"I'll teach it to you sometime," I grinned, feeling a bit weird as I was being so friendly with someone whose friends I had murdered only a few months prior. Even if they would just be wished back, Goku could at least hold a bit of a grudge!
"Thanks," Goku grinned back, and his body tensed as he was clearly done with conversing now, "Don't hold back on me, alright? I'm going to give this everything I have!"
"Trust me, I won't," I agreed, though I wasn't being entirely honest. Considering Goku's low-billions power level, compared to my near-quintillion one in my Golden Frieza form, he wouldn't stand a chance if I really went all out from the start. But I wouldn't mind giving him a new goal to strive towards after a bit of fighting.
"Good!" Goku shot forward as the word came from his mouth, and burst across the space between us. He was definitely much faster than before, and if I hadn't trained at all from my last trip to Earth, then he actually might've stood a chance at making me sweat.
But I had trained. I leaned to the side, letting his fist brush past me, effortlessly. His other hand snapped forward immediately after, aiming for my head, but I tilted my head to the side and let the blow shoot past me. His Super Saiyan 2 form increased his speed a lot, as well as his power, and the air around me shook from the force of the missed blows - but it wasn't enough.
His leg shot upward abruptly, moving in a fluid, gymnastic-esque movement that should've been difficult to dodge. I was reminded of just how good of a fighter Goku was, as if I was even just double his power level, I would've been caught off guard and taken a leg to the side. Instead, my speed just surpassed his so much that I could twist my body out of the way and let him hit nothing but air.
He didn't let up for a second, continuing to press me as his hands blurred, and fist after fist shot towards my face. In response, my body swayed from side to side, blurring even faster than his fists did. As each punch missed, I could hear the sound of bark being shattered behind me, as just the force of the punches was knocking over entire trees in the forest.
"You're a lot stronger," I said honestly, giving Goku his props.
I hadn't expected him to be nearly this powerful, as I definitely didn't think he'd achieve Super Saiyan 2. The androids must've been pretty hard on him, as in the Cell Saga, he hadn't reached this form even after training for an entire year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Gohan as a training partner. I imagine he thought they were a genuine threat to his life and the Earth, at first, and not just two goons that I was sending to kick his ass and give him Zenkai Boosts to get these results in such a short time.
"Hah! So are you!" Goku grunted back, his body twisting as another unexpected leg shot forward at me, and I had to use my speed to duck under it. My eyes widened slightly as there was suddenly a glowing hand in my face, courtesy of Goku as he reached under his leg to catch me off guard.
My hand flashed upward, smacking aside the Ki blast in the split second before it hit my face, and I leaped backward as Goku didn't let up for even a second. He lunged forward, his fists flying again as I had to lean around the incoming punches. He stepped to the side as I dodged them all, taking an overly wild swing at my face, and I narrowed my eyes.
I took a step back, and a moment later, his fist pounded through the space in front of my face. My hand shot up, and near instantly, the same exact punch slammed into my palm as Goku's body vanished - seemingly teleporting to the side. I knew that he was planning something with that wild punch, but the Afterimage Technique?
I didn't know how he did it, either, because from what I knew, it relied on being faster than your opponent. It was a certified 'Aura Farming' technique, where the user vanished right before they were hit, or right before they hit someone, only to appear to the side quicker than their eye could process.
But I was definitely faster than Goku. Despite that, the technique had still worked - in my eyes, he had vanished, even as he seemed to be moving slower most of the time otherwise. It was only my instincts and awareness of his unusual punch that let me avoid taking a fist to the face. That made it very appealing to me, so I'd have to learn how he did that later.
"Even that didn't work?" Goku clicked his tongue, yanking his fist back, but then blinking in surprise as my grip on him didn't budge. His eyes went wide as, even with using his entire body and all the strength in his arm to jerk backward, he couldn't pull free from my hand.
"I'm impressed, but," My lips curved into a light smirk, "This form is still a bit too much for you."
