Chapter One:

Many people ask what would have happened had Vegeta achieved Super Saiyan Form upon Namek. What would change? After a bit of math, the answer is less than you'd think.

The moment his injuries were healed, Vegeta's every muscle exploded with power. The totality of his being reverberated with golden energy. His hair exploded into bright gold. He rose into the air as a pillar of light heralded his arrival. At the same moment, Frieza completed his transformation into his Final Form. The dust settled as the two titans appeared on the battlefield.

A beam of energy surged out of the smoke, blasting Dende through the chest. The little green Namek fell forward, landing with a crash. Gohan turned in horror, for he had not even sensed the coming attack until it was passing him by.

'Now no one will be getting back up again.' said Frieza with a cruel curl of his lip. He appeared before Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin. They stood helpless before the onslaught of his power. Quiet, yet undeniable. Frieza raised his finger, and death gleamed in the millisecond.

Then Vegeta came surging out of nowhere. He threw Gohan down, even as a death beam surged over him, where his head had been moments ago. The sheer force which was exuded from Vegeta stunned them. He stepped forward and stood in a silent challenge before Frieza. Frieza was staring at him in some combination of bemusement and surprise.

The cliffs reverberated with trepidation. The Prince of all Saiyans stood against his race's destroyer. His eyes seemed to glow with the sheer power. Frieza found himself shaking slightly in surprise. For the power which had appeared upon Vegeta was shocking to him beyond measure. He seemed to glow with golden light, and his hair was gold as well.

'...What the...' began Frieza, taken aback. 'What is this that you have done to yourself?'

'Prepare yourself for oblivion, Frieza!' proclaimed Vegeta 'For I have become that which you most fear! A Super Saiyan!'

There was a long silence as Frieza stared at him, analytically. Then he chuckled. 'Super Saiyan is it? I don't doubt that your power is greater than before. But if this is all you have, then all this time I've been worried over nothing.'

'Laugh while you can Frieza because once this battle begins it will be over quickly!' said Vegeta.

'Really?' asked Frieza, a tinge of amusement upon his pale face. 'Because as far as I can tell you just turned your hair yellow, that hardly seems to be a particularly impressive-'

And then Vegeta punched him.

Piccolo, Gohan , and Krillin drew back in amazement. Frieza's whole cheek was deformed beneath the punch. The blow left a mark. Blood spattered as the tyrant went flying into a nearby cliff face. The cliff face shattered and fragmented as stones rose in the air. Even as Frieza pulled himself from the rubble, Vegeta was upon him. There was a flurry of blows left Frieza reeling and beaten as bruise after bruise was slammed into him. The Space Tyrant freed himself and raised his power to leaped away. Yet no matter where he fled Vegeta would appear and strike at him again.

At last, he outdistanced the Prince, unable to do anything beyond dodge. Vegeta unleashed blast after blast. Several found their mark and sent Frieza spiraling away. At last Frieza escaped from Vegeta's view. He raised himself high into the air, beaten and bloodied, channeling a death ball.

Even as he did so Vegeta appeared next to him and roundhouse kick him in the back of the neck. Spit and blood fell from the tyrant's mouth. He spun and hurtled towards Namek at breakneck speed and landed hard on the ground. He clawed at the dirt, trembling in agony as Vegeta lowered himself down to earth.

From the nearby island, Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin observed in joy mixed with horror. The once unstoppable Frieza was outmatched in battle. Despite their apparent imminent victory, however, the group was not celebrating. Primarily because Vegeta was the only on their side as long as Frieza remained alive. And because with his recent transformation, he had exceeded Piccolo. Quite possibly Goku as well.

Gohan looked up suddenly. 'Hang on, I just realized something!'

'What?' Asked Krillen.

'Vegeta can't afford to kill Mr. Piccolo.'

'That's reassuring, kid.' quipped Piccolo 'But what makes you think that Gohan?'

'Well, he wanted to Wish for immortality.' said Gohan 'And if he kills you, he'll never get it. So we have until he gets back to Earth to make his wish to train to beat him.'

'I have a better plan which doesn't involve Vegeta becoming immortal.' said Piccolo 'There are at present only a few Space Ships on Planet Namek. I doubt Vegeta knows the details of how to construct one from scratch. If we destroy everything except Goku's ship and then use that to escape, we can strand him here forever.

Stuck on a world which he helped massacre. All alone with nothing but power and the realization of how it won't do him a lick of good. I like it.'

