Episode 70

Difficult Trials

Hello, readers

It's been a long time. I had many things to do for the past few months including studies and exams (not to mention, having to deal with lack of inspiration, but I think I've finally claimed it back). I apologize for not updating the story in a while and that I uploaded only one chapter today, but I still hope you enjoy it.

Just to know my readers a bit more, I'd like to ask you all a question (it's okay if you don't want to answer). Who is your favorite DragonBall character and why? I'm just curious to see what your responses are. I'm sure you already know that Bardock is my number one favorite because of his personality, his skill in fighting, and his Super Saiyan transformation is just awesome.

Again, any positive and/or helpful feedback are welcome. Rude and offensive comments will be reported and/or deleted. Let's do our best to respect one another always.

Happy reading!

Thump!

Recoome crashed towards the ground again after attempting to dominate the three Saiyans on a one-on-one match, just relying on his full power and force to give them injuries they deserved, but Goku, Bardock, and Raditz still showed no signs of struggle. Recoome left a heavy crater on the island while his companion, Guldo, just stood there in shock.

"Ow!" Recoome cried. "Gah! I feel really, really bad."

Burter was becoming irritated with them while Jeice was starting to fret more and more. Probably Recoome had been using close to one-hundred percent of his power to get himself in par with Goku, Raditz, and Bardock while Guldo was using every possible trick and tactic from his array of psychic abilities, but the three Saiyans were learning quickly from them, counterattacking their every move and strategy.

"Get up already!" shouted Burter. "These are just low-class Saiyans and you're losing to someone like them?!"

Recoome finally stood up, but almost lost balance and he fell to one knee. All these wounds were all over his body. Recoome finally looked up, but there seemed to be a gleam in his eyes, this rage about to emerge. Guldo sensed this from his comrade. Recoome did not look too happy this time. "You puny Saiyans, how dare you do this to me. Now you're gonna regret it!"

Bardock, Goku, and Raditz kept floating in mid-air, looking down on their enemies. Goku relaxed his own power and switched back from his Kaioken. He felt that he might not need to use his Kaioken at all, not until he was certain he would be fighting more powerful opponents than the ones he was currently facing. So far, the Ginyu Force was the least of his concerns.

Goku laughed a bit. "Man, if this is all what the Ginyu Force has, they won't last for long. They better think of something else quick if they wanna match to a Saiyan's power. Heh, heh!"

Raditz crossed his arms. "Don't pity them, Kakarot. You need to see beyond your enemy before he takes advantage of you," he hated to see this soft side again in his younger brother, which sometimes showed during times of important battles against superior enemies.

"But you have to admit," Goku said, "you gotta give them credit for trying. They're pretty bold for challenging warriors like us," Goku reminded Raditz of his own words before, about Saiyans being the most powerful warrior race in the universe; therefore, Goku was not that worried at all. He was not even thinking about the possibility of losing this fight.

"Yes, but I'm telling you now…you need to take this seriously," Raditz's eyes suddenly shifted towards King Cold. He felt his energy again and he was still surprised by the massive power he was carrying.

Goku turned to him. "But I am taking this seriously. What's wrong, Bro?"

Bardock felt Raditz's frustrations and Goku's confusion. Raditz and Goku stared at each other for a moment. Soon, their father came to the both of them.

"Keep your chins up," Bardock told them. "They're coming!"

Recoome was flying towards them, performing the Recoome Renegade Bomber again. Another bombardment of energy blasts was sent towards the Saiyans, but Goku, Bardock, and Raditz were evading all of them like it was nothing.

Guldo watched Recoome desperately, hoping he would gain the upper-hand somehow. He then noticed Recoome giving him some kind of signal. Guldo took this chance to hold his breath and stop time once more while the Saiyans were busy dodging Recoome's endless barrage of explosive blasts.

At the right moment, Guldo used his technique to freeze time again. This time, the Saiyans were too busy in trying to steer clear of Recoome's blasts, they had completely forgotten about Guldo. Guldo, while holding his breath, noticed that Recoome had disappeared and had already positioned himself behind the Saiyans to get his chance to strike back. Guldo showed a smirk before letting time run again.

Bardock deflected his last blast, but immediately, he felt someone behind him. It was Recoome and he was about to attack him; however, Bardock blocked his attack just in time, catching Recoome surprised.

