As the Saiyan pod doors swung open, the two men looked exactly as I remembered them. Nappa stepped out first, being a large ball of muscles, with a shiny bald head and rather ugly face.
I frowned lightly as he didn't immediately kneel, instead looking over at Vegeta's pod as it opened, clearly waiting for instructions from him.
Vegeta also looked the same as I remembered, if a bit shorter than I imagined - though, that was because this body of mine was actually pretty short as well. He had a muscular frame, was wearing a blue Saiyan armor uniform, and had spikey hair with a widow's peak.
My frown became a grin as Vegeta begrudgingly stepped forward, turning to me immediately and not even looking at the Z-Fighters. He took a few steps forward, approaching me, and then fell down to one knee.
"...Lord Frieza," He spoke pretty calmly as Nappa followed his lead, also kneeling, but I picked up on the very poorly contained venom in his tone, "I have arrived in one year, just as you ordered."
"Good work," I smirked a bit, staring down at his kneeling form, "Though I think you were already heading here, weren't you?"
"...Only Raditz came here to find his lost brother, Lord Frieza," Vegeta answered stiffly again, clearly uncomfortable and unhappy that I was here. "We were just coming to assist him."
Technically, he wasn't wrong. It was only Raditz who wanted to come to Earth to recruit Goku, as Vegeta and Nappa had only decided to come after hearing about the Dragon Balls through his scouter's transmission. In this world, they hadn't heard that, but instead, my demand for them to come.
Honestly, it was a bit odd to see Vegeta like this. In my mind, he should be the fiery, prideful, loud, and arrogant Saiyan, who had been fearless in letting even Cell transform for a better fight. That's how I imagined him, but this was a much, much different Vegeta.
This one hadn't learned the things he did from fighting Goku yet, and he hadn't gained the confidence to truly face Frieza. Even on Namek, Vegeta had been scared shitless by both the Ginyu Force and Frieza, but his pride and belief that he was truly a Super Saiyan had spurred him to continue to fight until the bitter end.
Right now, he was simply facing down his Master, with no chance of ever defeating him. There was no power boost, no Dragon Ball wish to make him immortal, and no Super Saiyan belief he had. Instead, he was nothing but the Prince of a dead race, who had to bend the knee just as every other soldier under my command did, even if he hated it.
"These Earthlings are amusing," I started, getting ready to set the stage as I grinned down at Vegeta, "In fact, I'd even say they're interesting. Maybe moreso than you Saiyans."
Vegeta and Nappa's shoulders both stiffened at my words, as hearing such an insult from the man who could throw you out and kill you at any moment was surely pretty terrifying. Despite that, neither of them dared to move, just staying kneeling, even as the Z-Fighters looked at them wearily.
"You'll fight them, and whoever loses, I will kill," I said bluntly, causing Vegeta's eyes to widen.
"W-What?! These weaklings-" He cut himself off as I narrowed my eyes, choking a bit as he clamped his mouth shut.
"They're weak, but they've caught my interest," I said bluntly, staring down at the Saiyan, "Have you heard of something called the 'Dragon Balls,' Vegeta?"
Vegeta stiffened at my words, as did all the Z-Fighters. They likely thought I didn't know about them since I didn't take or use them last time I was here, but that was far from the truth.
"I… I don't know what you mean, Lord Frieza," Vegeta gritted out, apparently deciding that if he just pretended he didn't know what they were, the conversation would shift away from them.
In reality, I could tell from his tone that he did know about them. I don't know how he learned of them, as he hadn't heard them be discussed by Raditz before he died, and I broke Raditz's scouter, so there shouldn't have been any way for him to communicate with Earth.
I assumed he probably found out because of my usage of the Namekian Dragon Balls - I hadn't exactly been secretive about why I wanted to conquer the planet. It wasn't farfetched to think that word of the magical wish-granting balls had spread through my army, and that Vegeta had stopped at one of the many checkpoint-aid planets I had throughout the universe, then had learned about them from some grunt working there.
He was probably hoping I didn't know about them, and planned to wish for immortality under my nose once he defeated the Earthlings. But, luckily for him, I had no intention of using the Dragon Balls on Earth.
I already had a set on Namek, and the Dragon Balls were overall more limited than that 'grant any wish' legend said, as they were limited by their creator's power. I didn't have so many wishes in mind that I needed another set to use in between the year cooldown, as I had already made my main three wishes, and the more grand ones I had in mind would require the Super Dragon Balls.
"How did you hear about them?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Vegeta, who just clenched a fist at his side at my words.
"I don't know what you mean, Lord Frieza, I've never heard of such-GUH!" He inhaled sharply as I suddenly appeared behind him, moving faster than he could hope to track, and casually placed my foot on the back of his head.
"V-Vegeta!" Nappa stuttered, glancing over at him nervously, but he didn't move to try and help his Prince.
"Quit lying, or I'll test out how firmly your head is attached to your neck," I said dryly, and Vegeta was stock still for a second. Then, he slowly nodded, and I pulled back my foot and walked back to my chair.
