Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or any of its characters. If I did I'd be a whole lot richer.

Chapter 26

Kakarot dodged to the left as Cui threw a punch at the Saiyan's head. "How are you not dead yet?" the fish faced warrior said. "A powerlevel of 5000, this shouldn't even be a challenge."

Kakarot grinned. As he had predicted, Frieza's men relied heavily on their scouters, to heavily on them. He and Raditz had both decided to suppress their powerlevels when their enemies had used the scouters. Now Cui thought he should be easily winning when in fact the two were evenly matched, at least as far as powerlevels went. Kakarot's grin turned predatory. Evenly matched in power meant that this would be an easy victory.

Cui shot an arm out at the Saiyan warrior but Kakarot dodged making almost no vibrations in the air to give away his movements. Cui's fist went to Kakarot's right side and a split second later the Saiyan's hand shot out and grabbed the limb. He pulled the fish warrior toward him and brought his knee up into the warrior's face.

Cui reeled back in disbelief and pain. How had this pathetic Saiyan managed to hurt him? He was supposed to be taking on three warriors and he couldn't even handle this one. Before he could ponder the situation further Kakarot was pressing his attack, throwing kicks and punches at the fish faced warrior at lightning speed. Cui blocked some of the blows but the speed and ferocity of the attacks were more than he could handle.

"What's the matter?" Kakarot taunted. "I thought I was too weak to be much trouble."

-Dbz-

Vegeta flinched as Dodoria's fist slammed into his face with the force of a truck. The Saiyan Prince was sent sailing into a cliff face where the he hit with earth shattering force, causing the surrounding rocks to collapse on the fallen prince.

Dodoria towered over the rubble pile and laughed. "So much for the great Saiyan rebellion," he said. "You monkeys aren't a threat. I don't know why Lord Frieza kept you around so long, except maybe for entertainment."

Vegeta roared at the comments and sent the rubble flying in all directions. "You dare insult the Prince of all Saiyans. I will kill you." Vegeta charged at Dodoria and sent a fist at the fat pink alien's face. The blow was too slow to connect and Dodoria caught the attack in one of his hands.

"Oh Vegeta," Dodoria said. "When will you realize you are horribly outmatched?"

-Dbz-

Krillin landed in the desert and surveyed the battlefield. He could see Kakarot battling a fish faced alien. His friend seemed to have the upper hand in that fight. No need to interfere with that one, he thought. Off to the side he saw a blue-green alien with long green hair holding Raditz's arm behind his back in a painful position. But the third battle caught his attention even more. He saw a fat pink alien fighting with a shorter Saiyan with flame like hair. The pink alien was pummeling the other warrior mercilessly. I wonder if that one is Vegeta or Nappa, he thought briefly. He decided that would be the best place to intervene. The short bald warrior shot into the battle.

Dodoria laughed as he squeezed a fist around Vegeta's throat. "Now you'll die Saiyan," he said as he tightened his grip. Seconds later he was hit from behind and sent skidding across the desert.

Vegeta gasped his windpipe now free allowing air into his lungs. He turned to see a small bald warrior standing with a serious look on his face. "What are you doing here midget?" he asked.

"Saving your life," Krillin responded.

The conversation was cut short as Dodoria recovered from the attack and righted himself. He was angry but undamaged. "You little worm," he yelled. "I'll kill you."

Krillin took a fighting stance and stood his ground. He could tell this guy was strong, twice as strong as he was. "We'll have to take him together," he said turning to Vegeta.

"Saiyans fight alone," Vegeta said charging at Dodoria and throwing kicks and punches at the fat pink warrior. Dodoria dodged the attacks and threw some kicks and punches of his own at Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince managed to block some of the blows from the big pink warrior but more of them got through than were blocked.

Krillin watched the losing fight with a sigh. "Why does he have to make this difficult?" He shot at Dodoria but this time the fat pink warrior was prepared for interference and back handed Krillin out of the way before he could interfere. Vegeta used the momentary distraction to charge up an energy blast and send it flying at Dodoria. The blast hit the fat pink warrior head on and sent him sprawling back. Vegeta wasted no time and charged back at Dodoria pummeling him with a flurry of kicks and punches.

