Author: Marianne Ng | Banner: Marianne Ng

DRAGON BALL CROSSFIRE: MATCH 2

The atmosphere upon the super-powered space station known as the Death Star was deathly quiet. Deep within the cold, metallic confines of the planet-destroying weapon, a lone being sat within a throne room, overlooking the vast, endless space of the galaxy. Steepling his fingers, the Dark Lord of the Sith sensed a sudden disturbance in the Force, located from within the Death Star itself. Darth Sidious narrowed his horrid yellow eyes in vile anticipation; finally, the ‘guest emperor’ he had invited for an audience had arrived it seemed…

The doors to the throne room opened, and not a moment later, two thin beams of red pierced through the atmosphere. The throne room guards who had been standing by the entrance fell to the floor, killed instantly by the intruding force. The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the chamber as Palpatine’s throne room chair turned to face the perpetrator, the Dark Lord of the Sith scarcely reacting to the dead guards. Instead, his attention was wholly fixated on the presence before him. The newcomer appeared to be a vaguely humanoid and short alien with piercing red eyes, pale white and purple skin, and standing on three-digited feet as a reptilian-like tail trailed behind him. 

Taking note of the throne room he found himself, the newcomer scoffed, clearly unimpressed. “My my. I take it you’re the one who invited me under the charming pretense of hosting a… ‘Guest emperor’?” The alien asked, his high pitched voice carrying a haughty and cruel demeanor within it. “How delightfully presumptuous of you.” The tail of the newcomer swished behind him, a supercilious smirk growing on his face as he regarded Sidious with arrogant amusement.

Palpatine cackled, his laugh echoing throughout the entire chamber as his evil Sith eyes bored deep into the being standing before him. “Long have I waited for this moment, my little alien friend.” He rasped, forgoing any attempt to mask his malicious mockery. “Lord Frieza…” Sidious drawled, letting the words hang in the air in further derisive theater. “As the emperor of this galaxy, I propose a… diplomatic alliance.” He suggested, though the thin guise of negotiation was pitifully hollow. 

A flicker of rage crossed Frieza’s face as Palpatine’s words grated against his ears, though his cruel demeanor remained unhindered. The galactic tyrant rose into the air, floating high above Sidious as if to display his dominance over the pathetic Sith Lord beneath him. “You? A decrepit old man claiming himself to be the emperor of a galaxy?” The white and purple alien roared with laughter as he leered down at Palpatine. “What an amusing joke.” Frieza’s eyes scanned the room again before they landed back down on Sidious. “I must admit, you have excellent interior decorating.” He jeered, mocking Palpatine himself as he leaned forwards slightly. “And your throne would look magnificent with me upon it.”

The Emperor cackled, his harsh laugh echoing throughout the throne room as he rose to his feet. “You are nothing but a beast with a crown, pretending at power you do not understand.” He drawled, reaching out with the Force to probe into Frieza’s mind, drawing out his worst memories and insecurities. Force visions clouded the alien tyrant’s head, dredging up the horrid trauma of the Super Saiyan and the swirling anxiety of his stature. “I see your fear. Your humiliation at his hand. And it makes you weak. Insignificant.” Sidious sneered, basking in the sight of a man with shimmering golden hair that reflected within Frieza’s memories. And yet, instead of bending to Palpatine’s subjugation, the alien despot stayed silent. A smile crept eerily onto his face… before he simply laughed. He laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

“Hahahah…AHAHAHAHAH!!!” 

Palpatine’s cruel smirk vanished, instantly replaced with cold, analytical fury. Frieza continued to howl with laughter before finally speaking. “You think invading my mind will do you any good? That merely seeing my worst memories will allow you to lord over me? If you truly thought that this would be so easy for you, you’re an even bigger pathetic old fraud than I thought!” Frieza declared, his high-pitched voice echoing throughout the chamber in sadistic overtures. “All that you have achieved is motivating me to kill you more than I already desired… and to give me a reason to have fun with it.” The tyrannical alien cackled, grinning evilly as he pointed a single finger up towards the ceiling, ki beginning to gather on his fingertip. He had considered killing Palpatine outright, but no… killing him quickly would be far too merciful a death. No, he would have the frail old wizard playing emperor grovel at his feet before he exterminated him like all those before him!

But before Frieza could even hope to fire his Death Beam, Palpatine reached out with the Force, grabbing ahold of the tyrannical emperor’s body and lifting him into the air. Frieza was stunned, both literally and figuratively before he was suddenly sent crashing down into the metal floors of the chamber! The alien despot coughed in surprise as Sidious cackled, toying with Frieza as he continued to toss him into the air and slam him down into the ground repeatedly.