Gohan was perhaps the only person present who had some doubts about this course of action. Vegeta had, after all, helped them out, and had just saved his life. However he trusted Mr. Piccolo, and it all made sense to him. He remembered the village butchered by Vegeta to steal a Dragonball.

'Karmic,' said Krillen thoughtfully. 'Right, I'll go. Hate to say it, but I don't think anyone will notice my energy moving away in all the fighting.'

No sooner had Krillen turned to depart, however, but Vegeta appeared in front of him. Krillin trembled in horror, for the Prince of All Saiyans was smiling. 'Where do you think you're going?' He asked, raising a hand in threat. 'I don't know what sort of scheme you three are making. But if any of you try to leave the area I will blast you to pieces mid-flight. My dream is about to be realized. Now stay put, and bear witness to my ascension.'

Then he was gone before any could see him move.

Appearing back before the prone Frieza, who had begun to raise himself up out of the dirt. The Pale-Skinned Tyrant did so gradually. He stretched out his neck as he did so, his restored tail flicking in the sunlight. He was shuddering from pain. 'Pain... it has been years since I experienced such a thing. And only by my families hand has it been dealt. I must admit Vegeta, this is an unexpected development.

Apparently, that form of yours isn't as useless as I had first thought. Nevertheless, it will prove inconsequent-'

Vegeta punched him in the face, sending him spinning backward several paces. Frieza fell into a stance as Vegeta moved forward slowly, allowing menace to exude from his power.

'What's the matter, Frieza?' He asked 'No fifth form to call in?'

He surged forward, and the two of them engaged in a flurry of blows which left Frieza unable to react. Several punches got through his defenses and Frieza was wounded in the head, the hand and the foot. Finally, Vegeta roundhouse kicked him in the chin, sending him spiraling away. 'Is this the best you have?' asked Vegeta. 'Or should I just finish you now?'

'As a matter of fact,' said Frieza, wiping the blood from his chin. 'it isn't.'

'Then let's see if you can block this!' roared Vegeta, leaping into the air and hurling a beam of pure golden energy downwards. The tyrant raised his hands and brought all his power to bear blocking it. Yet its sheer power overwhelming. There was a vast shuddering. Despite his best efforts, the Tyrants defenses were overrun.

The ensuing explosion was nearly a mile in diameter. It sent the three onlookers fleeing for cover. Vegeta stood on high, watching in pride as the energy settled into the air. When the light no longer obscured his vision, he saw Frieza breathing heavy. The creature was burned and bruised.

'I'm surprised you survived even that, Frieza.' He noted, reveling in his power. 'But that was far from my strongest blast. I'm almost disappointed, but then I am the legendary Super Saiyan.' He raised his hand to fire again.

'Wait!' called Frieza.

'And why should I? Or do you intend to beg for mercy?' asked Vegeta with a smirk of amusement. 'Because I doubt that will help your case.'

'I am far from at my peak right now.' said Frieza 'And I hold the title of strongest in the universe. If you kill me now, then you will never have a chance to test yourself to your fullest. Think of it, Vegeta? To face me at 100% of my full power. Such a battle would be known throughout the universe for all time.

'Or you can finish me now, and never know a worthy opponent so long as you live. Or do you think that those present could rival you now?'

Vegeta was pleased by this flattery. Though he didn't believe a word Frieza said, or believe that Frieza believed a word he said. Indeed, he saw the statement exactly for what it was, a ploy to gain Frieza time to power up. Time to achieve what he viewed as a chance for survival. Vegeta viewed this as little more than nonsense. He was what Frieza had feared most, and what all Saiyans had sought to achieve for over a thousand years.

So he didn't care if Frieza reached his one hundred percent. Even as he considered it he could sense Frieza raising his energy. 'All right then Frieza, let's see this one hundred percent form of yours. It will be amusing to see your face after you fail.'

The two titans moved over to another island. Vegeta proceeded to wait as Frieza began to charge his power. Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin stared in horror. '...He has more power?' asked Krillen. 'How is that even possible?'

'This is a good thing.' noted Piccolo 'If they end up evenly matched the winner emerges he may be so tired out that we'll all be able to defeat him.' He had been observing the combat so far. He was able to detect that Frieza had been raising his power. It was the only reason that he had survived the bombardment which Vegeta had unleashed upon him.

Piccolo was awed by how much Vegeta's power had increased. It was more than fifty times what it had been before Dende healed him. It was clear that Vegeta maintained the edge in this conflict.

