The light swallowed everything.
For several seconds, there was no battlefield.
No sky.
No ocean.
No sound.
Only white.
Then the ground screamed.
A shockwave tore across Namek, flattening the remaining trees and sending enormous slabs of stone tumbling through the air.
Frieza hovered above the devastation.
His arm remained extended.
The massive energy sphere was gone.
Below him, an enormous crater stretched across the landscape.
Frieza stared into it.
Nothing moved.
"Surely..."
A pebble rolled down the crater wall.
Frieza's eyes narrowed.
Another pebble fell.
Then a hand appeared.
Brian pulled himself over the edge.
His entire body was smoking.
One side of his face was blackened.
His left eye was swollen nearly shut.
He breathed in.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Then he laughed.
Frieza's expression hardened.
"You're still alive."
Brian coughed.
"Apparently."
He sat on the edge of the crater for a moment.
His body began repairing itself.
But something was different.
His regeneration was slower.
Much slower.
Brian noticed immediately.
Yeah.
He looked at his hands.
I'm reaching the point where regeneration isn't keeping up.
That should have frightened him.
Instead, Brian looked fascinated.
So there's a limit.
He flexed his fingers.
Good to know.
Frieza descended.
"You continue to amuse me."
Brian glanced up.
"That's probably not what you should be feeling right now."
Frieza smiled.
"And what should I be feeling?"
Brian stood.
"Concern."
Silence.
Then Frieza laughed.
A genuine laugh.
"Concern?"
His aura erupted.
The remaining stone around him shattered.
"You?"
Brian's smile disappeared.
"No."
He pointed toward himself.
"Me."
Frieza's eyes narrowed.
Brian's aura surged.
"But I'm getting concerned too."
He vanished.
Frieza's eyes tracked him—
Then lost him.
Not because Brian had become faster.
Because Brian had stopped moving in predictable ways.
He appeared ten meters away.
Then disappeared.
Frieza turned.
Nothing.
A flicker behind him.
Frieza spun.
Still nothing.
Brian wasn't attacking.
He was moving through the environment.
He kicked off the side of the crater.
Changed direction.
Used a floating piece of stone as a platform.
Then deliberately let himself fall.
Frieza watched.
What is he doing?
Brian dropped below the level of Frieza's vision.
Frieza followed.
That was exactly what Brian wanted.
Brian suddenly shot upward.
Frieza fired.
Brian twisted around the beam and passed beneath Frieza.
But instead of striking him—
He grabbed Frieza's ankle.
Frieza's eyes widened.
Brian pulled.
Not hard enough to injure.
Just enough to disrupt Frieza's balance.
Frieza recovered instantly.
His tail wrapped around Brian's wrist.
Brian looked down.
Then up.
"That's new."
Frieza smiled.
"You're not the only one who learns."
The tail yanked.
Brian flew toward Frieza.
A fist was waiting.
Brian's eyes widened.
He released his grip and formed a ki blade along his forearm.
The blade intercepted the punch.
The collision detonated between them.
Brian was thrown away.
Frieza remained suspended.
Brian flipped through the air and landed.
His forearm was bleeding.
He looked at it.
Then smiled.
"You're starting to predict me."
"Obviously."
Brian nodded.
"Good."
Frieza frowned.
"Good?"
Brian raised his hand.
His ki blade formed.
But it was tiny.
Barely an inch long.
Frieza stared.
"That again?"
"Yeah."
Brian's eyes narrowed.
"But now I know you're expecting it."
The blade disappeared.
Frieza's expression changed.
Brian charged.
Frieza prepared for the blade.
Brian didn't create one.
Instead, Brian slammed his palm against the ground.
A pulse of ki traveled beneath the surface.
Frieza felt it.
His eyes widened.
The earth beneath him erupted.
Not upward.
Sideways.
A massive section of ground buckled beneath his feet.
Frieza lost his footing.
Brian appeared above him.
His fist descended.
Frieza caught it.
Brian smiled.
"Gotcha."
The ground exploded.
Frieza disappeared beneath the dust.
Brian immediately retreated.
He didn't wait to see the result.
A red beam pierced the dust.
Brian ducked.
Another followed.
Brian jumped.
A third curved around him.
Brian's eyes widened.
Curved?
He twisted.
The beam followed.
Brian grinned.
"Oh, that's nasty."
He stopped resisting.
Instead, he flew directly toward the beam.
At the last second, he rotated.
The beam passed around his body.
Brian grabbed it.
Frieza's eyes widened.
Brian used the beam's own momentum to swing himself around.
The attack curved with him.
For an instant, Brian became the center of the trajectory.
Then he released it.
The beam changed direction.
Straight toward Frieza.
Frieza moved his head aside.
The beam passed his cheek.
A thin line of blood appeared.
Frieza touched it.
He stared at the blood on his fingertip.
Brian landed.
His grin slowly disappeared.
