"I'm going to need Gero to upgrade them again soon," I hummed casually, tilting my head as a blast of Ki shot past my face. As it did, two large, orange-haired androids came blasting at me with their arms cocked back - intent on smashing my face in.
In response, I simply vanished. Not literally, as while Instant Transmission had been my best friend at the start of this training, I didn't need it now. I moved faster than the androids could ever hope to match, blasting through the two of them and casually chopping backwards with my hands as I did.
The sides of both my hands made contact with their necks, and they both slumped over immediately and started to free-fall down to the planet below us. Another, similar-looking android, caught them before they reached the ground to ensure there was no permanent damage.
As they did, another four androids came flying towards me, and three from afar raised their hands. A trio of twin beams of energy launched towards me as they tried to limit my movements for the four close-range attackers to get some hits in.
Truly, I had been impressed by fighting Gero's 'ultimate creation' for the first time. For beings closer to robots than androids, they were surprisingly good at fighting - and, even better at adapting.
My first training session with them had been difficult, but looking back on it, that had been simply because I was much weaker. At the time, they were just hundreds of uncoordinated single fighters, who largely came at me one at a time, and who had never even heard of 'teamwork.'
But, as I continued to train with the androids, they continued to lose, and they continued to adapt because of it. Charging at me alone changed to coming in groups, then in formations, then in formations with supporters using Ki-attacks to limit my movements. These androids had been created to just be my training partners, but through training with them, I had unintentionally created a rather elite and forcefully loyal unit of soldiers.
But, for as coordinated as they were, I was much too far out of their range now. In fact, as the four androids charged at me, I decided this couldn't help me anymore. I'd need Gero to create an improved version with higher power levels, as right now, if I really gave the fight my all?
I narrowed my eyes, and Ki started to pump through my body. It was a strange feeling to suddenly forcefully flood your body with your own Ki, and it didn't entirely make sense to my brain, but my body definitely knew what to do.
My body flashed, and a burst of bright, pure-golden Ki flung up around me, looking not too dissimilar to the Ki-coat of a Super Saiyan. It was rather ironic that Frieza's own transformation was similar to the one he feared the most, huh?
Instead of a massive, flashy transformation where my Ki filled the sky and blinded everyone in a 20-planet radius, my skin just shimmered, becoming covered in a thick golden color, and then solidified as gold. My first transformation to my Golden Frieza form had definitely been dramatic, but after using it dozens of times at this point, the flair got old - so I did the more efficient method of just transforming in an instant.
As I took on my Golden form, the fight had already been decided, whether the androids knew it or not. More than a hundred of them still remained, but within only one second, that number would drop to zero.
If there were an onlooker watching this training, they would be very confused right now. In one instant, the androids were swarming in the air, surrounding me as they took formations and were ready to follow in after the four-squad inevitably lost. They were ready and eager to keep the pressure on me, no matter how many of them had to be defeated in the process.
Then, as if someone had simultaneously turned off every android at the flip of a switch, the light faded from their eyes. Their limbs stopped moving, their Ki-attacks faded away, and their bodies slumped. As if they were all puppets, and someone had cut the string attached to them.
At the same time, I vanished. Not in any flash or blitz of speed, but in the blink of an eye. In less than the blink of an eye - I was there, and then, I was not.
To a very trained eye, they would've seen me casually, effortlessly, move around the battlefield in a split second. The androids couldn't even see what happened as I blasted through them, appeared behind each one, and casually chopped its neck, before moving onto the next one.
Let it be known - this Golden form was fuckin' busted!
After three months of hard training, including my body, Ki, and fighting training, I had managed to achieve this form - in a technically quicker manner than Frieza originally had, as it had taken him four months, but I also had a stronger starting point. Overall, I was still a bit less efficient, but that was mainly because I had to train my fighting skills as well as my body.