Dodoria wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth and laughed. "You really think you can beat me? That barely hurt and you caught me off guard. I'm tired of playing around with you." The alien shot forward faster than most would think possible for a creature so fat and drove a fist into Vegeta's chest. The blow knocked the Saiyan back and he fell to the ground. Dodoria put his foot on Vegeta's chest and stepped down putting his weight on the Saiyan Prince. "Now you die."

Krillin looked on in horror. "Time to finish this," he said. He raised a hand above his head and gathered energy. Spinning his hand in a circle the ball of energy flattened into a spinning disc. "Destructo Disc," he shouted sending the disc of energy flying at the fat pink warrior. Dodoria never saw the attack coming and was quickly decapitated from the energy disc.

-Dbz-

Zarbon watched as he saw Dodoria get decapitated. How had that little midget beat his second in command? He hit his scouter. "10,000," he said to himself. Dodoria had been killed by a being with the powerlevel of 10,000. Well, it was no matter. He wouldn't fall for that trick.

Raditz sneered up at him. "Looks like your men aren't faring as well as you thought."

Zarbon twisted the Saiyan's arm further. "Well I'll just have to kill you then to make it even."

-Dbz-

Kakarot dodged an energy blast from Cui. The fish face alien grunted in exertion. He had been unable to deliver a meaningful attack on the Saiyan. He still didn't understand how that could be. He who had battled the prince of that race to a standstill couldn't get a decent hit on this warrior. His thoughts were interrupted as Kakarot threw a punch at his head. Cui raised an arm, blocked the blow and sent a fist of his own at the Saiyan's head. The fist passed only through after-image though and Cui looked around in confusion.

"I'm tired of playing around with you," he heard from behind him. He turned and saw Kakarot with a ball of blue energy in his hands that were held at his side. "Kamehameha," Kakarot shouted sending a beam of energy shooting at Cui. Cui raised his hands to block the blow but was quickly overwhelmed by the power of the attack. The blast pushed him back into a rock outcropping before it finally detonated causing the surrounding earth the shake with the force of a nuclear explosion.

When the dust settled, Cui climbed to his feet. His armor was now cracked and missing in more places than it was there and he had burns covering his entire body but he was far from dead. "Nice one," he said, "but not enough." But when he turned to where the Saiyan had been he saw nothing. "Where did you go," he shouted.

"Right here," Kakarot answered from right behind him near his ear. Before Cui could even turn, Kakarot's open palm hit the small of his back and the Saiyan shot a blast through his back and out of his stomach leaving the warrior to fall to the ground dying.

-Dbz-

Krillin turned from the corpse of Dodoria to check up on how Kakarot was doing only to see his friend shoot a beam of energy through the purple warrior's midsection. "I guess Kakarot doesn't need any help," he said to Vegeta who was getting to his feet.

"I didn't need help either," Vegeta grumbled. "Not from a weakling like you."

"You could just say thank you for saving my life," Krillin countered. He then turned to see Zarbon gathering an energy blast to finish off Raditz. As much as he didn't like the long haired Saiyan, they were now on the same side. He could also sense that this one was stronger than his companions and wouldn't be so easy to beat or as easily distracted. King Kai had told him to only use the Kaioken in and emergency and to not go above a x2 Kaioken but Krillin doubted that he could get there in time with a x2. Raditz was seconds away from death. "Kaioken x3," he shouted flaring a red aura around him as his power instantly shot up. He shot at Zarbon at speeds he had never traveled before and drove a knee into the warrior's face just in time to send the energy attack that had been meant to kill Raditz into the distance. Krillin let the Kaioken fade and took a fighting stance and prepared himself to stand his ground against the warrior. The x3 Kaioken hadn't killed him but he didn't want to press his luck by trying to maintain it for more than a few seconds.