Frieza’s eyes twitched in irritation as he reached out with one of his hands, channeling his own latent telekinetic power to yank Sidious towards him, intent on imploding the Sith Lord in a single strike! 

Palpatine’s survival instincts outweighed his surprise at his foe displaying power equivalent to that of a Force user; before Frieza’s fist could smash directly into his torso, Sidious shot his hands forward, electricity erupting from his outstretched fingertips! The Force Lightning slammed into Frieza with such force that the alien emperor was sent flying into one of the throne room walls, his form denting the cold steel as he peeled off of it, roughly hitting the cold metallic floor. 

“Why you-” Frieza started to say, only for a giant piece of metal to slam into his body, sending him crashing against a wall. The steel beam that had hit Frieza curled around the alien, restricting the galactic tyrant’s movements temporarily as Palpatine stepped forwards, a cackling laugh emanating ominously from the Galactic Emperor. Frieza’s eyes hardened in anger as he watched pieces of metal from the catwalks and balcony tear themselves from their positions in the throne room and float towards Palpatine, the Sith Lord suspending the twisted metal in the air in an almost lackadaisical manner.

“Your strength is inconsequential to mine. I am far more powerful than your pathetic little mind could possibly dream of.” Sidious hissed as he walked forward, effortlessly keeping the debris and broken structures floating mid-air with the Force before he hurled them at Frieza, the projectiles speeding towards the alien despot with the intent of skewering him!

Frieza snarled, tearing himself free of his restraints and bringing up his hand to swipe at the metallic onslaught, sending a Death Saucer at the debris. The ki disc slashed through with ease, blowing each projectile up in a single defensive strike. Palpatine was unhindered however, other pieces of twisted steel rising up to take their place at his beck and command.

With yet more attacks coming his way, Frieza began to match each attack with Death Beams, the rapid fire ki blasts reducing each projectile into nothingness. Was this all Sidious could muster? All that talk, all that bravado, only for him to simply throw trash! The tyrannical emperor roared with laughter as he effortlessly disintegrated the steel projectiles heading his way. “How entertaining! You would make for an excellent jester for my court!” Frieza taunted, his face contorting in vile pleasure. 

Frieza’s laughter was cut short as Palpatine reached out with the Force once more, yanking the pale white and purple alien towards him and into an obstacle. The tyrannical despot crashed into a steel pillar, denting it so hard his imprint was left in its metal frame. “Your lack of vision will be your undoing.” Sidious declared, effortlessly lifting Frieza with a hand and smashing him up against the ceiling of the throne room. The arrogance of the Dark Lord of the Sith oozed out of every pore as he cackled with horrific amusement. This foolish alien was nothing compared to him; however, his power was… reasonable, enough that he would make an excellent pawn…

“If you truly believe you can challenge me, then I will remind you of your place.” Palpatine said as he lowered Frieza slightly before roughly slamming him back up into the ceiling. “Every second you still breathe is a privilege I have granted you. I simply wished to see what feeble attempts at defeating me your primitive mind might conjure up. And yet, you have shown… potential. Serve me, and become my apprentice. Learn the ways of the Force, the power of the Dark Side, and the galaxy will kneel before the two of us!” Sidious offered sinisterly, his eerie yellow eyes glinting as he relinquished his hold upon Frieza, letting the alien fall back to the ground with a thud. 

Frieza hit the floor with a rough impact, the white and purple alien rising to his feet as Palpatine waited expectantly for an answer. For a moment, the alien despot didn’t say a word, before he snorted in amusement. “You dare try and put me under your servitude? To place me below you?” Frieza asked, his voice deathly calm. Without warning, the tyrannical alien brought a hand up to shoot a singular orb of ki at his foe, the galactic tyrant blasting the Sith Lord across the entire chamber, sending him crashing to a wall. This wrinkled old wizard believed that he was the strongest and most dangerous being to ever grace the galaxy… but Lord Frieza would prove him wrong. “Save your platitudes for some foolish nitwit who might care. To think that you believe yourself more powerful, stronger than I?” Frieza asked, his eyes narrowing in controlled fury that sharpened with each passing second. “Your arrogance will be your undoing.”

Across from Frieza, Palpatine stood back up, slowly reaching into his robes and producing the hilt of a lightsaber in his hand. “Arrogance?” He asked quietly, his voice barely more than a hiss that echoed throughout the throne room before it rose in putrid waves. “I am the one who commands every facet of this galaxy, every source of power answers to me. I built an empire from nothing, control everything; your feeble attempts at intimidation are nothing more than child’s play to the ruler of the Galactic Empire!” Sidious snarled, igniting his lightsaber. The crimson blade springing to life with an ominous snap-hiss, bathing the chamber in a bloodred glow. 