"...I heard from Zarbon at one of the Frieza Checkpoints," Vegeta grunted, finally being truthful after my threat. "They're balls that, when gathered, can grant any wish."
Ah, he heard from one of the Zarbons? I say 'one of,' because obviously the original Zarbon stayed by my side at all times, but that was a story for another time that related to one of my wishes.
"You can have them," I said bluntly, causing Vegeta's eyes to fly open with disbelief as he looked up, staring at me in shock.
"W-What?!"
"If you can defeat the Earthlings, then you can have them," I said bluntly, my eyes twinkling with a bit of mischief as he looked at me disbelievingly, "You know they're on this planet, correct? Defeat the Earthlings, and I will allow you to gather them and make whatever wish you want."
As Vegeta gawked at me, I just smirked. I didn't think he'd win anyway, as if the original series' weaker Z-Fighters could take him down, I was pretty confident this stronger version of them could. That would largely depend on just how powerful Goku was, but I was willing to make that bet.
In Vegeta's eyes, this was a much better offer than it was in reality. He thought the Dragon Balls could really grant anything, and I was sure he thought I was an idiot right now - that he'd just wish to gain the strength to kill me, or even for me to just die, or for immortality to defeat me.
The first one of those three couldn't be achieved with the Earth Dragon Balls, only at the sacrifice of your own life with the Cerealian Dragon Balls, or possibly with the Super Dragon Balls. The second probably wasn't possible with any Dragon Balls, except maybe the Super Dragon Balls, and the third wouldn't help him. Infinite Zenkai Boosts were pretty scary, but the 'immortality' was much more limited than he thought.
I had found that out the hard way with my own immortality - there was a reason Zamasu had made his wish with the Super Dragon Balls, as the Namekian Dragon Ball's version was much more limited. I was technically immortal, as I didn't think I'd ever die of old age, but in a fighting sense, it was more like 'giga-regeneration.'
I had done a lot of testing after my wish, and while this version of immortality was definitely still overpowered, it wasn't unkillable. My wounds would heal near-instantly, and I could regrow limbs, organs, and even my head, but I could still be killed. It was more like a faster Buu or Cell regeneration - as long as any part of my body was still alive, I could fully revive myself. But if my body were completely destroyed, then I would die.
I couldn't be completely sure, as I wasn't going to destroy my entire body to test it out, but that was the conclusion I had come to after months of testing. It had been an annoying one to reach, as it meant that I could certainly still be killed by Beerus. It wasn't like I would've been able to act completely recklessly even if I were fully immortal, as Zeno and angels still existed, but I would at least have the confidence of knowing that Beerus couldn't just show up and one-shot me.
For that reason, if Vegeta really did beat Goku and try to wish for immortality, I would just kill him and be done with it. It would be annoying to lose such a powerful piece, but the whole reason I was giving him this offer was to control him better, and that would be out the window if the arrogant Prince were immortal.
"Y-You'll… I… I can make a wish?" Vegeta asked shakily, still in disbelief, and I couldn't blame him. Past-Frieza would've never let such a thing happen, as he would've sooner died than let anyone other than himself use the Dragon Balls.
"You can," I said simply, my lips curling up in a smile as I tried to keep the cruelty out of it. "You see, I've decided that I should reward my subordinates who do a good job. Throw them a bone every now and then. If you can defeat the Earthlings, then you can make any wish you desire."
This was the basis of my true plan for Vegeta - he was a powerful fighter, with limitless potential as he kept up with even Goku throughout the series, and a good soldier to have far down the line if the Tournament of Power really did happen. Or, in sooner concerns, when I inevitably had to take down Beerus.
But, there was a small problem with him - he hated me. He hated me to the core because I had destroyed his home, nearly sent his entire race to extinction, and had ordered him around like a mutt for his entire life. It was understandable hate, but it left me in an awkward situation.
I either needed to negate that hate and convince him I was a changed man - which I believed was pretty impossible - or put Vegeta into a situation where he could never go against me. To do that, I either needed to beat him so badly that he was traumatized - which would hinder his growth in the long run, so not an appealing option - or to do what I was doing now.
Which was, to put it bluntly, using the old carrot on a stick. I'd lead Vegeta around with potential rewards, such as this one, where if he pleased me, he thought he'd be able to get what he desired so badly. I knew he would fail, of course, but I'd just later offer a similar reward for another difficult challenge, thus motivating him to train even harder as I kept moving his reward slightly out of reach.
It would dissuade him from trying to create a rebellion against me - as why would he need to, when he was so close to the magical wishing balls that would solve all his problems anyway? - as he desperately tried, and failed, to please me and get a chance at his reward. He'd think it was his own fault for failing, as he would never admit that I was giving him an impossible task when his opponents were mere Earthlings.
"Great! Then, let's kill them, Nappa!" Vegeta shot to his feet, and I forgave him for not asking permission to stop kneeling, as I could see the excitement filling his face. He spun around eagerly, and Nappa quickly climbed to his feet as well.
The Earthlings tensed, shifting into fighting stances as the Saiyans turned around so quickly, but I held up my hand for them to pause.