Over the past three months, my body had become strong enough to handle this form, as my Ki reserves were more than enough to maintain it, and my fighting ability had improved enough that I'd even consider myself one of the greatest fighters in the universe.
That was high praise, even if it was coming from myself, considering there were people like Goku here. He had a lifetime of training, and while I probably wasn't as skilled as him yet, if we were both on an even playing field - that being, around the same power level - I wouldn't count myself out too heavily.
With the Golden form, everything I had already achieved seemed to be multiplied by an insane degree. My speed shot up, my strength was multiplied in an instant, my KI reserves became far deeper, and I even felt like my skills were more refined. It drove home just how overpowered multipliers were in this world.
And, that was proven again as I casually flew around the falling android bodies, catching them and laying them in a massive pile. Without this form, even if I used my full speed, catching literal hundreds of bodies before they plummeted to the surface would've been difficult, if not impossible.
Now, with my Golden form? It was as if I were taking a casual stroll - a flying stroll - through the park. But with my new power came another hurdle of how to improve it.
I would need to order Gero to create stronger androids, as these could no longer cut it. My body training had also come to a crawl, as the 200x gravity was pretty much useless at this point. I didn't have a Hyperbolic Time Chamber either, as, unsurprisingly, the Namekians couldn't quickly whip up a machine that literally defied the laws of the world. It would take them another few months, and in the meantime, I needed either a new way to train or to work on some of my plans.
Maybe I should go find Broly?
…
Just kidding. That monster grew in power even quicker than I did, and I was intent on leaving him on Vampa until I was sure I could handle him. I didn't know how long that would be, but I knew Broly could be useful in the future, so I didn't want to kill him.
Instead, soon, I would head back to Earth. Goku's been getting his weekly ass-beating for a few months, so he should have improved a lot by now, right?
But first, there was one more problem to be handled.
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"Where are we going now?" Android 18 asked, a bit boredly, across from me, "I was just getting comfortable in that little… galaxy?"
Her last word was a bit doubtful, as she called the galaxy that I had been stationed in for my training - as it was where both the 200x gravity and 100x gravity planets were located - 'little.'
"A planet called Cereal," I answered simply, reaching down as I cut into the piece of meat on my plate, "There are a few more Dragon Balls throughout the universe I need to get a chokehold on, and one set is there."
Right now, we were indeed headed to Cereal, with the sole intention of getting the Dragon Balls. The planet's balls likely wouldn't be used for anything major by its inhabitants for a long while, and I didn't have a ton of wishes I needed to make at the moment either, but having control over them was better than hoping that canon would be maintained despite my intervention in this world.
The Cerealian Dragon Balls were pretty unique and a bit concerning in the way that they could actually increase someone's strength. Right now, there were very few beings in the entire universe who could threaten me, and those that could were asleep or occupied. However, with the usage of the Cerealian Dragon Balls, my life could actually be in danger.
Frieza had made more than a few enemies with his ruthless conquering of planets, as evidenced by Granolah, and I would be the one to suffer the consequences of his actions. If there was someone out there who despised me enough, them using the Cerealian Dragon Balls to become stronger than me at the expense of their life force wasn't out of the question.
It'd be stupid, as their revenge would literally cost them their life, but that didn't mean anything. The moron who made the wish dying wouldn't suddenly bring me back to life. So, more for safety than any larger overhanging plan right now, I was headed to Cereal. I'd probably just use the wish to assist with my training.
"More traveling," 18 sighed, reaching down and pushing a piece of a purple-colored potato onto her fork, "When are we going back to Earth? It's been months already!"
"Soon," I answered simply, but glanced up at her a bit doubtfully, "But I think your expectations for that planet are a bit too high. It's not as action-packed as you think it is, y'know?"
Android 18 had a pretty big attachment to Earth, and that was understandable to me - after all, even if she didn't have any memories of it, she had once been a human living there. That was her home.
