Article by Sean Wilkinson,
a.k.a. A MaskoX Fan
Between the last Dragon Blog Super and now, I realized what an effect putting goal conditions on your work can have on the quality and passion behind the work itself. And it's not a good effect. I went from enjoying the journey of creation to feeling the pressure to create something once those goals were reached, to feeling disappointment and gratitude that what I churned out wasn't received to the same standard as the part before it.
I also realized that I had worked my way into a pattern of shipping characters just for the sake of it, and I was neglecting some characters and plots (the kids, Broly, Bulma, Vomi and her family, the digital Gero, the Cell Project, etc.). I was also neglecting the entirety of Earth as a setting. So let's fix some of that, shall we?
Last time in Dragon Blog Super, Vegeta got some much-needed redemption when a realization about his own past behavior toward his subordinates led to him unleashing a new form (Primal Super-Saiyan) and saving the Kaioshin realm from the unbound Bojack and his Galaxy Soldiers...but also ending up with a pet project of sorts in the revived Zangya...and having to do laborious "training" to build the Grand Kai a new throne out of hyper-dense, Final Flash-resistant stones that only exist in the Otherworld and are extremely rare and heavy. Vegeta and Zangya are going to ship at some point, but for now, it's just them not trusting each other, her struggling with the Hera Clan's superiority to the Saiyans versus her terror of Vegeta's Primal strength, Vegeta coming home totally worn out (he shares a duplex with Tarble, Gure, and Bahdo in West City) like a hard-working man of the house, her poking indignant fun at his disheveled, "royal countenance," and her slowly developing big sister dynamic with Bahdo, who looks up to the strong, beautiful stranger living in her uncle's house and does the comedically blunt kid thing where she asks "Auntie" Zangya inappropriate things about her relationship with Vegeta, all but matchmaking the two of them like the meddlesome friend in a rom-com anime.
Meanwhile, despite the long-standing animosity between Capsule Corp. and Red Ribbon, Dr. Briefs and Bulma have been collaborating with Gero and Vomi on various projects (like the Kai Kai Rail from the last part, keeping tabs on any emerging Red Ribbon-related activity, and that book on ki that Gohan wrote in the Dragon Ball Online/Xenoverse/Super Dragon Ball Heroes continuity? It's a joint effort by Bulma and Vomi in this story, with Tights' new company, Bookstrap Publications, handling the distribution). This leaves Gevo spending a lot of time with Bulla, who bonds with him over their shared love of cars and mechanics. The age discrepancy here is too vast for any kind of romance between them (with the exception of Caltrops, the kids are about seven or eight by this time, and Gevo is most likely of legal age, considering he has an established military service record); they're just a pair of grease nerds hanging out and repairing old cars together.
The ki-control book and the slice of life stuff with Bulla and Gevo are fun little touches, but the important thing to note out of all of this is that when Gero and Vomi begin to feel comfortable with telling Bulma about Gero's lab, and the sub-lab beneath it where Vomi and the digital Gero were developing the Cell Project, the three of them travel there to investigate (and possibly deactivate Cell and digital Gero), and discover that the entire complex has been stripped bare. This will become important in a future part.
The real focus of this arc comes about with Kumu and Videl, who are taking Caltrops, Marin, and Straps camping in the woods near Mt. Paozu.
One night, a streak of light crosses the sky, followed by an impact explosion that is close enough for the group to see and hear, but not close enough to be a danger to them.
Unlike in the series, no one is stupid enough to just assume it's a meteor. Everyone in the vicinity of Earth who can sense energy knows what--or who?--it really is, including Kumu.
"What is it, Kumu?" asks Videl, seeing his reaction to the impacr.
"Get the kids to safety; I'm going to check it out!"
"Be careful, okay!?"
"I will, Videl; Love you!" With that, he blows her a kiss and waves before leaping away through the forest.
When he arrives at the crater, what remains of the forest around it is destroyed or in flames. He generates an energy sword and uses it as a fan blade to choke out the blaze before addressing the crater itself. Though the cause was as he expected, one question persisted in his mind:
Who would be able to do this to Broly?