Raditz turned to see the little bald warrior he had killed when he first came to Earth standing by his side. "So I see the Dragonballs worked after all," he said with a grin. "Thanks for the help and I'm sorry for killing you," he added.

"You're welcome," Krillin responded still focused on Zarbon. "Who are these guys anyway," he asked. "I thought it was supposed to be just a couple of Saiyans coming for a talk."

"They followed us," Kakarot said landing beside his brother and boyhood friend. "I think they are Frieza's men."

"They are," Raditz confirmed. "That one is Zarbon, Frieza's top lieutenant," Raditz said pointing at Zarbon who was now getting to his feet.

Zarbon dusted himself off. That kick from the midget had hurt much more than it should have for a being so weak. He looked and saw Kakarot, Raditz, Krillin, and Vegeta all standing to face him all at once. I'll have to transform to beat them, he thought. With a growl he turned to his monster form, his features turning from fair and clear to hideous and deranged.

Vegeta just stared in horror. His scouter just kept climbing before it exploded on his eye. How could Zarbon have so much power? How could he have ever thought that he could challenge Frieza when his lieutenant was so much more powerful than him? It was hopeless.

Kakarot watched Zarbon's power rise with a grimace. He turned to his fellow warriors. "We'll take him together," he said as he charged at the monster warrior. Zarbon dodged his fist and drove a fist of his own into the Saiyan's stomach. Kakarot spit blood as Zarbon's fist landed hard. Before Zarbon could press his advantage, Raditz was on him with a flurry of kicks and punches of his own. Zarbon laughed as he blocked the blows with ease before driving an elbow into Raditz's face.

"Kaioken x3," Krillin shouted entering the fray and attacking Zarbon. His fist connected with the alien's face and sent him flying back but Zarbon corrected his flight in midair and charged back at the short warrior and delivered a flurry of attacks of his own. It was all Krillin could do to block the blows even with a Kaioken x3. Luckily Kakarot came to his aid and started to attack Zarbon from behind. The combined strength of the two attackers was enough to get through Zarbon's guard and the blows started to land more frequently.

Unfortunately, that was when Krillin lost control of the Kaioken. The red aura faded and his power dropped. Zarbon wasted no time in taking advantage and drove a fist into the warrior's stomach. Krillin went down hard dropping to the ground unconscious.

"Kakarot," Raditz said regrouping with his brother. "Remember the Moonball technique. It might be a good time to use it."

"Last time you lost control and nearly destroyed everyone around you," Kakarot countered. "I don't think it'll be necessary. With Vegeta, we should be able to overpower him if we work together."

"Vegeta doesn't play well with others," Raditz countered. Their conversation was interrupted when Zarbon drove a fist into Raditz's stomach followed by an elbow to his face. Zarbon shot forward leaping out of the way of a fist from Kakarot and dragging Raditz with him. Before Kakarot could attack again, Zarbon reached for the furry appendage around Raditz's waist and pulled hard. The tail came off of the Saiyan as Raditz roared in agony.

"You won't be transforming now," Zarbon said laughing. He turned and shot back at Kakarot. He dodged a fist from the Saiyan and sent a kick at his midsection. The attack passed through an afterimage. Kakarot appeared behind Zarbon and shot an energy blast at the alien. Zarbon swatted the blast aside and grabbed Kakarot by the leg. He swung the warrior around and sent him face planting into the desert ground. Zarbon landed with a foot in Kakarot's back and grabbed the Saiyan's tail. With a quick pull Kakarot was also tailless. He turned his attention to Vegeta who was still staring at him in shock. He shot at the Saiyan prince and drove an elbow into his face sending him flying back. Before the prince could react, he began to pummel the poor prince as he sailed through the air. Vegeta landed with a hard crash. Before the prince could get up Zarbon grabbed his tail in a fist and pulled. "Now we don't have to worry about any giant apes," he said laughing.

Vegeta coughed up some blood as Zarbon towered over him. The bastard had pulled off his tail. The humiliation was just too much to bear. Before Vegeta could reflect on it further, Zarbon continued to pummel him mercilessly. Vegeta tried to defend himself but the monster was just too much for him. Zarbon continued to beat him with blow after blow.

