Ginyu, who had vainly attempted to get close to Cold to steal his body during the final conflict, could now only flee in terror as the energies of the spirit bomb washed over planet Namek.

The captain of the once infamous and indomitable Ginyu force was fast indeed. But death's cold touch was faster.

Just before the spirit bomb overtook him time froze, and he managed to see the semblance of a blur rocketing past him. It was his former master, Frieza, desperately running away at the speed of light.

"Lord Frieza!" Ginyu cried pleadingly. "Noooo! I have to get away. I have to get awa-agghhh!!!" And then the purple alien was no more as the divine attacked turned the man to ash for his wicked deeds.

With Cooler and Vegeta

When the blast had initially reached Cooler, his brother's trap had inadvertently given him enough time to prepare his ultimate defensive technique. His legs were set and his arms were outreaching.

That being said, all of his most strenuous efforts did little to alleviate the unimaginable, incomparable pain he felt as the energy store its way through his defenses and body. The potent telekinetic bubble and the distance between himself and the blasts epicenter combined with his own considerable might were the only reasons he wasn't instantly vaporized.

But Cooler knew in his heart that this was the end. The golden bubble strained and cracked, as did his armor. As the endless ocean of energy washed over him, it steadily pushed Cooler back. The Arcrosian hung his head and sighed. When Cooler originally came to this planet he had honestly hated everything.

His whole life felt like a cruel joke up to this point. Always dancing to someone else's tune, trying to appease others. Even if he claimed it was by his own choice.

Over the years he had come to the conclusion that he just wanted to see the universe burn beneath his feet. But now after everything that had led to this point.. it all seemed so small.

Here at the end of sll things and after having met the boy.. No matter how the rest of his life had played out. This at least. Killing his father and avenging his mother, would be his choice. Protecting the child would be his final atonement.

Cooler smiled serenely. 'Yes.. This is what I wish for. Mother… can I finally see you again..? Can I finally rest?' he chuckled bitterly as his mind brgan to grow numb with pain.

Suddenly a great deal of the pressure was alleviated. He slowly opened his eyes in confusion, blinking away teara before his face settled into a grin. A small chuckle escaped his dry, cracked lips. 'No.. It seems I cannot have even that..' He laughed internally.

"I didn't ask you to save me, saiyan." He said in a low, weak voice. In truth it was all he could do just to stay conscious right now. He wasn't sure how Vegeta wasn't being completely obliterated on the spot, but he wasn't going to question it. All he knew was that the saiyan was somehow shielding him from the blast. Seemingly effortlessly and with one hand.

Vegeta, who had been staring at him intently tisked and turned his head away. "Maybe I did it to save my own ass. Apparently saving you was the final push my heart needed to be considered 'pure' by the gods." He mocked.

But then his tone softened and Cooler could tell even without seeing him that his expression was both thoughtful and relieved. In some small ways atonement was something that Vegeta had desperately always needed and he hadn't even known it. He never thought it was possible for someone like him…

He still felt the weight of the countless lives he had taken over the course of his own life, on his shoulders. Their faces still haunted his memories and dreams and probably always would. He preferred it that way. But now at last that weight seemed bearable for the first time in his life.

"Funny.. This energy doesn't seem to affect me one bit. Actually.. it feels like my own Ki is being restored somehow.." The saiyan marveled.

Cooler chuckled weakly, smirking as he allowed his head to fall back. He hovered, suspended in Vegeta's protective shielding as unconsciousness began to take him. "Entrusting my life.. To a damn saiyan.. How ironic."

With Piccolo, Bulma, Gohan and Raditz.

When the spirit bomb exploded, the sheer concussive force of the blast knocked everyone on the surface off balance.

"What is that!?" Bulma shouted, as the world was bathed in an intense blur light.

"It's the spirit bomb.." Piccolo said in slight awe. In truth, due to everything that had been happening he had been completely out of synchronization with his clone.

Which in turn meant that he was just as shocked by this unfolding of events as the others, though he quickly put two and two together.