“ARRRGHHHJ!!!”

A horrid shout escaped Sidious as he leapt high into the air, doing a corkscrew spin with his saber and landing right in front of Frieza, drawing his blade back, intent on piercing his blade through his foe’s torso. The tyrannical alien was stunned for a split second, but the galactic despot managed to sidestep the strike and sock Palpatine in the side, sending the Sith tumbling away. The Dark Lord of the Sith growled as he did a backflip to stabilize his position, only for Frieza to rapidly send Death Bullets in his direction. The two cackled evilly as Palpatine’s crimson blade deflected the red orbs of ki from Frieza, a horrifying lightshow of bloodred villainy that coursed through the veins of both Galactic Tyrants reflecting off of the walls and floor.

As Frieza continued to fire off Death Bullets at Palpatine, he formed a glowing pink ki sphere in his other hand, hurling it at Sidious. The Dark Lord of the Sith cackled as he reached out with the Force, stopping the energy sphere mid-way through its trajectory and forcing it back! Frieza gawked in slight surprise as his own attack was reflected back at him, the ki blast hitting him dead on. Skidding back, the alien tyrant looked up to see Palpatine bearing down upon him, the glowing red blade of his lightsaber slicing down in a crimson arc of death. Frieza reacted just in time, kneeing the Galactic Emperor in the gut and kicking him away, sending Sidious flying across the room. 

Dropping his saber in the impact, Palpatine rose to his feet, grabbing hold of his opponent with the Force, sending a shockwave of energy that blasted the tyrannical alien back. Frieza was sent hurtling across the room, his form slamming into a wall only to be yanked back towards Palpatine, crashing down onto the floor with a rough impact. Even so, the tyrannical despot managed to charge an orb of ki in his hand, blasting Palpatine nearly point blank. The Dark Lord of the Sith barely shielded himself with the Force, though the sheer tumultuous intensity of the blast sent him skidding back. 

Rising to his feet, Frieza’s gaze landed on the ornate throne on which Palpatine normally sat upon. Chuckling darkly, the diminutive tyrant walked over and tore it from the floor, hurling the metal chair at his foe, the Sith Lord swiping his hand to flick it away. As Frieza watched Sidious discard his throne as if it were worth nothing, the alien despot smiled mockingly, spreading his arms as he asked a single question. “Without your throne… what exactly are you?” 

“Far more than you could ever hope to become, fool!” Palpatine hissed in response, bringing his hands up to fire a blast of Force Lightning, catching Frieza off guard and sending the alien despot crashing into the far side of the chamber. The galactic tyrant attempted to rise, but Sidious had him in a stranglehold, channeling the Dark Side of the Force to restrain Frieza’s movements. The tyrannical alien angrily struggled, but he found his limbs refusing to respond to his urge to raise them, his thoughts of tearing Sidious limb from limb going unheeded by his body. Palpatine’s harsh cackle echoed throughout the throne room as he approached Frieza, the galactic despot seething in indignant ire.

“Your futile attempts to destroy me have all but failed, Frieza. I offered you servitude, a place at my side. But now, your life is forfeit. You will pay the ultimate price for your mistakes.” Sidious declared as he brought both of his hands up, Sith Lightning crackling between his fingertips. Not a moment later, the heinous electricity burst forth in a storm of azure lightning, the bolts bouncing off of the floor, walls, and ceiling as the searing blasts of electricity tore into Frieza’s form. The tyrannical emperor attempted to break free of the shackles of lightning and Force energy upon him, only for Palpatine to cackle like a madman as he poured more power into his storm of Force Lightning, forcing Frieza back down to the floor, even as the alien despot still struggled to raise himself off of the ground. The Dark Lord of the Sith shut off his stream of Force Lightning to revel in sadistic pleasure as smoke curled upwards from Frieza’s form, the galactic tyrant glaring balefully at Sidious. 

“And so… you kneel to me.” Palpatine drawled tauntingly, aiming to let Frieza stew in the sensation of being debased, of his final moments ending in complete humiliation. But as Sidious raised his arms and stretched out his fingers to blast his foe into oblivion with more Force Lightning, something within Frieza’s evil psyche snapped. 

“No… NO!” 