"Stop it," Kakarot yelled. The tall Saiyan warrior was facing Zarbon with a hand outstretched. His clothes were tattered and he had scrapes and bruises all over his body.

"Or what?" Zarbon responded.

"Or you'll die," Kakarot said.

"Big threat from such a weakling," Zarbon said laughing. Before he could say anything else Raditz's knee landed in his face sending him flying toward his brother. Kakarot shot at the alien and drove a fist into his stomach before he could put up his guard. He continued to pummel the alien while he had the advantage.

That advantage didn't last long as Zarbon recovered and shot a blast at Kakarot at point blank range sending the Saiyan flying back. He followed pummeling the warrior with kicks and punches.

Bardock looked up from where he laid in the desert saw the blue green alien pummeling his father. He needed to do something to help. But what could he do. Then he remembered the one energy attack that his father had taught him that might help in this situation. He gathered his energy into a ball in the palm of his hand. "Moonball," he shouted tossing the attack high into the air. The ball exploded with brilliance and he stared up at the shining ball. His breathing and pulse quickened and his face began to morph into a snout. Blue hair grew all over his body as he grew in size. A few seconds later his transformation was complete and a blue Oozaru stood looking angrily down at a blue green alien. Bardock growled and shot a blast out of his mouth the exploded sending Zarbon reeling out of control. Bardock leapt after the warrior and smashed a huge fist into the alien.

Zarbon flew out of control from the blow from a giant blue Oozaru. He righted himself and shot at the monkey and shot a blast of his own at it causing it to growl in pain as the energy hit its shoulder. Before he could attack further, Kakarot was on him with a knee to the back. Zarbon turned and struck Kakarot in the chest sending the Saiyan flying away from him.

"Double Sunday," Raditz shouted pouring all of his remaining energy into his attack. With Zarbon distracted by Kakarot and the newly transformed Bardock, the attack took him completely by surprise and sent him reeling away from his nephew and brother.

"KA…ME…HA…ME…HA!" Kakarot shouted sending a blast of his own at the alien. Zarbon turned just in time to see the attack coming but didn't have time to block it. It hit him with the force of a freight train and sent him crashing into the ground. Zarbon rose to his feet slowly, his transformation now worn off, and groaned. This was getting to be more difficult than he had imagined. Before he could do much more a giant fist crashed into him and sent him into the ground hard. The fist wrapped around him and squeezed hard. The beast roared at him and anger as the grip tightened further. Zarbon felt his ribs begin to crack as the ape stared at him in hatred. How had he managed to let one of the Saiyans transform? He had pulled all of their tails off. Then he remembered the little blue haired boy from the beginning of the fight. He had thought him dead but he had been wrong.

Kakarot floated up to see his son squeezing the alien. He needed to end this before Zarbon managed to get free. "Destructo disc," he shouted mimicking his friends attack. The disc shot forth with deadly accuracy and removed Zarbon's head from his shoulders. Acting quickly he cupped his hands to his side. "Kamehameha," he shouted sending a beam of blue energy into Bardock's Moonball. The false moon exploded in brilliance removing the source of Bardock's transformation. The boy shrunk down to normal size passed out from the exertion of the transformation.

-Dbz-

Cui climbed into his ship and hit the controls to have it take him back to Lord Frieza. He was dying without medical attention he knew but he had information that his lord would want to have. The Saiyans had mentioned Dragonballs and bringing someone back from the dead. That had reminded him of the legend of the magic balls of Namek. That tied with the fact that one of the warriors there was a Namekian made it almost a certainty that the legends were true. Frieza would like to hear of this news he knew. And it might just be enough to keep him from dying.

Power levels

Tien:

4200

Bardock:

3000

30,000 (Oozaru)

Kakarot:

18,000

Raditz:

15,500

Krillin:

10,000

30,000 (Kaioken x3)

Vegeta:

18,000

Zarbon

24,000

33,000

Dodoria

22,000

Cui

18,000