Still he couldn't account for the amount of raw power his doppelganger had somehow managed to gather in such a relatively short time. It shouldn't have been possible.

But now they had another problem, as he feared the results such a blast would have on the planet. Even though he could instinctually feel the positive energy somehow preventing further harm to Namek, once the initial effects wore off who knew what repercussions they could be left to deal with.

One way or another, Namek was in the present of it's final breaths.

'Piccolo! I've done it! I've made the wish!' Came the disembodied voice of Kami. Piccolo's eyes widened. No sooner had he heard it, there was a loud 'POP'! and Piccolo found himself in a large grassy field.

There were a few trees and a handful of others besides himself. The other Namekians that had fled Namek on the resistance's ship had also been teleported here and he could sense them all alive and well within. 'Over a thousand of my people saved.. Thank you Goku.. Vegeta..' He thought peacefully.

Suddenly he heard Bulma's voice cry out in terror from a short distance away. "Wait!.. Where's Gohan!?!"

With Frieza on Namek

Despite the growing tremors and radiant light that was beginning to overtake him, Frieza was certain he had managed to outrun the blast. Even being at just under fifty percent of his maximum power, he had flown faster than ever before, putting genuine effort into his escape.

He wiped his brow to remove the stinging, sticky sweat that was dripping into his eyes. He was just about to celebrate his victory when his senses exploded in his mind. Instinctively, he knew his life was in grave danger. On pure reflex the tyrant spun around and raised his hands in defense, bringing his full physic might to bear.

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"What!?" He cried, eyes widening in shock and disbelief. Somehow the positive energy of that blast had managed to reach him even here, over halfway across the planet. Essentially it had blanketed the entire surface of Namek..

"Noooo!" Frieza roared as he was steadily pushed back by the energy. To a wicked man like him, contact with the spirit bomb's positive nature was like holding the sun in the palm of his hands. His flesh of his hands was burnt to the point of being black, and his torso began to sizzle and smoke. But he refused to die here.

"I am Frieza!" He yelled in fear and desperation. He thought back to the state his brother had been in when fighting their father. He had never known Cooler to transform like that before, or any Arcrosian for that matter. Sure, they used transformations to suppress their powers, but this was something else entirely.

His brother had somehow evolved. He had become something greater.. A super Arcrosian. Perhaps the first ever of their kind..

Frieza grit his teeth as the pain became unbearable. His anger grew in tandem with his desperation. With his back against the proverbial wall he had no other choice. He too must evolve here, or he would die.

"I have.. Never..!" Frieza began, straining against his imminent demise. His eyes snapped open and he glared at the wavering sapphire energy before him.

"I have never put true effort into anything! But today I have fought with all my might and somehow this is how I die!? Impossible! I am Lord Frieza! The mightiest in the universe!" He insisted.

His eyes were bloodshot and his body quivered under the forces being exuded upon it. If anyone saw him now they would swear he had gone mad from the strain and pressure..

But then the tyrant took a shuddering step forward. "If my inferior brother could do it.. then surely after all of the fighting and struggling I have been through in the last twenty four hours.. I too.. Shall evolve! There is no one more special than me! I am a God!" He roared with a mixture of determination, rage and pain as his body began to explode with power.

There was a flash, not of light but of an all consuming darkness and a terrible, groaning explosion that rocked the planet.

The ominous shadows seemed to be alive as they devoured the light of the spirit bomb and continued to travel for nearly a mile in all directions. When the dust had settled, the emperor stood, marveling at his hands and newfound powers.

His Ki looked like a putrid, dark energy that seemed to be made of a thick liquid or jelly. It shimmered between shades of purple and black as it oozed around Frieza's body. His ivory skin had turned a shade of black so deep that it seemed to absorb the natural light around him.

The six violet gems that were once stationary on his body had turned a deep, dark amethyst and were flowing slowly around his body like paraffin wax in a lava lamp. The evil emperor's shock slowly gave way to murderous euphoria as he felt the rush of power that came with his new transformation.