Then, my arm twisted, and Goku was promptly upside down. His entire body was yanked into the air, completely rolling as I didn't let go. Then, I whipped my arm downward, and Goku's back slammed into the ground with a boom. The ground cratered under him, and spit flew from his mouth as he let out a pained gasp.
However, I didn't give him any time to feel the pain, as I yanked my arm upward and sent him hurtling upward, his body spinning in the process. Then, I vanished, reappearing behind him as a two-handed hammer slammed into his back. He rocketed downward, but I appeared under him before he hit the ground, and my leg curved upward. It slammed into his gut, causing Goku's body to curve over my limb as his eyes were wide, and more spit flew, and then he was flung upward again.
I let him go this time, letting his body roll through the air, and then slam into the ground roughly a dozen feet away. I just stood there, watching as Goku groaned and painfully pushed himself to his feet.
"You're way too fast," Goku grunted, but despite the ass-beating, his lips twitched into a grin, "I don't think I can beat you, but… you're gettin' me excited! I'll give it everything I've got!"
"It's true that you can't beat me, but I'll give you this," I raised my hand, holding out my palm as Goku looked at me curiously, "This isn't my final form, and it isn't even close to my full power. It's only a fraction of it, but…"
My fingers lowered as only 1 remained up, "If you can land one blow, then I'll show you my own version of Super Saiyan. I'll show you my Golden Form."
"Y-Your own version of Super Saiyan?" Goku asked, his eyes going wide as I saw the cogs turning.
For him, his Super Saiyan transformation was a 50x power boost, which meant that he thought my Golden Frieza form was the same - and, he wasn't far off. It wasn't exactly 50x like the Super Saiyan transformation was, but from a power level standpoint, it was in that range.
Right now, he was getting his ass handed to him effortlessly as he couldn't even land a blow. Right now, at his full power, he couldn't even touch me at a 50th of my power.
"Hah…" Goku breathed out, his eyes flashing with excitement as he stared me down, "You're this strong, and this isn't even the start of it? I still have a long way to go, but… I at least want to see it!"
"Then, come at me," I said simply, curling my finger in a 'come get it' gesture - which, he promptly abided by.
Goku launched forward at me abruptly, his hands sending out a flurry of blows towards my head, but I leaned out of the way again. His fists continued to come, weaving as he vanished into a gold-covered afterimage, and his fist came at me from behind. I tilted my head down, letting it blast over me casually.
As he continued to throw attack after attack at me, the forest behind me was slowly being shredded as trees erupted into splinters and were toppled over. He threw everything into just trying to make contact, but by contrast, I was just tilting my body slightly, letting each blow slip past me.
My body barely moved, simply twisting on my ankle pivot to let a dropping kick brush past me and hit the ground, then a slight tilt of my head so that his punches cut nothing but air. I was unashamedly abusing my speed, but I wasn't just dodging mindlessly.
As Goku moved, my eyes took note of every movement, and I did my best to ingrain it in my memory. It would be great to train with him in the future, but right now, he was far too weak to teach me much. Even in my 'base' form, or my most suppressed form, I was hundreds of times stronger than him.
But while I couldn't efficiently train with him, that didn't mean I couldn't learn. I took note of every movement he made - the form of his punches, when he decided to throw in fakes or lash out with a kick, and how his body overall danced around me. I shoved it all into my brain, trying to remember everything so I could use it to assist in my own training.
My insane power made me invincible in a situation like this, but it wouldn't always be this way. When I eventually took on Beerus, or other angels, or beings from other universes, it wouldn't always be a one-sided beatdown. I needed to continue to learn how to fight better - how to become more skillful, and be able to win a fight even if I was ever outmatched in power. I was a good fighter, but to become the best, I needed to watch and learn from Goku.
"Damn it! You're treating me like a child!" Goku grunted mid-combo, his voice raw with frustration as I stepped to the side and he hit nothing but air again.
"Compared to me? You might as well be," I smirked back, chuckling even as I avoided another punch.
