Just a quick note! I created a poll on my profile and if you're interested, you can vote on it.
Anyway, thank you and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
A pleasant breeze blew by the tiny island. It was enough to move the palm trees, who in return cast a momentary shadow on people in front of the house. While they waited for their last companion to appear, Krillin and the old master couldn't but marvel at the spacecraft. The round object was smaller than the house. Four sharp spikes supported the white ship.
"Whoa! Can we really go to planet Namek in this thing?"
The short martial artist reached the ship and put a hand against one of its parts "I mean, sure you did an outstanding job, Bulma, but..." He didn't dare to conclude the sentence when he spotted the dangerous glare.
She sneered at the bald warrior. "Instead of worrying about the ship, look at your clothes. Don't tell me you're taking outer space too lightly, Krillin?" The blue-haired genius crossed her arms and blushed a little.
Unlike her friends, she took this seriously. She even trimmed her hair so it wouldn't get in a way while she had the spacesuit on. All of that preparation and yet, it seemed unnecessary when she looked at them. So, it was no wonder that her mood was awful. She mumbled under her breath as she looked elsewhere, confusing the bald martial artist.
"Well, I'm sure everything will be all right." Yamcha tried to ease the situation, but it didn't help at all. Acting promptly, he changed the subject. "Anyway, where's Gohan?" He stirred his black pupils to the old master.
The turtle hermit rubbed his beard as he replied. "He should be..." He closed his mouth when a noise from above caught his attention. "Oh! Looks like they're here!" A smile appeared on his face as the car began descending.
Once they landed on the island, Chi-Chi and her father got out of the car. "Sorry, we're late. We stopped by the hospital on the way here." The black-haired woman picked up a bag from the car while she said that.
While her father admired the spaceship, she called her son to get out. Reluctantly, the boy jumped out, surprising everyone with his appearance. Krillin and Yamcha could hardly hold their laughs in check. Chi-Chi noticed that.
However, she ignored the warriors and spoke to her son. "Gohan, be careful out there. Do nothing dangerous, please." She didn't like this. It was extremely dangerous for such a young child, but there was nothing she could do.
The little boy nodded. "Okay, mom." He couldn't wait to board the ship and change his clothes. At least he could do something about them, unlike the new haircut he got.
Krillin approached his best friend's son and couldn't speak without letting out a faint giggle. "Haha, is that you Gohan? What happened to your hair?" He felt bad for the tiny kid.
Gohan moved toward his traveling companions with his head down. "Dad laughed at me, too..." He didn't want to cut the hair like this, but his mother gave him no other option.
The two warriors continued to laugh, but a murderous glare from Chi-Chi quickly changed that. "Ahem, but it doesn't look bad! I might get a haircut like that too, one day." Yamcha desperately wanted to avoid a wrath even more deadly than the Saiyans.
This whole situation sucked all the enthusiasm out of Bulma. "How about we leave already?" She released a long sigh as she rose on her feet.
Since the time of their departure was here, Roshi approached his students. "We're counting on you to find the dragon balls. But, if you think the situation is too dangerous, get back here and we'll think of a new plan." The old martial arts master shook Yamcha's and Krillin's hands as he seriously spoke to them.
Both nodded and understood. "Right!" Krillin pulled his hand back as the part of the ship on which they stood levitated.
This was their last chance to say goodbye. While Chi-Chi cried and gave her son some last instructions, the old master stared at them. He knew this would be tough, and maybe they should have waited for Goku and the rest to recover. However, he believed in them. The old man closed his eyes and exhaled once they boarded the ship.
They were out of words. This was their first time inside a spaceship. While Krillin, Yamcha, and Gohan looked around, Bulma marched toward the weird-looking chair. She sat on it and couldn't take their babbling anymore.
She was just about to speak when Krillin interrupted her. "Hey, Bulma? Where should we put our bags?" That was it. She didn't even bother to look behind.