But, instead of homesickness, 18 was moreso excited about having 'fun' on Earth. Whether it was because of fleeting feelings from when she had been human, or because she felt like she was missing out on the fun her brother was having, I wasn't sure, but she seemed to think Earth was more like an amusement park than a planet.
And, don't get me wrong - Earth is definitely one of, if not the, most enjoyable planets in this universe. A civilized planet with tons of entertainment and great food far outweighed most rather bland and empty planets I came across.
But, overall, it wasn't all Android 18 thought it would be. It was great if you were a human who wanted to live comfortably and enjoy building a family, but for ultra-powerful beings who could cross the globe in under a minute?
Traveling and watching movies wasn't as exciting, and as evident by Goku and Vegeta, fighting quickly became by far the most entertaining thing about that planet for people like us. Fighting, which was something 18 wasn't really interested in.
Instead, I imagined she'd go crazy for a month or two - robbing clothing stores, blowing up a building here and there, maybe watching some baseball. Then, she'd get bored - a feeling that Bulma apparently shared.
"He's right," Bulma casually called out, slumping back on the bed behind the table that me and 18 were eating at, which was the bed we shared nightly, "Once you've had food like this… there's no going back…"
"Is it really that good?" 18 muttered doubtfully as she bit down on the potato, "It tastes pretty regular to me."
"That's because you never had Earth food!" Bulma countered indignantly, defending the amazing food we had on a daily basis, "There's nothing like this on Earth! I wish I could be like Goku and eat a lot without getting fat…"
True to Bulma's words, we had left Earth pretty quickly after picking up 18, and as a result, she hadn't tried any food there. Which was actually biting me in the ass right now, as Android 18 was less eager to stay by my side as a result.
The human saying about the path to someone's heart being their stomach was definitely true, as showcased by Bulma, and 18 would probably be much more willing to stick around if she knew just how good she had it right now.
"Train for twelve hours every day, and you can," I teased Bulma lightly, knowing she would never train for even an hour - even at the prospect of more god-tier food, "But we'll arrive on Cereal in only a few days. If you're really bored, then there should be a bit of action waiting there for us."
With my assertion of Cereal, I would also have to do something about Granolah and the Heeters soon. I hadn't directly communicated with the latter much since my arrival in this world, but they were only temporarily loyal. Eventually, even if it was decades in the future, they would turn their backs on me. So, I'd rather nip that in the bud right now.
However, just as I finished speaking, the door to my bedroom slid open before Android 18 could respond. The form of Zarbon - the real Zarbon - stumbled in, looking a bit frantic as he fell to one knee.
"What is it?" I asked bluntly, knowing he wouldn't dare to interrupt me, especially not in my bedroom, unless something important was at hand.
"I-I apologize for bothering you, Lord Frieza, but we just received a distress signal from Planet Frieza!" Zarbon spoke quickly, glancing up at me a bit nervously, and I raised my not-really-an-eyebrow in response.
"Planet Frieza?" I muttered, confused by his words. He didn't state a number after the planet, which meant he was referring to the original Planet Frieza - the home planet where my main headquarters was located, and where King Cold had lived prior to his death.
It was pretty deep within a galaxy entirely under the control of my empire, so aside from a rebellion, I couldn't think of a reason for them to be sending a distress signal. If someone wanted to invade Planet Frieza, they'd have to go through an entire galaxy of planets being managed by my soldiers to get there, and I would know about it far in advance.
"I-It's your brother, Cooler, my Lord," Zarbon bowed his head again, and my eyes widened slightly, "He's attacking Planet Frieza as we speak!"
Well, that was certainly unexpected. But it wasn't the worst news to hear.
"We'll take a minor detour," I hummed, grinning widely as this body's brother finally made his move, "Cereal can wait. For now, change our destination to Planet Frieza."
If Cooler wanted to start trouble, then I would show him just how powerful I had become.
In this world, I was closer to a god than a man.
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AN: Thank you for reading! I took a break, but I'm back now, and updates will be regular again!
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