'But from what I sense of Frieza, he's increasing at a massive rate. If this keeps up, he's going to be stronger than Vegeta. Not that Vegeta seems to have noticed this, or he'd be acting.' Piccolo took some satisfaction in the knowledge that he had Vegeta beat at something.

It was at this moment that Goku got back. He landed swiftly with a speed which surprised all of them. His entrance unheralded by any burst of power or grand ceremony of words. He simply touched down on the cliffside on which they were standing and walked over to the edge.

'Dad, you're here!' cried Gohan in joy.

'Goku!' said Krillen, hope in his voice.

'It's about time you got here.' said Piccolo 'Things are going from bad to worse.'

'I know.' Said Goku 'I sensed it when I was in the pod. I can't believe how much more powerful Vegeta has gotten.'

'Do you think you can beat him?' Asked Piccolo.

'Come on Piccolo,' said Krillen 'you know Goku as well as we do. He always pulls through-'

'Which one?' Asked Goku, seeking clarification.

'Vegeta.'

Goku seemed to think about it for a moment. 'Well, he's quite a bit more powerful than my maximum Kaio-Ken. His form seems easier to maintain, so, I'd say it's a lost cause.' His voice was quite cheerful for someone proclaiming the wrath to come.

'So... we don't have a chance?' asked Krillen in horror.

'I didn't say that.' said Goku, before raising his hands into the air. 'I'm going to try using the Spirit Bomb again. While they're distracted I'll create one larger than ever before.'

'The Spirit Bomb didn't work before.' noted Krillin in a worried tone. 'What makes you think it will work on Vegeta or Frieza now?'

'Yes, but I had lost half its energy before. And I'm going to make it far larger this time.' explained Goku 'Besides, I'm aiming for Frieza. Piccolo, if they take notice of me, you're going to have to buy me time.'

'...Fine.' Said Piccolo, not looking forward to the moment when it came.

Meanwhile, Vegeta continued to wait as Frieza continued to charge his power. The rocks shook, and his energy raised, but Vegeta paid it no heed. Every fiber of his being burned with the ecstasy of power as he awaited his enemy. He wanted to crush Frieza with all his heart. Yet likewise, he desired to test the full extent of this power he had learned.

Then Frieza stopped, even as he seemed to be getting somewhere.

'Just kidding.' The Tyrant said with a laugh. '60% should be more than sufficient.'

And then he was upon Vegeta.

Vegeta could follow what happened next with his eyes. Yet to follow, and to react are two quite different things. He had had his arms crossed, and as Frieza charged him he began raising them into a ready position. By the time Frieza reached him, he made a stance before he was slammed across the face. A flurry of blows ensued as Vegeta reeled, keeping his footing as best he could.

Then he snatched one of Frieza's hands and squeezed, before kneeing the Tyrant in the face. Frieza fell backward a few paces before Vegeta slammed him in the stomach with a vicious charge.

Then Frieza's tail lashed around from behind and seized Vegeta by the throa. Squeezing as the Prince of all Saiyans he smiled. 'What's wrong Vegeta? Running out of aiAAR!'

He said ARR because at that moment Vegeta had bitten him, and Frieza withdrew his face. Vegeta got a fist to the face for that and reeled backward as Frieza nursed his wounded limb. For a few moments, the two fighters panted for breath.

Then Vegeta blasted the dirt beneath them, sending dust into the air and into Frieza's eyes. Frieza readied himself for a charge from the front and then was assaulted from the flank. He leaped away in time to avoid being smashed in the head and was soon consumed in a volley of golden energy blasts. Even as he was held in place by the endless barrage, Vegeta charged up a massive beam and hurled it. Before Frieza could move he was caught head on by a wave of energy. He held in one trembling hand for a moment, before roundhouse kicking it away.

'...If that beam was thrown at me before, I would be dead.' realized Frieza as the dust settled. 'No matter, time to end this. 70%.'

It was at this point that Vegeta found himself unable to react. He froze, an orange sphere appeared around him, and Frieza struck him. He was sent flying far away, even as Frieza pursued and knocked the ball back from whence it came. He reappeared several more times. The process was repeated again and again. Until at last Frieza threw the ball far into the distance, where it exploded into a massive surge of ki.

The tyrant waited a moment, then touched back down on the islands. He turned then to the other enemies present. Wait, wasn't there one more present. And why were they all raising their hands into the air? Whatever the case, Frieza raised one finger and-

It was at this point that Vegeta surged out of the horizon in a flying kick and slammed Frieza in the gut. Frieza was driven him down into the earth to form a crater. Rising into the air and summoning energy into him. 'Now Frieza, prepare to die! Gallick Gun! FIRE!' He roared, before launching a golden gallick gun downwards.