"Wha-?!" Recoome said.

"Hmph," Bardock grabbed his arm, pulled him over and while Recoome flapped his arms in air to try to regain his balance, Bardock went straight for a kick to his back, hurling Recoome towards the ground.

As he crashed there, Bardock dashed towards him like the wind, persisted to take him down. Recoome immediately got up just in time to engage him in a rapid blows crash. Recoome tried to retaliate, but only to be hit to the stomach. Bardock was about to give him a fist to the face this time, but the moment he landed that blow, it was not as strong as it should be after a vision distracted him again. He saw that strange creature once more that almost resembled Frieza. He pointed at the screen with his index finger and at the tip of it, a fatal blast was released.

"Take this!" Recoome successfully counterattacked and knee-struck Bardock to his abdomen at full power. Bardock was stopped for a moment and once again, received another vision. He saw a landscape that was burning and being flooded with meteors falling from the darkened, clouded skies.

"Dad!" cried Goku.

Recoome thought he was finally gaining the upper-hand. He then forcefully punched Bardock to the cheek, his head jerking back.

Raditz's aura immediately surrounded him. He decided to take action to help his father. Meanwhile, Guldo thought this was his chance to intervene. Suddenly, he used his paralysis powers to freeze Raditz at the spot.

"Hey!"Goku yelled and then, he threw an energy blast at Guldo.

"You-!" Guldo saw this coming and he deflected that blast, but once he did that, Goku suddenly appeared in front of him, giving him a high kick, shooting him towards the skies, in front of Recoome. Guldo collided against him, distracting him from his fight.

"Tch!" Bardock was irritated that his visions had to bother him this time. Nevertheless, he took this chance to strike both Recoome and Guldo down with his fury and they made a huge impact with the ground, making a smoky crater below them.

Raditz was released from Guldo's paralysis. He began to raise his right hand, a violet, white beam emerging from his palm. It increased in power, quickly becoming a burst of dynamic energy.

"Saturday Crush!" Raditz released his attack.

Recoome and Guldo tried to get up and then, they panicked to see Raditz's technique rushing towards them. They barely escaped from the mighty blast and the explosion caused them more injuries and wounds.

Burter and Jeice were getting more anxious. Krillin, Gohan, and Elder Moori were cheering for their allies. Vegeta continued to stand in shock and frustration that these low-leveled soldiers were not challenged at all by the Ginyu Force. King Cold stood at neither side of their enemies and his own companions. He only watched with interest for the Saiyans' growing power.

Raditz, Bardock, and Goku stood together, prepared to end the first round. Bardock, however, was more occupied about his vision earlier, particularly the one with the burning landscape and the meteors falling. He did not know which planet it was, but he did not like the feel of it.

At Frieza's spaceship, Appule and a few other men had gotten the village elders. They dragged them outside the ship and pushed them towards the DragonBalls. No matter how much the elders tried, their amount of resistance cannot challenge the terrifying power that Frieza held. Frieza stared at them with ruby eyes, fervently waiting for his wish to come true.

The village elders stood in front of the gleaming DragonBalls. They wished that if they were stronger, they would have left Frieza and his men in the dust and claimed back what was rightfully theirs. The Namekians then slowly stared into Frieza's eyes.

"Well?" Frieza wondered why they were just standing there. "You want me to leave this place, do you? Go, make me immortal, and I'll leave this planet for good. I'll find other planets that are more to my liking than this puny, dying world."

The village elders had to remind themselves that villains would say such things even if they were to get what they want. Tsuno, he knew, was the one who made this proposal. Should he grant Frieza's wish or not? For the sake of his own people?

Tsuno and the village elders finally gathered around the DragonBalls with so much fear and dread. There was another moment of hesitation before facing their shaking palms towards the gleaming orbs. Frieza and his men stood and watch, waiting for this moment to happen.

Tsuno spoke first. He was sweating nervously. "Oh, great and mighty Porunga…we ask you to-"

SLAM!

Frieza hits his tail hard against the ground, causing a slight tremor, making his subordinates and the Namekians shiver including Ginyu himself.

"Fools, don't think I'll be deceived that easily," Frieza told them. "I know you have to speak in the Namekian tongue to summon the dragon. Go on! Let me hear it!"