"Ahahahaha!" He began to cackle wildly. Truly he was now the undisputed strongest in the universe, now that black Frieza had been born..

Or so the mad conqueror, drunk on his newfound power, was led to believe. However, the reality of the truth is rarely ever so simple. For the universe has a will of its own that is incomprehensible to mere mortals.. and it strived to maintain balance.

Somewhere on Namek, not far from Frieza's current location…

The explosive shockwave of the spirit bomb shook Gohan from his stress induced psychosis just long enough to watch everyone around him disappear in a flash of bright, white light. The light tried to take him too, but his primal instincts resisted the mysterious magic that tried to forcibly remove him from existence against his will.

In his emotional, irrational mind, everyone had abandoned him. First his father.. and now his friends and mother. Gohan's animalistic mind came to the conclusion that he couldn't wait for anyone to save him. He was alone due to his own lack of capability. No matter how strong he had become he always felt like a burden at the most crucial of times.

When the saiyans first arrived Gohan had been completely outclassed in all of their training sessions. Although his power quickly grew, it wasn't enough to prevent him from being used as a pawn in Ginyu's twisted schemes back on the outpost. Nor was it enough to prevent him from becoming a hostage yet again nearly a year later on Namek.

He had thought he was rescuing his father.. but the moment his opponent showed any real semblance of capability in battle, he lost control once more. In each sensation that flashed through the young boy's mind, he had the intention to do good.. but his efforts always caused further trouble for the people he cared about.

No matter how hard he tried.. It was never enough. He was never enough. He couldn't save his friends or the planet. He couldn't save his father. He couldn't even save his mother. He couldn't save anybody like this.

"Not.. like.. This.." The boy groaned through gritted teeth, grabbing his head. He slammed his eyes shut and smacked his head repeatedly against the ground as terrible waves of pain and anger coursed through him. His vision swam as scenes of bloody violence danced in his mind's eye. He saw his enemies slowly being torn apart and burnt to ashes before his terrifying might. '

Show them.. a glimpse of our power..'

A sinister voice echoed throughout Gohan's mind. His eyes widened. He should have been afraid but instead all he felt was.. lustful desire.

He slowly reached out his hand as the world around him was bathed in shadow. When the light from Namek's three suns finally found purchase in reality once more several minutes later, Gohan's transformation was revealed.

The boy's body exuded crimson vapors from several points. He opened his mouth and the thick, misty substance spewed forth like a sloe motion waterfall. Wispy red smoke curdled at the ends of his lips. Crimson lightning arched wildly across his pitch black Aura. A strange silvery glow seemed to emanate from the edges of his obsidian energy. His hair had become wild and spiked up, taking on the same silvery hue that outlined his Ki.

The boy had grown several inches and packed on a layer of tight muscle.

His pupils were slits and his irises shone a bright magenta. "Is this how it feels.. to become a God?" He rumbled in a powerful, echoey voice.

With Vegeta, Cooler and Piccolo's clone

The doppelganger of Piccolo had just managed to reach the stationary forms of Vegeta and Cooler. He reached out a hand, calling out, "Vegeta-.." but suddenly the green man's eyes widened and he froze in shock as a jolt went through his senses.

The world around him was painted black as two astronomical power levels erupted to life simultaneously. Energy, raw and dangerous, reverberated across the already unstable planet, threatening to cause its collapse at any given moment.

Cooler, badly damaged and now back to his base form, grunted as he hovered into a vertical position. His body was wracked with pain, but he was alive. "What in the hell.. we need to figure out where those monstrous energies are coming from. I fear my brother may have triggered a terrible transformation similar to my own.." He said dangerously.

"But who the hell is the other one?" Vegeta put words to the thoughts in everyone's mind. He crossed his arms and grunted. "Looks like we're about to find out one way or another. I can sense them heading right for each other. Come on, we need to head them off before the fighting starts, the planet can't take much more!" He yelled, putting his fists in front of him and blasting off in a trail of golden Ki.

