Salza and I just stood opposite each other, waiting for the other to make a move. This had gone on for quite a while, neither of us having moved since the start, and it goes on for anoint another minute before someone finally had enough.
"What's with all the pussyfooting?! Are you gonna fight or what?!" Dore yelled out from the sidelines, having gotten fed up with this glorified staring match.
"I concur." Salza adds as he raises an eyebrow, most likely wondering why I haven't charged him yet. "How can I gauge your strength if you refuse to advance?"
I glance over towards Dore and Neiz, who both seemed to have grown a bit annoyed. I then turn my attention back towards Salza and let out a slight sigh, "Listen, I don't think you want to do this." I told him.
"Oh, I very much think he does." A familiar deep voice rung out from the entrance of the training room.
We all turn towards the door and saw Cooler standing there, looking at us with his signature gaze of indifference.
"Lord Cooler!" Salza exclaimed before saluting.
The other two quickly followed his lead and I'm left standing there for a second, wondering if I should be doing the same thing, before I ultimately decided to haphazardly copy their salute.
Goddamnit, no one told me anything about about there being pleasantries!
"As you were." Cooler said, waving his hand dismissively.
We each went back to how we usually stood, only now we were a little more attentive because of course we were, our boss just walked in the room.
"Lord Cooler, we were just about to gauge the strength of our newest member. We can come back later if you wish to train." Salza told him.
So Cooler still trains...
"No, you had the room first." Cooler replied before adding, "Besides, I'm very curious about how our new Saiyan friend here will measure up."
The stare he gave me after he said that makes me think that he's scheming something. Then again, Frost Demons are always scheming something, so that's not really saying much...
"Go all out, Salza. Something tells me that he can take it." Cooler ordered, smirking towards me.
Okay, yup, he's definitely up to something. Either he wants me to get my ass handed to me for some unexplained reason or he knows something.
He doesn't seem petty enough to just want me to get my ass kicked...
I think...
Could he know about the Saiyan's ability to grow stronger after near death?
Unlikely.
The Saiyans themselves didn't really seem to know about it. If they did, then they certainly didn't talk about it. The only one's I've seen even hinting at knowing about the existence of Zenkai's was my father and King Vegeta, but even then they didn't really seemed to know the details, they just seemed to notice that they grew stronger when they go through more tough battles.
Although what "tough battles" King Vegeta was talking about, I had no idea. It's not like I've seen him do anything but sit on his throne.
Getting back on topic, I doubt Cooler could've have known about my ability to Zenkai. Even if he used the ship's power reader during my fight with Frieza, it probably would've overloaded due to my Evil Saiyan state causing my power to skyrocket to a power level over a million, so he wouldn't have been able to use it to read my power level again after he captured me.
And he certainly couldn't use a regular Scouter.
Despite the fact that I've broken multiple of them before my fight with Frieza, I don't have a power level to sense. Keeping my power level hidden had become second nature to me, so much so that I can do it even when I'm unconscious.
So whether reading he got, whether it overloaded or stayed at zero, It wouldn't be at all accurate.
Does he want Salza to try and trigger my Evil Saiyan state again?
I doubt that.
Sure, he could definitely survive, but neither his ship nor his Armored Squadron would be able to escape with me being in such a close proximity, so there's no way he would do that.
Damnit, I can't tell what he wants or what he's thinking.
"Uh, yes, Lord Cooler!" Salza says a little hesitant before squaring off again, "I'm sorry about this. I will make it as painless as possible."
I shake my head and let out a sigh before I motioned for him to come at me.
As much as I loved dominating my foes with overwhelming power, this isn't the best way to introduce yourself to a new team. Especially since Salza is the leader of the outfit.
I could just throw the fight, but I have a feeling that Cooler would definitely notice and just have Salza fight me again afterwards.
Salza charges, closing in on me before throwing a punch. Feeling that he hit nothing, he stumbles before turning all around him, not seeing me anywhere.
"What the--?! Where did he--"
"Salza." Cooler calls out to him.
Salza looks towards his Lord and sees that his finger was pointing up. Turning his gaze upward, Salza finally spots me standing on the ceiling, looking down at him from above.
"When did he..." Neiz whispers in shock.
"I have no idea..." Dore replied.
Meanwhile, Cooler just looks on with that smirk of his.
"What in the--?!" Salza muttered before loosing sight of me again. "Where are you, you little--"
He was suddenly cut off when he started to see multiple copies of me standing around the room, all of them looking at him with plain indifference.
"I'm right here." All of me said.
"Clones?! He can make clones?!" Dore exclaimed.
"They're not clones." Cooler spoke, grabbing the attention of Dore and Neiz, "He's moving so fast that it appears to be multiple of him."
The Afterimage Technique.
Not too hard to pull off once you've gotten it down. All you have to do to achieve it is be faster than the eye can see, which I've already far exceeded countless times over.
I have no doubt in my mind that this wasn't the first time that these guys have encountered this technique. Matter of fact, I'd even be willing to bet that they have used it once or twice themselves, but it's probably the first time they've seen someone who was monumentally stronger than them use it.
If your power far outclasses the opponent, the see-through transparency of the technique that was shown in the anime doesn't appear. You look entirely tangible, which is what's probably throwing them off so much.
Salza tries charging towards the multiple afterimages, but his fist just go through them, not making any contact.
"Sacrebleu! Will you fight back or just stay hidden behind your speed?!"
Hold up...
Hearing his outburst, I suddenly stopped a ways away behind him and looked on with a confused expression.
Did he just curse in French?
I mean, I know he has the accent and all, but I didn't think he actually spoke French! What, was there a Space-France out there or something?!
"Yes, as entertaining as this is, I'd rather you hurry this up, Zyleth." Cooler said, looking on with a serious gaze. "Now."
I let out a sigh and cease my thoughts on Space-France, for now, before I suddenly disappeared again.
"You've got to--"
Salza was cut off immediately when I suddenly appeared directly behind him and gave him a singular chop to the neck. His eyes go white and he falls unconscious, but I quickly grab the back of his armor before he could hit the ground, gently laying him on the floor.
"Impressive display. Though, a little too much showmanship for my liking." Cooler said as he started to walk up to me, leaving behind his two shellshocked underlings, "Don't go underestimating your opponent, no matter how much stronger you think they are. It's how instances like you and my brother's battle ended up."
He's right. If Frieza had been serious from the start, I would be six feet under right about now.
Actually, I probably would've just used Kai Kai to grab my family and leave. A crutch it may be, but there's no denying that it is a reliable one.
"Now, I have my suspicions about you, Zyleth." He said as he walked across from me, motioning for the other two to pick up Salza, "And so far, I think my suspicions are proving to be true."
He stops and turns, looking at me with that signature smirk. His eyes gleam a dangerous dark crimson and my body suddenly started to break into a sweat.
"But I suppose there's only one way to find out for sure."
He spreads his arms out and looks me dead in my eyes, and my eyes widened at what he was getting at.
He wants me to fight him...
[Word Count: 1,501.]