"Not yet," I hummed, looking over at Krillin, "You've revived Kakarot, right?"
"Y-You mean Goku? Y-Yeah, he's on his way right now!" Krillin rubbed the back of his head nervously, instantly giving away that something had gone wrong with their plan to revive Goku, "He'll be here any minute!"
Which meant he was running on Snake Way still, and probably wouldn't be here for at least an hour. But that was fine by me.
"Then, there's just one last thing we need before you can begin," I ordered, and Vegeta spun around, looking annoyed.
"We really have to wait for Kakarot?! Hey, bald kid, how long will it take?!" Vegeta demanded of Krillin, who took a step back as the stronger Saiyan glared at him.
"I-It won't be long! J-Just wait a bit!" Krillin stuttered out in response, trying to buy more time.
"Ah, I wasn't talking about Kakarot," I smirked a bit, causing Vegeta to look back at me in confusion, along with Krillin. "There's something else I'm waiting for. You, cowardly one!"
I pointed at Yamcha, who flinched at my action, literally raising his hands in front of his face as if I were about to shoot a bullet at him. Which I had done earlier, so I guess I couldn't blame him.
"Y-Yeah?" He asked shakily, looking more than a bit nervous at having my attention again.
"You have two options," I told him bluntly, holding up two fingers, "Either go get me some popcorn, or fight a Saibamen."
Hey, if I were just going to be sitting here watching the show for the next hour or two, I might as well enjoy some popcorn, right? I hadn't found anything similar to the snack yet on any of the planets I had conquered, and I could really go for some right now.
"Oooh! That does sound good!" Bulma agreed next to me, looking far too relaxed for someone whose friends were probably about to die.
"P-Popcorn? Do you think I'm your errand boy or something?!" Yamcha asked incredulously, though he paused for a second as he looked like he was actually considering it, "...What's a Saibamen?"
If I had given Piccolo the same proposition, he would've agreed to fight without a second thought, but Yamcha's cowardice really was legendary.
"A little green plant man," I said quickly before Vegeta could answer, as Yamcha would probably be scared shitless if he heard they were stronger than Raditz had been, "They're only around two feet tall, and they're used to train Saiyan children. You used to fight a dozen of them at once when you were just a child, didn't you, Vegeta?"
I was purposely exaggerating here - most of the Saiyans were long dead, but when they had been alive, the Saibamen were certainly too much for children to handle, and even for a lot of adults. Vegeta was an exception, having surpassed even his Father, the king, at a young age.
"I did. I could easily kill one with my hands tied behind my back," Vegeta seemed to pick up on what I was doing, just smirking a bit at Yamcha, whose eyes went wide.
"W-Well, then I can definitely take one!" He shouted, looking determined as Vegeta reached into his pocket, pulling out the jar containing the Saibamen seeds, and then planted one into the ground. Nappa stepped over, pouring a green liquid onto it from a jar hidden in his suit, and the ground started to shake.
The rocky floor cracked slightly, and a green hand shot out from the floor. The hand gripped the rock around it, pulling itself upward as a small, cabbage-looking, green, child-like creature popped out of the ground. It started giggling immediately as it looked over at the Earthlings, the sound coming out as rather creepy.
"This is a Saibamen," I hummed, gesturing to the Saibamen. "You can surely handle something like this, right?"
"Yeah! This little guy is nothing!" Yamcha smirked, becoming more confident as he stared down the little green creature, and he wasted no time leaping forward at it with a shout. His suppressed power flared up, and the battle began.
And, at the start, his confidence wasn't misplaced. He battled on an even field with the Saibamen, a flurry of punches making contact as he danced around the green creatures' attacks, handling him pretty easily. He had already been on par with one in the series, and with his slightly improved power in this world, he had the upper hand.
"Wolf Fang Fist!" The bandit shouted after a couple-minute-long battle, which was pretty boring to me as they were practically moving in slow motion. His fist slammed into the Saibamen's gut, sending it flying backward with a pained grunt.
"Ha! You see that, Bulma?!" Yamcha smirked, looking over at Bulma with a smug look on his face as he stood over the Saibamen, "I might not be as strong as that guy, but I can still figh-GRAH! W-What are you- AHHHH!"
A prime example of why the weak can't get cocky.
The Saibamen leaped up, latching his arms around Yamcha as he was gloating, and then started to glow. In an explosion of smoke, the Saibamen literally self-destructed - exploding outward in a burst of Ki, and causing Yamcha to scream in pain as he was caught in it.
"Y-Yamcha!" Krillin yelled out panickedly, staring at the wide dust cloud with wide eyes. I just grinned as the power level inside it faded.
The smoke cleared, and an iconic image played out in front of me. Yamcha lay in a large crater, curled up in a ball as his energy slowly faded away, and he died.
It was good to know that, no matter what world it was, and no matter how much Yamcha trained, there was no butterfly effect that could change this moment in time.
Yamcha was still Yamcha.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Wait, how am I going to get my popcorn now?!
Silently, for the first and last time, I wished Yamcha were still alive.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be posted in a few days!
You can also read the next 20 chapters right now on Patreon.com/Koyon !