"What!? Doesn't that mean we should be running away, you idiot!?" Cooler screamed as he chased after the saiyan. The clone of Piccolo was left in silence, save for the occasional rumble from the planet's core. The atmosphere, which had realigned some of its healthy blue hue thanks to the spirit bomb, was slowly beginning to bleed red once more.

A sweat drop ran down his forehead and his face was a stoney frown. "Why do I even bother?.." He wondered while shaking his head.

He looked up, peering into the upper atmosphere with all of his senses, rather than just his eyes. "Seems like all the ships that had gathered earlier are heading out. They must have seen the state of Namek and wisely decided to get a safe distance away. Tsk." He said as he turned back in the direction where the others had gone.

He narrowed his eyes as he felt the two colossal power levels drawing nearer and nearer to one another. He shuddered. Ever since first arriving on his home planet a few days ago, his perception of true power had been warped time and time again. But this was different.

The ominous and evil nature of these Auras coupled with the fact that they were so much larger and more robust than anything he had ever sensed before truly set his instincts on edge. It was like being caught between two pitch black supernovas. They somehow pulled you into them while simultaneously crushing you and pushing you away with irresistible force

The clone of Piccolo sighed as he flew off to play the hero against impossible odds.. One last time.

It didn't take him long to arrive at his destination. It was nearly impossible to miss the two pulsing, black suns of energy. When he touched down utop a large cliff face, he saw Vegeta and Cooler staring down at the two monsters before them in shock.

Just as they had suspected one of the asinine powers certainly belonged to Frieza, he looked rather terrifying and divine, as much as Piccolo loathe to admit it. His sickly, gooey energy made tentacles that lapped the air around him, giving him an almost symbiotic appearance.

His power gems pulsed as they flowed slowly and methodically around his body. Piccolo couldn't help but feel like those gems served a purpose, but he couldn't even pretend to know what that would be. Suppressing a shiver the green man reluctantly tore his eyes away from the evil tyrant who was calmly and confidently walking towards the other individual on the battlefield.

As the Namekian's gaze fell upon Frieza's intended target his breath hitched in his throat.

"I..Impossible.. Gohan..?"

As he stared at the boy down below he barely recognized the child. For one thing his Aura was every bit as intimidating and monstrous as Frieza's. While it didn't necessarily appear as grotesque and disgusting as the Arcrosian's, it was certainly frightening in its own right.

There was a raw, animalistic savagery exuded by the boy. The crimson lighting and heavy red mist that drifted lazily around the child seemed insidious and dangerous. Beyond that, Piccolo could sense the raw power and negative emotion that derived and flowed through Gohan's black energy.

"Gohaaaan!" The man cried out desperately, reaching with one arm. He couldn't help himself. He felt like he needed to save the first person who really ever saw him for him..

But his eyes widened and he stopped. In stark realization, Piccolo came to the conclusion that Frieza and Gohan were somehow being drawn to each other.. They didn't even acknowledge the others' arrival.

This was not the sweet, innocent boy he had come to know and care for. This was not his friend… This was The Super Saiyan Beast.

On Earth

"Something's happened.. it's Gohan.. he's resisted the wish." Piccolo said, stunned. He stared down slightly at the grown seemingly in bewilderment, his gaze far and distant.

"How is that possible he's just a child!" Bulma screeched beside him, stirring him from his thoughts. The tall, green man shook his head.

"No.." Piccolo said solemnly. "He's changed somehow.. I can't really tell due to the distance but I can sense his power through my clone.. it's monstrous.. and he's not the only one.. it seems Frieza has somehow obtained a new upgrade of his own. Both of their powers.. It's pure evil.." The man finished ominously.

Bulma raised a hand to her open mouth. "My poor boy.. What's happened to you?.. Have I lost you and your father both on the same day..?" Tears sting her eyes but she refused to let them fall. 'Vegeta.. Please save my son.'

End of chapter 61