A throbbing vein appeared on her forehead. "I don't care where you put them! Just hurry and sit down!" Her loud voice confused the men, who wondered what made her so angry.
"Five seconds until launch. Destination: planet Namek!"
The others blinked and glanced at each other until they rushed to their seats. Just as they sat down, the spaceship suddenly took off. The entire thing shook wildly, and some even fell. Meanwhile, Bulma smirked. Unlike her friends, she had a seat belt tightly wrapped around her body. It took only two seconds to leave their homeworld. Bulma shifted her azure eyes forward and stared at the countless stars as they began their journey to planet Namek.
00oo00
Just as the earth's heroes were on their way to Piccolo's and Kami's homeworld of Namek, a man floated inside a strange-looking machine. His flame-like hair slightly moved while a green liquid submerged him. He floated inside the chamber for quite some time, maybe even days. His serene expression didn't change until the noise from the machine woke him up. He waited to open his eyes until the liquid completely disappeared. Once gone, he lifted a hand and removed the mask from his face.
"Unfortunately, we weren't able to regenerate your tail..."
He glared at the reptilian doctor as he walked out. "No matter." He was sure it would regrow eventually, but it wasn't like he needed it anymore.
The super-elite warrior walked toward the table and picked up a blue bodysuit. "It seems you ran into more trouble, Vegeta sir... This high-quality rubber armor was in tatters." He paid no attention to a thing the doctor said.
He tried his best to not think about what happened on planet Earth. As he put on a new armor and adjusted it, he only thought of his next course of action. He was evaluating two things. Going back to earth and crush Kakarot and that fool Raditz. Or just head straight to planet Namek and get his hands on the dragon balls. Perhaps the latter was a better option. He could always visit the low-class Saiyans once he got his wish.
However, before he did that, he needed to know where that person was. "Tell me, where is Freeza?" He didn't bother to turn around and face the reptile. Instead, he tightened his gloves properly.
"Lord Freeza just recently departed."
A drop of sweat slid down his temple as a weird feeling rose from within. "Tch, already sick of this planet, is he?" He frowned at that. Just where did that tyrant go now? He didn't like it.
He tried not to stress himself over that and took a step forward. "Ah, Cui said that once I completed your treatment, he needed to speak with you about something in the training room." The Saiyan prince let out a chuckle at that.
"Oh, is that a fact? You can tell him I have nothing to say to him."
The flame-haired warrior stirred his dark orbs up front and walked out of the room. Just as the doors closed, the reptilian doctor noticed the red scouter on the table. He picked the little device and wondered why Vegeta didn't take it.
Everyone moved out of his way as he walked through the hallway. They saluted him, but he ignored them. The events that took place on earth consumed his mind. To think he would retreat from the battle. What a humiliation. He closed his hands tightly as their faces flashed before his eyes. They spilled his royal blood. Two low-class warriors, a Namekian and a bunch of inferior earthlings. He clenched his teeth and wanted to head to earth right away. However, he decided that would wait.
"I swear I will make them pay for it! In the morning, I'll go to planet Namek and get the dragon balls! After I'm done with that, Kakarot and his friends are next on the list!"
A smirk appeared on his face as he thought about that. He couldn't wait to get his wish and take his revenge. However, the short warrior raised his head when he noticed someone familiar blocking the way.
"Yo, Vegeta! I heard you had a rough time recently, hahaha!"
He launched an annoyed glare at the purple warrior. "What the hell do you want, Cui!? Get lost!" Vegeta passed by the taller soldier, without even looking at him. However, a hand grabbed his shoulder.
Cui merely snickered at that. "Hold on, Vegeta. They said you lost Raditz and Nappa... I thought you Saiyans were the strongest warriors in the universe, what happened out there?" The sarcasm in his voice was clear.
He was quickly losing his patience. "I don't have time to listen to your nonsense. Now, remove your filthy hand off me!" Vegeta shifted to the side and threatened the soldier.