Frieza looked at him.
"Interesting."
Brian swallowed.
I actually made him bleed.
Frieza smiled.
Not happily.
"Very interesting."
His aura changed.
Brian immediately felt the difference.
The air became heavy.
Frieza wasn't simply increasing his power.
He was changing how he fought.
His movements became smaller.
Cleaner.
More economical.
Brian's eyes sharpened.
He's done playing.
Frieza disappeared.
Brian moved—
Too slow.
A strike hit his ribs.
Brian spun.
Another impact caught his back.
He wasn't launched.
Frieza deliberately kept him close.
A hand caught Brian's wrist.
Frieza twisted.
Brian's shoulder nearly dislocated.
Brian responded instinctively.
He dropped his weight.
His free hand touched the ground.
A burst of ki erupted beneath both of them.
Frieza released him.
Brian flew backward.
He landed.
His shoulder snapped back into place.
Brian stared.
He's controlling the distance.
Frieza appeared again.
Brian didn't move.
Frieza stopped.
His fist hovered inches from Brian's face.
Brian hadn't dodged.
Frieza's eyes narrowed.
Brian whispered:
"You're testing me."
Frieza smiled.
"Perhaps."
Brian looked at the fist.
Then Frieza's feet.
Then his hips.
Then his shoulders.
Something clicked.
Brian suddenly stepped forward.
Frieza's fist passed beside his head.
Brian entered the space inside Frieza's guard.
Instead of attacking, Brian placed his palm against Frieza's chest.
Frieza's eyes widened.
Brian whispered:
"Found it."
A compressed burst detonated.
Frieza was launched backward.
Brian didn't pursue.
He watched.
Frieza stopped himself.
"What did you find?"
Brian breathed heavily.
"The moment before you attack."
Frieza's eyes narrowed.
Brian continued.
"You shift your weight."
Frieza said nothing.
"Not much."
Brian pointed toward him.
"But enough."
Frieza smiled.
"Then you have discovered my secret."
"No."
Brian's expression became serious.
"I discovered my mistake."
Frieza tilted his head.
Brian clenched his fist.
"I've been trying to predict where you're going."
His aura flared.
"That's stupid."
Frieza's eyes narrowed.
Brian lowered his stance.
"You're not going anywhere until you decide to."
He vanished.
Frieza attacked.
Brian didn't predict the attack.
He waited.
At the last possible instant—
He reacted.
Their movements collided.
A shockwave exploded between them.
Brian was forced backward.
Frieza remained.
Brian grinned.
That's it.
Frieza attacked again.
Brian reacted.
Not perfectly.
A fist grazed his cheek.
Brian answered with a knee.
Frieza slipped around it.
Brian didn't chase.
He reset his stance.
Frieza attacked from another angle.
Brian reacted again.
This time he was late.
The strike caught his stomach.
Brian folded.
Frieza prepared to finish it.
Brian suddenly smiled.
Frieza hesitated.
That was the mistake.
Brian's forehead slammed into Frieza's.
CRACK.
Frieza recoiled.
Brian staggered backward.
Both stared at each other.
Brian's nose was bleeding.
Frieza's forehead was red.
Brian laughed.
"Okay."
Frieza touched his forehead.
His eye twitched.
Brian raised both fists.
"I think I'm finally starting to understand."
Frieza's expression became cold.
"Understand what?"
Brian's aura rose around him.
"Fighting you."
The ground beneath Brian cracked.
His breathing slowed.
His eyes became focused.
He wasn't trying to see the future anymore.
He wasn't trying to memorize Frieza's patterns.
He wasn't trying to become stronger quickly enough to overwhelm him.
He was doing something much simpler.
Learning.
Frieza vanished.
Brian waited.
The world seemed to slow.
Frieza appeared on his left.
Brian moved.
The fist missed.
Frieza's tail came from behind.
Brian ducked.
A knee followed.
Brian twisted.
Frieza's elbow came down.
Brian raised his forearm.
The impact drove him into the ground.
But Brian didn't panic.
He smiled.
Because now—
He understood why Frieza had done it.
Brian pushed against the ground.
The crater beneath him collapsed.
Frieza lost his footing.
Brian grabbed the edge of the crater and pulled himself upward.
Their eyes met.
Brian's fist was already moving.
Frieza's eyes widened.
He blocked.
The collision sent both warriors flying in opposite directions.
Brian landed first.
Frieza stopped himself in midair.
For several seconds—
Neither moved.
Then Brian laughed.
Not arrogantly.
Not triumphantly.
Almost joyfully.
"Again."
Frieza stared at him.
Brian raised his fists.
"Do that again."
Frieza smiled.
"You truly are a strange creature."
Brian's grin widened.
"Yeah."
His aura erupted.
"But I'm learning."
Frieza's own aura exploded in response.
The sky shook.
And this time—
Neither fighter was holding anything back.