Frieza half rose from his prone position and fired a beam of energy to counter Vegeta's. The two clashed in mid-air and fought against each other in terrible focus. 'With the level of power, Vegeta is throwing at me, if I lose this entire planet will be destroyed. This is an ironic reversal from what usually happens when I am involved with the destruction of a planet.'

Frieza was winded, and so was only able to match Vegeta, not to mention in a less than ideal position for a beam struggle. Even so, he raised his power, and defeated Vegeta's full power, with roughly 75% of his maximum. Vegeta dodged the shot by a narrow margin as Frieza arose, dusting himself off.

The Prince of All Two Saiyans left in existence was beginning to realize how big of a mistake he had made.

'You know what,' said Frieza 'I'm done. 80%.'

Vegeta was kicked in the head, smashed into the dirt, raised up again only to be cast down once more. Frieza punched him in the back, slammed him into rocks. The fight, which had lasted for many minutes, was now over. What was happening now was mere brutality.

'Years of effort,' mused Frieza as he beat Vegeta 'some of the finest warriors the Galaxy had to offer. All brought together under my direct command. And the whole thing is destroyed in a few days. And by what? A spoiled ungrateful child, given great privileges who used them to attack me.

Honestly, I've lost so many valuable assets on this little excursion alone. If I had achieved my immortality I might have offered you a job again if only to recoup my losses. But then... I didn't become immortal, did I?'

He tossed Vegeta's prone form to the ground, and before he could rise kicked him in the ribs. There was a cracking sound, and Vegeta flew into the water nearby with a splash. There was no movement from within. Frieza hovered over the pool in which the Prince was apparently content to drown in, and raised his hands. The water parted for his incredible power, a trick which Frieza had learned while bored.

Then, descending into the water, he grasped the prone Vegeta. His hair had turned black now, but it didn't matter to Frieze. He drew him up with his tail and continue beating him. 'Still, there is one minor consolation in this regard, at least. That being that you achieved the form of a Super Saiyan. Your entire races history, building up against all odds despite all my attempts to stop it to this. singular. moment. And it's such a waste.

To think that if you'd gone all out, to begin with, you might have actually killed me. But of course, it's not in your nature to be pragmatic is it? No, your ego would never allow you to not let me get to my full power, would it? You were so confident in that absurd legend. You never thought Super Saiyans might have their limits.' Frieza chuckled. 'Even so, it has been a very long time indeed since I had a chance to stretch in this form, so I suppose I should thank you for that.

'This little excursion to Namek has been... entertaining. Irrelevant, and changing nothing in the grand scheme of things. And expensive. But entertaining.'

Then he realized that Vegeta was laughing, though from the sounds of things it pained him. Frieza found this altogether disconcerting. 'What, have you gone mad from the revelation? Why are you laughing? Answer me!' He struck him again, and Vegeta spat out blood, even as he pointed upward with one hand.

Perplexed, Frieza glanced upwards.

Then he saw it. A gigantic blue glow that radiated life and power. Looking into it was like gazing into a world of perfection. A world of life and beauty, where evil things could not touch those within. And Frieza hated and feared it! For he was now seized with a sudden terror, and from all his pride and power, the tyrant Frieza's mind now shook free. For his mind was now turning within itself, seeking an explanation for what he gazed up. His eyes searched the cliffs and mesa's, seeking a source for what now threatened him.

Then he saw him.

Goku was hesitating. He stood, transfixed as he continued to add energy to a Spirit Ball which was already sufficient. 'Just a little more.'

'Goku, what are you doing?' Asked Piccolo 'Fire the Spirit Bomb now! It's our only chance!'

'Vegeta's still down there.' Said Goku.

'Good!' Snapped Piccolo. 'He'll only kill us all once Frieza is dead anyway! Kill them both, or all of this will have been for nothing!'

Goku threw the Spirit Bomb.

Frieza was transfixed by a sudden resurgence of memory.

The fourth figure, who had not been there before, stood with his hands upraised. Frieza trembled as he saw the distinctive hairstyle. He now recalled a very similar looking Saiyan whom he had faced before. It had been years since he had destroyed planet Vegeta. Yet he had never shaken the memory of a lone fighter. A warrior fighting his way through Frieza's entire army singlehanded. The sole defender of the strongest planet in the galaxy laid to waste by Frieza.