The imposing young man was on his back in the impact zone, unconscious, his armor broken and ripped all over, and a fresh stomach wound could be seen, which was still smoking from being cauterized in the fall.
Kumu is about to heft the unconscious Broly into a fireman's carry when he senses four sinister powers heading his way.
He stands ready to fight, facing in their direction, and waits for their approach.
"Just who are you guys?" Kumu asks when the four beings arrive.
"We," says a short, blue-skinned alien with coiffed yellow hair. He strikes a Sentai pose, and two of the others quickly follow suit: "Are Salza!
"Dore!" said a tall, muscular alien with green skin.
"Neiz!" a reddish, frog-like alien annuonced.
And finishing in unison: "Lord Cooler's Armored Squadron!"
The fourth was a stoic, purple-skinned figure in a black trenchcoat, who remained still and silent but for a disapproving look in their direction.
"Hey, Ketch!" Salza hailed him. "Why aren't you posing with us?"
"I am paid for kills, not theatrics."
"Suit yourself, zen!"
"Are you the ones who did this to my friend?" Kumu asked angrily.
"No," Salza replied in a fluid, guttural accent. "Zat was ze work of monsieur Cooler himself." Salza then tapped a button on his scouter (something that Kumu had never seen firsthand, so he didn't make the connection between the device and the name of their leader), and read Kumu's power level before smirking. "But, we can make your condition match his, if you'd like."
With the mysterious "Ketch" still taking an observant role, Salza, Dore, and Neiz rushed in to attack Kumu in unison.
Kumu immediately went into Ultimate, making the Squadron's scouters explode. They flinched for an instant, making their companion take notice, and that small delay was all the opening Kumu needed to close the distance between them and go on the attack. However, the trio soon found an opening of their own, when Kumu threw a punch at Neiz, who withdrew his head between his shoulders just in time to avoid the strike, throwing Kumu off-balance and allowing Salza and Dore to hammer him to the ground, followed by a flurry of ki blasts. Dore landed, picked up the injured Kumu by his scalp, and began to squeeze (what the dub calls his "Can Opener Attack"), eliciting screams of pain from the young fighter.
This was when Piccolo transmitted in and blasted Dore in the back, knocking Kumu from his grip.
"That was dirty, you back-shooting slug!" said Dore, rubbing the smoldering spot where Piccolo struck him. "You'll pay for that!" The brute takes a swing at Piccolo, who dodges the punch with ease and incapacitates Dore with a flurry of pressure point attacks (something he had been practicing since gaining full access to Kami's memories, especially those surrounding his future self's encounter with King Cold).
This caught Ketch's attention (puns!), though he still did not get involved in the fight.
Piccolo then tended to Kumu, giving him a Senzu bean and learning of the Squadron's true nature.
"That tracks with what they're wearing," he said ascerbically. "Looks like the leftovers from a Freiza Force bargain sale. You good to fight?"
"Yeah," Kumu replied, standing back-to-back with Piccolo. "Now that I know what we're up against."
"Good." The duo took up their respective fighting poses, both going into Ultimate, and Kumu stacking Kaio-ken on top of it for good measure.
Without their scouters or the ability to sense ki, the two remaining members of the Armored Squadron rushed in to attack, with Salza focusing on Piccolo and Neiz trading blows with Kumu. Neiz's turtlenecking technique led to him landing a few good strikes on Kumu, but despite his larger frame, weird powers, and speed, the frog-man was the weakest of the Squadron, and when Kumu got serious, summoning his kienzan sword and increasing his Kaio-ken multiplier, Neiz couldn't dodge or fire ki blasts fast enough to keep up with his movements, and was soon reduced to a finely pureed salad spread that drifted away on the wind.
At his back, Piccolo was having trouble with Salza, despite being able to sense that the Space-Frenchman was weaker than him. It was like Salza was predicting his moves and dodging them. What's more, the continuity of their fight didn't make any sense, like there were gaps and jumps in the flow of battle. Piccolo could do nothing but use Instant Transmission to gain some distance between them.