But, a split second later, my eyes widened as I felt like Goku was up to something again. He took an abrupt step back, tensed his body, and then lunged forward with another punch. I tilted my head to the side to dodge, but then my eyes went wide as Goku's knee was suddenly shooting upward, aiming for my gut. My legs tensed, and I was forced to finally make a serious dodging attempt as I kicked off the ground, launching myself backward as Goku's knee didn't reach me.
I dodged, but I was reminded not to get too cocky. I had done a lot of training, and pure power-wise, I was pretty much untouchable to nearly all the beings in Universe 7, but I still had more training to do. My fighting skill had increased a ton over the past few months, but Goku could very well be considered the most skillful fighter in this entire universe - and, possibly even the multiverse.
I was more glad than ever that he didn't hate me right now, because I would definitely need him with me in the future. But, more than that, I needed to learn from him how to become a better fighter.
"Damn," Goku grunted, pausing as he glanced over at me, looking a bit annoyed that he had missed again.
But, while I would need to learn from him in the future, right now it was time to use my otherworldly knowledge to give him another power boost. He'd exceeded my expectations with unlocking Super Saiyan 2 already, but I was about to open a whole new way to fight for him.
"When you fought me last time I was here, you were shrouded in a different color," I called out to him bluntly, causing him to relax slightly as he looked at me curiously, "The Kaio-Ken technique."
"What about it?" Goku shot back, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Use it," I told him bluntly, and Goku just looked more confused.
"Compared to Super Saiyan, and especially Super Saiyan Double, it gives me a lot less power."
"I know," I smirked lightly, just confusing him even more, "Use them together. Super Saiyan, and the Kaio-Ken. Use them at the same time."
"A-At the same time?!" Goku blinked, his eyes going wide, "I… never thought about that. Can I do that… ah!"
Goku winced, grabbing the side of his head abruptly, and I raised an eyebrow at him.
"A-Alright, alright! I won't do it, King Kai," Goku sighed, and I quickly realized that King Kai was probably screaming warnings into his head, "Y-Yeah, I get it! Too much strain on my body! I won't do it!"
Right, King Kai could just speak telepathically to Goku and dissuade him from making typical spur-of-the-moment Goku decisions - and he pretty much watched all of Goku's battles. That was a bit annoying.
"Ignore whatever that Kai is telling you," I called out quickly, wrinkling my nose, "You won't die. Even if you do, I can just wish you back with the Dragon Balls. There are more of those in the universe than you would think."
Honestly, King Kai's concerns were pretty valid. Kaio-Ken's whole gimmick was pumping your body functions to the max, and it was like Goku was being injected with a ton of steroids. Combine that with the Super Sayian form, which was energy draining and hard to keep up for long periods without a ton of training, and I could definitely see some risks coming from combining them.
But what I knew, and what Goku and King Kai didn't know, was that Goku would be fine, because he already had been fine. He had finally combined the Kaio-Ken with Super Saiyan Blue after decades of not trying to utilize them together, and while that was something that was supposed to happen decades from now, I don't see why he couldn't just do it now.
"See? He says it'll be fine, King Kai- ah! Alright, alright!" Goku winced again, grabbing at his head, and I was starting to get annoyed. First, King Kai spies on me and spoils what I'm doing to Goku, and then he convinces Goku not to use the Kaio-Ken?
"Kai," I said casually, raising my hand as I placed a finger on my temple, "Have you heard of the Instant Transmission technique? It's a technique that allows me to teleport anywhere in the universe in an instant, as long as I can sense energy to teleport to."
Goku looked at me confusedly as I smirked, my eyes narrowing as my next words came out as a blatant threat, "I wonder if this technique would let me teleport to Otherworld? Since you seem so opposed to my ideas, maybe you and I should have a 'chat' in person…"
For a second, the forest was silent as Goku didn't speak, seemingly hearing more from King Kai.
"Um, I did see him teleport earlier, and he did mention that technique," Goku finally said, not speaking to me, "So, I don't think he's lying."