Just before the Dark Lord of the Sith could hope to make a move, a bellowing scream of outrage escaped Frieza, the alien despot overpowering Palpatine’s hold on him in an explosion of anger. A violent aura of incandescent purple flared up all around Frieza as he rose to his feet, the galactic tyrant picking up and hurling a piece of debris at the Galactic Emperor in a fit of unrestrained wrath.

Palpatine reacted just in time, catching the metal hunk and tossing it away with the Force before focusing back on Frieza, the alien emperor’s diminutive height doing nothing to lessen the pure fury radiating off of him in waves. “How dare you! How dare you force me to put effort into a fight!” Frieza shrieked, veins bulging and popping in his head as he gritted his teeth in utter rage. This blithering, wretched sorcerer would not live to see another day. Frieza would see to it that Palpatine be exterminated like the worm he was! He was Lord Frieza, the strongest in the universe! He would not be toyed with by some decrepit old fool playing god! Frieza’s form shimmered as his pale white skin morphed and glowed, the purple aura surrounding him crackling and lightening to a shade of yellow. A gleaming gold sheen blinded Sidious as the Dark Lord of the Sith stepped back, his yellow eyes widening as the galactic despot revealed his magnificent power in full. “Feast your eyes upon my glorious form, for it shall be the last thing you will ever see!” Frieza screamed, spreading his arms out to display his grandeur; his color of his pale white skin having been replaced with the shimmering gleam of yellow and gold.

“BEHOLD! THIS IS GOLDEN FRIEZA!!!” 

Palpatine sneered as he outstretched his hands once more, Sith lightning erupting from his fingertips. The heinous bolts of electricity sparked and crackled against Frieza’s golden skin, but the galactic despot scarcely reacted. He approached Palpatine slowly, the Dark Lord of the Sith realizing in impossible horror that his foe had become something even he could not possibly hope to overcome. 

“Now, you will die a fool’s death!” Frieza roared as the golden scourge of the universe barreled forth with such speed Palpatine was completely and utterly blindsided. Before the Galactic Emperor could register what was happening, Frieza had grabbed him, tearing up the entire chamber as he smashed Sidious into the walls of the throne room. Vindictive anger took its hold as the alien despot subjected Palpatine to what he had done to him; yet this was not the end. 

Careening straight towards the window by the ruined throne, Frieza used Sidious like a battering ram, crashing into the transparisteel with all his might. The viewport promptly shattered into hundreds of pieces, Frieza hurling the Sith Lord like a ragdoll out into the vacuum of space.

“No… no, this… cannot be!” Palpatine gargled, the Galactic Emperor shielding himself with a Force bubble, protecting him temporarily from the freezing cold vacuum of space. His evil yellow eyes locked onto Frieza’s glorious golden form, hatred bubbling up within the Dark Lord of the Sith. Palpatine cursed Frieza with every fiber of his being; if he were to fall here, he would take that repugnant golden alien down with him! 

Outstretching his hands, the beginnings of a furious Force construction flared up; crackling lightning scattered throughout a spinning vortex of volatile energy, a Force Storm starting to take shape. Frieza floated nearby, raising himself higher as he watched Palpatine create the wormhole in a futile attempt at defeating him. 

How pathetic; this wretched sorcerer dare call himself the emperor of the galaxy? What a fool he was, to stand against the being who was the emperor of the UNIVERSE! Raising his arm skywards and pointing his index finger up, a swirling ball of ki began to form on the tip, rapidly growing and growing in size exponentially by the millisecond. Before long a titanic, pulsating orb of energy danced atop Frieza’s finger, threatening to overtake the entire cosmos with its incandescent light.

Palpatine’s eyes widened as he felt a normally foreign emotion wash over him in cascading waves: Fear. This was impossible, how could Frieza possibly have held such power? This couldn’t be happening, for he was the Dark Lord of the Sith, the ruler of the Galactic Empire! The entire galaxy answered his beck and call! He would not, could not, be destroyed by a mere- 

Both Palpatine’s thoughts and life ended in an instant as Frieza hurled his Supernova down upon both Sidious and the Death Star, consuming the Sith Lord and his Force Storm in mere seconds. The Supernova continued on its path of destruction, impacting the Death Star with a tumultuous explosion. 

Not a moment later, the superweapon erupted into a gigantic fireball that lit up the empty canvas of the cosmos, erasing any trace of the Galactic Emperor by the name of Palpatine along with it.

Turning his back to the rapidly expanding sphere of flame that was once the Death Star, Frieza screamed a proclamation into the cold, empty void of space, his declaration echoing into nothingness. 

“NOW YOU SEE, THAT I ALONE AM THE EMPEROR OF THE UNIVERSE!!!”