"Kumu!" he shouted. "Get Broly out of here!"
Kumu did as he was told, hefting Broly over his shoulders and flying away. Neither Salza nor Ketch pursued him, as their focus remained on Piccolo.
As in the Cooler's Revenge movie, Kumu took Broly to a nearby cave (in the original, it was Krillin and an injured Goku) to keep him out of sight until he recovered. This did not keep Kumu from sensing the arrival of a terrifying power, however.
Though he was unconscious, Broly's mind swirled with images and flashes of memory. Training on Yardrat. The arrival of a large, saucer-like spaceship. An army pouring out, led by a lean, imposing figure with a tail. The deaths of the Yardratians. Broly engaging with the leader and being outmatched. This sequence played in his mind on repeat. But then, something else began to creep its way in; something he had not experienced for himself before. His memories flashed with a reddish aura that grew to an infernal intensity until it replaced his cycling thoughts altogether. The aura dissipated, revealing a hulking, Saiyan form wearing animal skins, who bore a striking resemblance to Broly himself.
"Are you Broly?" asked Broly.
"No," the primitive Saiyan replied. "I am ancestor. Genetic memory. First Saiyan God. My name, Yamoshi."
From the cave's entrance, Kumu can see a large, circular shadow washing over the land, as well as feel the numerous powers on board. He can also sense some undefinable change happening within Broly, and the weakening ki of Piccolo.
Having also sensed the arrival of these sinister powers, Tarble, Paragus, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Roshi, Jaco, Mai, Shu, Vegeta, and a reluctant Zangya fly at top speed toward the landing site, where they find Salza and Ketch standing over a nearly unconscious Piccolo.
From the ship, a thousand soldiers emerge, all wearing armor similar in style to that of the Squadron, and at the head of the army is a figure that strikes fear into Piccolo's heart; his appearance and ki aren't identical, but they are close enough for the Kami in him to make the connection.
"Frei...za!?" Piccolo says, his voice thready and hoarse.
"Not quite, Namekian," a deep, pompous voice replies. "But many thanks for dispatching my brother all those years ago. When I heard the news, I just had to prepare myself for the day when I could thank you properly. Now, here I am! Men!? Give these primates my thanks, would you?"
And so, the Thousand Soldier Battle commences, proceeding much like it did in the Resurrection F movie and anime arc, with the less-utilized Z-Fighters (including those active in this scenario, like Mai, Shu, and Jaco) getting a chance at the spotlight, each taking out multiple grunts at a time, dodging ki blasts and lasers as they fly through the woods like Speeder Bikes on Endor, and showcasing every technique at their disposal (Mai re-teaming with Shu and sniping goons in multiform is pretty badass).
But when the weakest minions are dispatched, it comes down to the Z-Fighters against Freiza's brother, Salza, and Ketch, the latter two of whom still have Piccolo hostage.
Of course, they can all sense that only the Saiyans have any hope of winning.
Tarble and Paragus go Ultimate, while Vegeta transforms into his Primal state. This last visibly shakes Ketch, who releases Piccolo. Piccolo takes this opportunity at freedom to pop a Senzu bean and Instant Transmission to safety.
"You back with us, Piccolo?" asks Tarble, not breaking eye contact with their three opponents.
"Yeah. Watch out for the purple guy. I think he has some kind of time-manipulation power."
"What about the leader?"
"That's Cooler; he's Freiza's older brother."
"Wait...," Vegeta says in shock. "That's Cooler? I thought he was just a rumor!"
"Didn't you also think Super-Saiyan was just a legend?" Paragus quipped.
"Shut it, old man!"
"Are you monkeys going to stop arguing," Cooler interjected. "Or do I have to...break you up?"
