Gohan glanced over the shoulder which Piccolo wasn't draped over. He could see his dad and Frieza fighting, surrounded by auras glowing in unusual colors, which were in turn surrounded by rocks and dirt their power was ripping from the ground. Their power...I wouldn't think it was possible if I wasn't right here. Something was weird about their energy, not only the level but also the feel. I wonder if there are other kinds of energy people can draw on? Maybe their energy feels weird because they're using different levels of ki or something.
I wonder if Dad can teach me how to do that. If he gets out of here alive...If I'm taking his spaceship, will there be anything on this planet he knows how to fly? Off in the distance, Frieza fired a stream of energy blasts at Gohan's father, most of which missed; one came distressingly close to hitting Gohan and Piccolo. I can't worry about him. Dad wanted me and Piccolo to get away from here. He wanted me to go, he surely has a plan. Right? Gohan spotted a large black-and-white sphere, lying on the ground. That must be the ship! Let's see, me and Piccolo are here, Dad's fighting Frieza, basically everyone else is dead...that just leaves Bulma. I'll drop Piccolo off here, then find her. I hope Dad didn't lock the door...
Gohan circled the ship and landed by what looked like a door. He carefully dropped Piccolo onto the ground before fiddling with the control panel by the door. It opened, dropping a short staircase onto the ground and Piccolo's leg.
"Sorry!" Gohan said, pulling Piccolo's leg free.
Piccolo grunted in pain. "I've had worse."
"Right." Gohan dragged Piccolo into the spaceship. "Now, um...how's the chest?"
"I'll live. Is there anything else you need to do?"
"There's Bulma."
"...Why did you bring Bulma to an alien battleground?"
"To fly the ship."
Piccolo grunted and shifted his upper body, causing his head to flop about. "Ow. It looks like Goku got here all on his own."
"It's a simpler ship. You can probably have it fly straight home by just pressing one button...not sure which one. I'll ask Bulma about it after—"
A screen on the wall turned on with a slight buzz, showing a picture of Gohan's mother.
"...Mom?"
"Gohan! You're okay! Oh, I was so worried..."
An unfamiliar man's voice spoke up. "Ask him about the others."
"I can see Piccolo."
"Well? How is he?"
"He's got a hole in his chest. Just like Goku did after—"
"You are not bringing that up right now," Piccolo mumbled.
"Bulma's basically okay," Gohan said before either could continue their thoughts. "Dad's fighting Frieza...I think he's winning? Krillin...Krillin's...dead."
"Again," Piccolo mumbled. "He'll be fine."
Master Roshi forced himself into the picture. "What happened to Krillin?"
"Where did you come from?" the first male voice demanded.
"It was Frieza," Gohan said. "We thought Dad's Spirit Bomb blew him up, but he was fine and blew up Krillin and Dad got really mad and started glowing funny and told me to get Piccolo and Bulma to safety...I should probably go do that."
"No!" Gohan's mother shouted. "I haven't even talked to you in more than a week and—"
"Sorry," Gohan said quietly, "I—I need to get Bulma. Things are getting bad out there...I shouldn't leave her alone." We probably shouldn't have left her alone as much as we did. "I promise I'll talk to you once we're in space, okay?"
Goku had discovered he could release faint clones of himself from his aura, once it was charged. He paused, floating about fifty feet from Frieza, and charged his energy for a moment. "Kaio-ken times five!" Goku released several clones at once, all glowing the same red-orange color as his new aura, surrounded by the darker red of the kaio-ken. The clones converged on Frieza, who knew the clones could follow him if he dodged; he raised a feeble lavender energy shield with a more solid one beneath. The clones all dashed against the shields at the same time and place; with their energies added together and multiplied by the kaio-ken, some still got through.
Goku hovered above Frieza, watching him and breathing heavily. I can't keep this up forever...but I think Frieza's getting tired too. I can feel his is energy starting to wane.
"How?" he demanded. "How can you be so strong?"
"Well, I trained for four days coming over here. I think that's part of it."
"What? Four days? You'd need to train at least thirty times as long for that to matter at all! You're...you're..."
"Son Goku. I know, it can be hard remembering names sometimes."
"No! You—" Frieza glared at Goku. "I can't believe I'm losing to an idiot monkey!"
"I get that a lot."
"NO! You—you—you—" Frieza fired an energy blast at Goku, who dodged out of the way. "I am Lord Frieza, the strongest being in the universe!"
"Are you sure about—"
"Shut up!" Frieza began firing a barrage of energy bolts at Goku, who deflected them all as quickly as they came. "I am the greatest and mightiest of my family, who are all the greatest of my race to ever live! And my race is the greatest of all races which ever graced this grand galaxy!"
"What's a galaxy?"
"You...you came here in a spaceship and you don't know what a fucking galaxy is?"
"I didn't learn about books."
"...There is no way in any hell that I am losing to someone like you. One way or another, I will..." Frieza's glare turned to a grin. "Any way possible, I will win." He smiled and brought both hands in front of his chest, gathering energy. "Your monkey biology is as primitive as your one-dimensional Saiyan culture. My race is the culmination of evolution, as my family is the pinnacle of my race."
"What's ev—"
"Let me simplify this for your primitive simian brain. I can breathe in space—and you can't!" Frieza began laughing maniacally.
"But we're on a planet," Goku pointed out.
"Not for long!" Frieza kept laughing maniacally as threw the ball of energy at the planet. "Goodbye, Dumb Goner the Stupid Saiyan!"