The Namekians were surprised how he was able to know this information. They assumed that his father, King Cold, must have known about this and passed it on to Frieza.

The village elders tried again. This time, they began to speak in their language. There was more shake in their voices, they felt they could burst and cry. Their hearts were pounding while Frieza's heart was pounding with more anticipation and excitation. He was envisioning in his head, him being the most powerful, immortal tyrant that has ever lived in the entire universe.

After the Namekians said their chant to summon the dragon…

…there was nothing.

Even after a long wait, there was still nothing.

Frieza's men and the overlord himself became very confused. He stared at the village elders, but they kept their heads down, their lips sealed, not looking at him.

"Nothing is happening," Ginyu whispered.

The silence was making Frieza mad. The galactic overlord had to ask the elders, "Where's the dragon? He's supposed to appear, right? I told you to summon him!"

Tsuno interrupted him. His eyes looked back towards his. "We cannot grant you what you seek."

Frieza became confused. "What? What do you mean? What exactly is going on?! You better give me a very convincing answer now or else, I'll blow up this entire PLANET!" he screamed.

Elder Tsuno remained calm, however. "The Grand Elder, the one who made the DragonBalls…if you must know, he's very sick. Therefore, his illness is affecting the way the DragonBalls function. With such affliction, the dragon cannot be summoned. The power of the dragon depends on the power and current health of his creator."

Frieza stared into the eyes of the Namekian, to see if there was any lie in them. He found nothing, but he was also unsure about his observations. "You're not lying to me, are you?" he questioned them seriously.

Tsuno said nothing this time, but he slowly looked away from Frieza's enraged eyes.

Frieza had no time interrogating these Namekians any further. He was exasperated that he must wait yet again before having his wish granted. He began to tap on his red scouter (he was wearing it all this time) and remembering what his father told him where the Grand Elder was exactly located, he used those coordinates to track him down.

"If what you useless Namekians say it's true, then I'm going to visit your Grand Elder, bring the medics with me, and take him back to full health," Frieza said. Of course, he was not doing this for them. He was doing it for himself. "I will not wait any longer! I will not let my chance for immortality slip away now."

The village elders looked up in panic. Elder Tsuno begged. "No, stop! Leave the Grand Elder alone! Why do you feel you must always get your way? Our Grand Elder is suffering for too long…please spare him."

"You think I'm going to kill him? Didn't you hear me earlier?" asked Frieza, eyes still blazing. "You should feel honored that I'll treat whatever sickness that old man suffers from."

Frieza turned to Captain Ginyu. "Ginyu, keep a lookout on the DragonBalls. I'd hate to have to find them again if anything should happen to these precious orbs."

Ginyu saluted to him. "Yes, Lord Frieza! I will make sure that your DragonBalls are carefully guarded."

Frieza then slowly turned towards Dodoria and Zarbon. "You two have miserably failed me, but I'll give you one last chance to redeem yourselves. You can handle a bunch of weak Namekians, can you? Don't let them get away from my ship or else, you'll be joining them in their graves."

Dodoria and Zarbon were sweating profusely, but they kept a firm stance still. They nodded their heads and replied softly. "Yes, Sir…"

Frieza immediately went inside his hovering pod after calling in two armed medics from his ship.

Elder Tsuno tried to stop Frieza again. "No, please! Our Grand Elder, don't!" but his pleas were unheard and immediately, Frieza and the medics left to head to Guru's place.

Tsuno fell to his knees and cried while the other village elders were anxiously running through their minds of what could possibly happen to the Grand Elder this time. In actuality, Tsuno and his fellow brothers had lied to Frieza all along. Although Guru's sickness was definitely true, his illness, in no way, was even the cause of the DragonBalls' "inactivity." Before the village elders were summoned before Frieza, they agreed they would never let Frieza get his wish for immortality. The chant that they did was not even the words to call Porunga. They simply recited a kind of poem in the Namekian tongue and made it seem like that this was the password in unlocking the DragonBalls. Of course, Frieza, having no knowledge of the Namekian language, did not understand what they said. The village elders hoped that this would force Frieza to leave the planet after this, but instead, their plan backfired and now, Frieza was heading over to Guru. Who knows what Frieza could do to the Great Elder once the two meet?

Elder Tsuno desperately pleaded in his mind, trying to connect with Guru and Nail through telepathy, telling them that they desperately needed their help and that Frieza was on his way to get them.

