A New Goal!

"Lord Frieza... I'm back..."

Betkas knelt on one knee, expressionless as he faced Frieza, Dodoria, and Zarbon. As he spoke, he glanced at the somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar figure standing behind Zarbon and paused for a moment before quickly returning to normal.

"You've worked hard, Betkas. Most of the planets you conquered over the years sold very well. Thanks to you, we've gained a lot more manpower and resources."

Frieza remained seated in his customary place, his small body still as he spoke with a faint smile on his cold face. Dodoria and Zarbon stood beside him, watching with indifference—or, perhaps, disdain. The strange fellow behind Zarbon, however, fixed Betkas with a gaze as sharp as an eagle's.

"No... It was only what I was supposed to do."

Betkas answered without batting an eye. Ever since joining Frieza's spaceship, he'd learned to keep a poker face, especially when dealing with Frieza. He never let himself think about anything that might reveal his rebellious intentions, because that could easily give him away. He had to wait for the right moment before showing his true colors. Only an idiot would wear a resentful expression in front of Frieza while he was still too weak to fight him. (Uh... this isn't aimed at Vegeta, so don't get the wrong idea.)

"Go. You can pick up your scouter from the research lab. I hope you'll keep up the good work and help me, Frieza, make a name for myself throughout the South Galaxy. These stubborn natives are truly unforgivable..."

Frieza seemed somewhat angry... then continued:

"Understood, Lord Frieza. I'll take my leave!"

Seeing that Frieza was already getting angry, Betkas didn't want to stay any longer. Getting killed would be no fun... He quickly replied respectfully, then withdrew.

The moment Betkas left... Frieza suddenly turned to the figure behind Zarbon and asked:

"Ginyu... what do you think?"

The figure seemed deep in thought before speaking:

"This Saiyan brat is indeed incredibly talented... His battle power is already 12,700. He doesn't seem to be hiding anything; that appears to be his full strength. But there's something unusual about this brat's personality..."

Frieza didn't even bat an eye at that. Dodoria and Zarbon, on the other hand, looked utterly shocked.

"It's only natural that Betkas has an unusual personality. Saiyans can remember things from the moment they're born, and he was born a prince, no less. I'd be surprised if he were like that bald brat Nappa..."

Frieza spoke slowly...

Perhaps Betkas had stumbled into just the right approach... In Frieza's eyes, the more openly someone submitted to him, the more clearly he could see through them. The more someone like Betkas kept quiet and showed no emotion, the harder he was for Frieza to read.

In the original story, Frieza had been able to see through Vegeta early on because of how they acted. Anyone could tell Vegeta was unhappy with Frieza. Nappa and Raditz were the same; their thoughts were written all over their faces. Only Vegeta knew to hold back and hide his feelings a little, but his pride kept him from doing it perfectly...

"Lord Frieza... this Saiyan brat might be..."

"A threat, perhaps? Is that it?"

Just as Zarbon was about to speak, Ginyu cut in...

Zarbon glanced at Ginyu after being interrupted, then said nothing more...

"Hmph... This Saiyan brat's battle power is indeed impressive. That little Vegeta has only just passed eight thousand, so Betkas is well ahead of him. Are you two worried he'll grow stronger than you?"

Ginyu looked at Zarbon and Dodoria with disdain as he taunted them...

"Tch!"

Zarbon and Dodoria didn't dare continue. They did, in fact, have those thoughts, but their expressions were still rather unpleasant...

"Hmph... He's just a Saiyan with great potential. Do you think I, Frieza, would care? A battle power of ten thousand is nothing in my eyes. Nor are one hundred thousand or a million!"

Frieza spoke with an air of overwhelming authority...

The three present hastened to offer their congratulations and pledge their allegiance...

"By the way, Lord Frieza... about the matter I mentioned to you last time... do you agree?"

Ginyu suddenly remembered something and brought it up...

"That matter from last time? Forming a squad?"

Frieza paused at that, then thought it over before asking...

"That's right... I want to form the Ginyu Force, the strongest unit in the galaxy to serve Lord Frieza."

Ginyu spoke with growing excitement...

"The strongest unit, huh... Not bad. I approve. How many people do you need?"

Frieza thought it sounded like a pretty good idea and asked...

"Well... I'd like to go to the South Galaxy for now and gather some strong fighters. Then I can pick out the true elite among them... Only then will I be able to decide on the members."

Ginyu seemed a little hesitant when asked, but then replied...

"Mm... No problem. Go!"

Frieza readily agreed, in good spirits...

"Understood, Lord Frieza. I'll take my leave!"

Ginyu replied happily, made a respectful gesture, and withdrew...

"I've got my scouter, too... Next, I'll go wreak havoc across the South Galaxy again!"

After picking up his scouter, Betkas sat in his spherical spaceship, ready to set off. He'd originally planned to see Vegeta while he was back, but Vegeta had gone off to attack a planet as well, so they hadn't met. That left Betkas feeling a little regretful...

"But... was that guy just now Ginyu? I wonder how strong he is at the moment. In the original story, I think his battle power was 120,000..."

Betkas murmured to himself, feeling somewhat apprehensive...

"But... my plan now isn't to keep getting stronger. It's to transform into a Super Saiyan..."

As the spaceship lifted off, Betkas set himself a new goal...