"Son Goku the Super Saiyan," Goku corrected. "And you never did say what a gal—"
"No...no, no, no!"
Yamcha jumped forward. "What is it, King Kai? What just happened?"
"There was a big surge of energy from Frieza, then...nothing. He's destroyed Namek with one blow! Without Goku and Piccolo, the dragon balls are no more and there's nothing to stop Frieza from coming to—"
If you're nearly done screaming, Mr. Popo has nearly gathered—
"...Kami? Is that you?"
"Piccolo's alive?" Yamcha exclaimed. "So—that means Goku's probably alive, too—"
King Kai, can't you sense their energies? Kami asked.
"I'm having an off day. Something about the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance."
"—and Gohan, and—"
"—and Frieza," Tenshinhan added grimly. "There's no way the blast would have hurt him more than it hurt the others. He would take every measure to avoid hurting himself with his own ultimate attack. He's not that crazy."
"He tried to blow up a planet," Chiaotzu pointed out. "I don't think he's sane."
"Surely, he doesn't want to die."
Bulma dusted herself off. Something had just caused a tremor in the planet's crust, knocking her off of her precarious perch. Probably some fight. Sometimes, I wish I could watch the guys go at it...maybe not this time, though.
She saw a speck flying through the air towards her. Kami or King Kai or any other gods who can hear me, please let that be Gohan or Goku or Krillin or someone coming to save me. Ideally not Krillin...but I'm not going to complain too much if it's him.
A small voice called out to her. "Bulma!"
"Gohan?"
"Bulma! We need to get out of here fast!" Gohan slowed until he was hovering next to Bulma, before putting his arms around her waist and flying off.
"What's going on?"
"Dad's fighting Frieza. Krillin's dead, Piccolo's hurt, and Mom's going to get mad at me if I don't get back to the ship and call her soon. That's about all I know."
"Can you fly any faster?"
"—axy is. What did you just do?"
Frieza Winds raced across Namek, with dark skies above and a darker hole below, seeming to stretch on down into infinity. Energy arced out of the hole and over the planet's surface
Frieza frowned, staring at the hole he created. "Hm. Well, I intended to blow up the planet. I suppose I was a bit too careful. Ah well, spilled beverages and all that. I've hit the core, the planet won't last five minutes."
"Question!"
Frieza sighed. "What is it now, monkey?"
"Is that Earth minutes or space minutes?"
"What in the North Galaxy is an erthminit?"
"What on Earth is a galaxy?"
"...I thought of just flying away and letting you die of asphyxiation, but you know what? I really want to kill you myself. Aren't you lucky?"
"I'll say! I haven't gotten a fight like this in ages!"
"So you like hard fights, do you? Of course you do, what was I thinking, you're a Saiyan. Well, as it happens, I'm not fighting at my full potential. If you give me a couple of minutes, I'll be fighting at 100% capacity."
Goku nodded, smiled, and looked at the horizon. This planet was a lot prettier before Frieza tried to blow it up.
Goku...
Oh, hi King Kai! How are things at your planet?
Not important! Goku, do not let him power up! He'll be at least twice as strong as he is now, you can't handle it!
Think about it, King Kai. If I beat him at full power, he'll be demoralized and never hurt anyone ever again!
You know what else would stop Frieza from hurting anyone? Killing him right now! Be honest, Goku, you just want a harder fight.
Goku shifted side to side, embarrassed. Well...yeah...
A moment passed. The auras around the two fighters swelled.
Well? What are you waiting for?
Frieza to power up.
Ugh, there's just no arguing with you.
King Kai, are you finished trying to reason with Goku?
Hello again, Kami. Did Popo finish gathering the dragon balls?
He did. Now, what was your plan exactly?
Hold on, can I just talk to Popo?
Fine. I don't get why you can't tell me, though...
King Kai sighed. Popo, are you there?
I am.
"Um, King Kai?" Yamcha said.
Have you summoned Shenron?
One moment...He's here. Do you want me to bring back more of your "students" to get slaughtered by Frieza?
"He's in the middle of something," Tenshinhan pointed out. "He'll explain when he has a chance."
Of course not, they can wait. My plan requires you to wish for everyone whose deaths were caused by Frieza and his men, naturally not including the ones Shenron's already brought back once.
"Are you sure about that?" Chiaotzu asked.
"No."
The Namekian Grand Elder's death was caused in part by Frieza, King Kai continued, so he should be brought back, at least for a while, correct?
Should I do the wish, King Kai?
Ask Shenron about if he can bring back someone partly killed by Frieza with that wish.
A minute passed.
"Seriously, what's going on?" Yamcha asked.
King Kai sighed. "Hush, I'm busy arranging the world to be saved."
Shenron says he will try.
That's about the best we can hope for. Hopefully one of the Namekians will be close enough to their dragon balls to reach Porunga and wish everyone off of the planet. Then we'll have two sets of dragon balls and a whole race saved.
Brilliant, Popo thought to King Kai.
Of course it is, King Kai thought to himself. Pretty good use of an afternoon, all things considered. Definitely better than paperwork.
King Kai smiled as he felt pricks of life popping up around the galaxy one by one, starting with the most recent murders the tyrant and his army committed and moving back in time with astonishing speed. Eventually, the wish ran out of power, but not before repopulating several worlds, including Namek.
Yamcha coughed. "Um, King Kai?"
The Kai sighed and explained his plan again.