Yet Frieza had no more time to think on the matter, for the Spirit Bomb was now upon them. Summoning all his power, the tyrant strove against the Spirit Bomb.

Frieza found himself struggling to hold it off. His arms were shaking, the ground gave way beneath his feet as he was driven deeper and deeper into a crater. Had he been using only 50% of his power he would have been undone by now. Behind him, Vegeta rose up and sent a burst of Ki energy out against Frieza, who flinched. Even so, it was not sufficient to break his defense. Frieza had been raising his power gradually even as he defended himself. With a burst of power, Frieza burned Vegeta and blew him several dozen feet away. Then he turned his attention back to the Spirit Bomb.

The Spirit Bombs power was great enough to burn his hands, but will which pressed it against his was far his weaker. Little by little, inch by inch, Frieza began to push the Spirit Ball back. Then there was a presence he sensed a few feet away. The Namek, Piccolo was his name. Frieza glanced back to see the Namek pointing two fingers at his back.

'SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!'

Frieza was sufficiently beyond Piccolo's power to not have a hole driven in his chest. However, he was wounded badly in the back. The Tyrant fell forwards, his grip loosening as the Spirit Bomb descended upon him.

For his part, Piccolo flew away. Not towards Goku and the others, but rather, for reasons even he did not understand, towards Vegeta. It was worth noting that Piccolo had no idea whether it was even necessary for him to flee the Spirit Bomb. His innate connection to Kami. The reduced darkness of his heart, these things might allow him to survive. Or it might kill him. Piccolo wasn't eager to find out.

None of said reasons gave any explanation for why he was trying to save the man who he planned to kill a minute ago. Perhaps it was because, in the right circumstances, Piccolo could have been just like him. Perhaps it was because Vegeta had been essential to the execution of the most recent plan. Or perhaps Goku's all-forgiving nature was rubbing off on him.

The Spirit bomb was closing down upon them as he grasped Vegeta and flew. Flew as he had never flown before. Even as he did so, however, the Spirit Bomb exploded. A wave of white washed over the oceans and islands, and Vegeta was torn from Piccolo's arms by the force. Everything went white, and he saw Vegeta's shadow falling away from him. Piccolo felt his skin burning at the contact of the spirit bomb, but it was nothing compared to Vegeta.

His armor was burned away so that the Prince of all Saiyans was now barechested. His eyes were wide as he gazed on a distant phantom. It was screaming and bleeding beneath the power of a Spirit Bomb. Piccolo reached for Vegeta's hand. Seeking to drag him away from the all-consuming energy and into the open air. Yet even as he did so, the white intensified and Vegeta's hands turned to ashes, followed by his limbs and his torso.

Vegeta died laughing, for Frieza had suffered a similar fate.

Authors Note:

You know, this fanfic started out as a plan to deflate the hype regarding Vegeta going Super Saiyan on Namek. My plan was for Vegeta to go Super Saiyan, get a brief advantage over Frieza, before tossing it away for pride's sake. What would then follow would be Frieza handing him his ass in exactly the same way it happened in canon. Except at a higher power level. Then by the end of the fic, Goku would arrive with the exact same situation as it was before Vegeta went super saiyan.

So yeah, best-laid plans of Saiyans and Nameks.

In all seriousness the calculation goes something like this:

Super Saiyan Form multiplies your power by fifty times its base.

Goku's base was 2% of Frieza's maximum power. Thus when multiplied Frieza and he are equally matched. The turning point is that Frieza can't hold his 100% form for very long.

Optimistically speaking, Vegeta is roughly 1% of Frieza's maximum power. Thus when multiplied Frieza and he are equal at 50% of Frieza's maximum. Thing is Frieza can hold his maximum for longer. For the purposes of this fic, however, Vegeta is about 1.2% of Frieza's max power, before going Super Saiyan.

Actually, I can't help but feel that Vegeta put up too good of a fight. The problem is that when you watch the Namek Arc, Vegeta is a freaking badass. Against Recoome he had a serious disadvantage in power level. But he still completely messed him up before he lost. Thus with Vegeta's combat pragmatist nature, I could see him putting on a good show at 60-70%.

At 80% though, he's completely screwed.

Of course, the side effect of this is that Spirit Bomb is actually much stronger. After all Goku was using it for the entire fight.

We'll see whether Frieza makes it out of this one in the next chapter.

If there is a next chapter.

Who knows.

Also to those fans of Kakarot and the Quest for the Dragonballs, I'm afraid I'll have to ask patience. Part of the problem is that Dragonball is much harder to write than Dragonball Z.