On the other side of Namek, even though Guru was very sick, he could never fail to hear his children's pleas and cries for help. He had heard Tsuno in his own thoughts. They were faint to hear, but they were absolutely there. Guru then could sense a great evil was coming his way and this could be none other than Frieza.

Nail noticed Guru's expression. He walked up to him. "What's the matter, Guru?"

Guru suddenly ordered him, "Nail, you may be the only one who can stop Frieza for now. Listen, he is on his way here. Please, get out there and stop that selfish tyrant or else, more innocent lives will be taken by his hands."

Nail realized what he meant. At first, he hesitated because he knew Guru will be left alone if he were to leave and he was his only guardian, but Guru insisted that he should go and save the lives of their people. Nail then obeyed him and immediately began to head his way out. Before he left, Guru stopped him for a moment. Nail turned around and he realized that Guru's eyes were filled with tears.

The Great Elder began to apologize to him as well as to the rest of the Namekians, to his own children. "I am very sorry to all of you. I was deceived all along. Thus, I had allowed evil to easily step into our beloved home."

At that moment, Nail realized that Guru had probably met these evil men in the past, but was tricked into thinking that they were good. He remembered those mysterious space travelers who claimed to be part of an organization that helps other planets in need. They were the ones who also gave them those genetically-modified Ajissa plants. Nail's hands curled into fists, but it was not rage he felt, but mercy for Guru.

Nail began to say, "Guru, please, do not blame yourself at all. I would've also been deceived if I was in your place."

Guru said nothing this time.

"Do not worry, Guru. I will stop Frieza for good and all those who follow him. Our planet will be back to the way it was. I promise," Nail tried to give him a smile before leaving as to give him some strength in his mind and heart. He then departed from the chambers, leaving a saddened Guru behind.

In the skies and through the bellowing winds, Nail was trying to pick up Frieza's energy. Though there were still distances apart, Nail must always be on the lookout for Frieza could come anywhere and at anytime. Nail, unfortunately, was clueless about the tyrant's power. For now, he just knew that he must stop him or else.

Recoome and Guldo were brought down again by their Saiyan opponents. Guldo was out of breath and Recoome was on his ways, both were injured greatly, these wounds were getting to them.

Raditz spoke, "Give it up now unless you want more beating from us."

Recoome suddenly began to get very angry. He bit his lips hard. He looked up towards the Saiyans again. Guldo noticed his comrade's expression and he began to sweat. Recoome was not the one to mess with if he were to become angry.

Jeice's scouter turned on and it started to calculate Recoome's power level. "It's growing now. I think the Saiyans are gonna be ones who'll get the beatin' from Recoome this time."

"You got that right," Burter said who felt slightly relieved. "Recoome might turn the tables. No one likes it when he gets mad."

King Cold heard this and became curious how Recoome might change the outcome of this battle.

Recoome suddenly shouted at Goku, Bardock, and Raditz. With his scraped hand on his damaged chest plate, he stood up, blood dripping from his face and body and declared, "Now you're gonna get it now, you puny monkeys!"

He curled himself like a ball, his knees and hands brought close to his body. Flashing lights began to appear from the center and turned into fire-like lightning bolts, which surrounded his body. Guldo backed away a bit for Recoome's growing power might hurt him, but he also had a smirk in his face.

Elder Moori, Krillin, and Gohan were trying to figure out what was going on.

"His power, it's suddenly growing!" Krillin exclaimed.

Gohan gulped hard. "It looks really dangerous!"

Vegeta growled under his breath. "Those idiots, if they claim that they're much stronger, then they should've finished Recoome and Guldo way earlier than this. They're in trouble now."

"What do you mean by that?!" Krillin turned towards him, slightly angry at him for talking like that, but the Saiyan Prince did not respond this time.

The grounds began to tremble, causing some of them to almost lose their footing while Recoome was still in that position, his strength still increasing in large increments. Recoome was shaking himself, but because he was finally achieving his maximum power. Rocks began to defy gravity as they float upwards, towards the skies. Recoome then presented an evil smirk to his enemies.

Bardock and Raditz held their grounds. Goku stood there, slightly confused. "What is he doing?" he asked.

Bardock gave a grave stare. "He's getting desperate, that's what."