Ever eager to prove himself and test the results of his "training," Vegeta rushes in first against Cooler, leaving Paragus to tangle with Salza, and Tarble and Piccolo teaming up against Ketch, who easily incapacitates them with his Timeskip ability (because if there's a Hit in Universe Six, it stands to reason that Universe Seven would have a similar character). Paragus easily finishes off Salza and joins Vegeta against Cooler. They have a strength and number advantage at first, but just like in the movies, this member of the Freiza Clan trained himself into a fifth form, and now slightly overpowers them such that strategy will make all the difference.
As uninteresting as the main Resurrection F fight's choreography was, things here proceed similarly to that original source, up to and including Vegeta going for the finishing blow on Cooler, who goads him into hesitating so a hidden minion can blast him through the heart. Cooler then charges a Supernova and begins to drop it on the Earth.
Despite herself, Zangya, who had fallen back after the Thousand Soldier Battle, burst into tears at Vegeta's apparent death.
What happens without Whis there to rewind time after the fact? Well, that's what Ketch is for!
Instead of the rewind happening after the Earth is destroyed like in the original, Ketch is able to foresee Cooler's actions by skipping ahead, and trap Cooler and his attack in his Time Prison technique.
"Dishonorable tactics," Ketch says. "As expected of my target."
"Who are you?" Tarble demands. "Explain yourself!"
"Yeah," adds Jaco, shakily brandishing his ray gun. "On the authority of the Galactic Patrol!"
"Well, if it isn't the 'Super-Elite' himself! Still associating with primitive species, eh, Jaco?"
"Huh? Do I know you?"
"No, but I'm well-versed in you." The purple alien flashed them a badge. "Agent Mis, Galactic Patrol Special Forces. I've been undercover with Cooler's organization for years."
"Why didn't you stop him before, if you have this kind of power?" Tarble asked, enraged over the loss of his brother and the collateral damage to Earth.
"No opportunity," Mis said coldly. "Even as his fourth, I couldn't get close enough to capture him." He then put a glowing hand on Vegeta's chest wound. "Thank your brother for the distraction when he wakes up."
"What will you do with Cooler?"
"I'm sure I can find a hole deep and dark enough to keep him from being a problem. Oh, yeah; while I'm here, a planetoid will pass through your system in the next month or so. Its negative energy readings are off the charts." With Cooler in custody and the warning delivered, Mis boarded Cooler's ship and departed, hopefully never to be seen again.
"That guy was scary!" said Krillin.
Everyone else agreed in unison before bursting into awkward laughter. The Saiyans were the first to stop, however, as Mis' warning hung heavy on their minds. An evil planetoid passing by Earth in around a month? Even Tarble, who was the pacifist among them, was overcome by the instinct to train and get stronger.
Vegeta woke soon after to find himself in the care of a relieved Zangya, and was also driven by his own defeat and the news of another impending threat.
Meanwhile, having sensed the end of Cooler's revenge (for now?), Kumu emerged from the cave with a still-unconscious Broly on his shoulders. In the light of day once more, Broly's eyes shot open.
And that's where we conclude this edition of Dragon Blog Super!
As with the previous part, I tried to introduce Universe Six-inspired characters into the story in unexpected ways (making a version of Hit that was an undercover Galactic Patrol Agent serving as the Guldo of the Armored Squadron), adapt some of the early movie highlights into a Beerus- and Whis-free version of an arc of Super (here, combining elements of Broly: Second Coming and Cooler's Revenge with Resurrection F), and give some page time and development to characters that I previously neglected. Is it still the Saiyan Show? Yeah. Was Mis' reveal a bit too convenient and deus ex machina? Yes, but I thought it was also more interesting than "Broly shows up and beats Cooler to a pulp," and it's better for ongoing storytelling than how I left the last part. We've got Broly back, Cooler has the potential to return, Zangya got some (rather quick) character growth, and there's Gero's empty sub-lab and that evil planetoid to contend with.
There's no like or view goal this week, but they're still much appreciated, and my comments section is always open, so do your call-answering duties, and I'll have something unexpected (for the casuals, anyway) next time, in Dragon Blog Super!
Animeister
and MasakoX Fan,
Out!
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