"I'm not," I continued to smirk, raising an eyebrow at Goku, and through him King Kai, "Though, if you'd like to test me, I'll start looking for your energy now…"
I closed my eyes, being mock in thought, as I definitely couldn't actually find King Kai's energy. It wasn't that it was too far, but instead that I had never been to Otherworld, so I didn't even know where to begin looking. If I looked for long enough, I'd eventually find it, but the universe was huge, and that would take far too long. Luckily, the idea of me showing up on his tiny planet was enough to make King Kai panic, and he didn't call my bluff.
W-Wait, I'm not involved in this! Leave me out of this!
I smirked again as King Kai's voice suddenly appeared in my head, "Then, stop butting into it, alright?"
Gah… alright!
"You'll survive," I said bluntly to Goku again, causing him to nod as he grinned widely. It was clear to me that he was eager to try combining the two techniques, even if King Kai had been warning him against it, "Just, don't push your body beyond its limits. Keep it at the base Kaio-Ken, or you might really die. And, focus on controlling your energy completely. Pretend I'm not even here."
This still was a lot of risk, as Goku himself, or future Goku in this sense, had said that the main reason he never tried to combine ordinary Super Saiyan with the Kaio-Ken was because it carried such a high risk. In Goku's mind, his body's limits were more like a light warning than a hard stop. The initial Kaio-Ken form should've been almost too much for him to handle, but he had simply continued to push it higher - reaching x4, then x10, and then even x20. In his mind, he really had no limits, no matter how much the world tried to tell him otherwise.
This time, however, that 'light warning' was a real-deal stopping point - going too far meant death. If Goku pushed himself further than his body could handle, it wouldn't be a 'growing' moment, but one where his heart exploded, and I'd have to go track down the Cerealian Dragon Balls to bring him back.
Of course, in the end, he was still Goku. Risk or not, he was the main character of this world, so I was certain that he wouldn't die like this.
"Alright! Then…" Goku's muscles flexed as his body became tense, and his eyes went wide as his power level started to skyrocket abruptly. His muscles went from flexing to bulging, and he let out a low growl as the golden aura around him started to fluctuate.
A red glow started to surround his body, mixing in with the golden glow as Goku's power shot higher and higher. It continued to climb as the red glow started to solidify, mixing in completely as it extended beyond the Super Saiyan 2 one, and coating Goku's entire body and golden aura in a dark red one.
I nodded appreciatively as he breathed out, fully controlling the power as his power level doubled - reaching around the 9-10 billion mark as he utilized the base Kaio-Ken form.
"Wow," Goku breathed out, grinning widely as he glanced down, "It really worked. See, you were worried for nothin' King Kai!"
'Worried for nothing' was pushing it, as despite being the one to suggest doing this, I still was a bit doubtful. Goku had said there was only a 10% chance of it working when he was Super Saiyan Blue - a form much more suitable for handling the Kaio-Ken, and which greatly negated the physical damage he took from it. I imagined that this method would be considered even less likely to succeed, but whether through talent or a lot of plot armor, Goku was utilizing both Super Saiyan 2 and the Kaio-Ken right in front of my eyes.
"Hah, this amount of power is no joke," Goku muttered, his body tensing again as he narrowed his eyes at me, "Don't think you can take me lightly anymore."
As I stared back at him, his body tensed and his face set in stone, I couldn't help but agree. The power gap was massive, but there was a clear skill gap between us, and I didn't doubt that he'd land a blow soon. Beyond that, once Goku got going, all caution went out the window. I didn't doubt that he'd try to push him Kaio-Ken further, and I was ready for whatever came from this fight.
"...You're right," I grinned back, "I'll take you seriously."
I would show him the peak of Universe 7's power with Golden Frieza, and give him a goal to strive towards. But first, he had to prove that he was worthy of it.
We were deep into the fight, but my real battle with Goku had just begun.
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AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be posted in around a week!
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