However, Cui didn't listen. Instead, he laughed. "Or you'll do what? C'mon Vegeta, both of us know who's superior here. You were always weaker than me." He lifted his other hand and rested it on the hip.
"Anyway, Lord Freeza's quite upset with you after running off to earth by yourself. You're lucky he's in a merciful mood. Well, after you made that sensational discovery just how couldn't he be."
When he heard that, Vegeta slapped Cui's hand away and turned around. "What did you say!?" Cold sweat slid and dripped from his chin as the worst-case scenario rolled in his head.
Cui couldn't but enjoy this. He was glad his master ordered him to stay behind and deal with Vegeta. "He was thrilled... at the prospect of eternal life and youth!" The purple warrior licked his lips while the Saiyan prince shuddered.
Vegeta clenched his teeth and quietly cursed. "Damn it! He spied on us through the scouters!" He yelled angrily and immediately turned to the opposite side. "Planet Namek! I must get there right away!" The Saiyan was just about to rush to his pod, however, Cui materialized in front.
"Just where do you think you're going, Vegeta? It's over, give up on the dragon balls. You'll never get past me."
The Saiyan's face darkened as he scowled. "Tch! Get out of my sight!" Vegeta took a step forward. He didn't care who was in front of him. There was no way he would let Freeza of all people get the wish. The last thing he wanted was to be that bastard's puppet for eternity.
Cui didn't care about Vegeta words. He was confident in his superiority over the short Saiyan. "Vegeta. I'll gladly put you down. You're weaker than..." A noise came from the scouter.
Sweat slid down his skin while the right pupil shook. "W-What's going on..." Cui subconsciously took a step back as he read the yellow letters. "W-Why's your power level skyrocketing!?" He couldn't understand what was going on.
For a moment, Vegeta smirked. "Oh, you finally noticed. I picked up quite a useful trick while on earth. Unlike your imbeciles, I learned how to control my power level! Observe!" The short warrior lifted his tightly closed hands and shouted.
The entire place trembled. Dust and pieces of the ceiling fell near the warriors as the Saiyan prince continued to raise his power. Cracks appeared on the walls and floor as the pressure increased. Suddenly, a bright aura erupted and surrounded the super-elite.
Pure shock consumed him, and he could only say the numbers. "18, 000, 19, 000, 20, 000, 21 000, 22, 000, 23..." He couldn't even see the final status because the device exploded to pieces. Fear was all over his face, and that didn't go noticed by Vegeta.
He released a short chuckle and calmed down. As he exhaled and relaxed, the aura died out. "Look at you, quivering in fear. How pathetic are you, Cui?" Vegeta raised a hand and covered his mouth.
The purple soldier continued to back away. Trying to buy some time and think of something. "W-Wait! I just had a great idea! I can help you screw over Freeza! With two of us, we can handle Zarbon and Dodoria easily!" Just how was this possible!? Vegeta was always a few units below his level. What exactly happened on earth!?
Cui's words only made him angrier. "Shut up! You think I can't smell out liars and cowards when I see them!? You're truly a pitiful and sickening bastard!" Vegeta took a step forward and slowly approached the warrior.
Overwhelmed by dread, there was only one thing to do. "Ugh! Just die!" Cui put his glowing hands up front and fired a ki blast.
The energy blast caused an explosion, however, Cui didn't stop. He didn't care about other soldiers. Neither did he care about the station. The only thing he cared for was his life. He continued to yell desperately as he released a barrage of ki blasts. While he was going at it, the walls and floor collapsed. Before he could fall, Cui jumped to a safe place. However, somebody waited there.
"Poor Cui. All that effort for nothing."
Vegeta's raspy whisper sent shivers down his spine. "S-Shut up!" Cui swiftly turned around, but he missed striking the arrogant prince. "H-How did you escape my attack!?" His agitated voice rang over the demolished hallway.
The flame-haired Saiyan landed several meters away. "Fool! If my power level has risen, then obviously my speed improved as well!" To show it, Vegeta dashed at Cui.
A heavy blow dug deep into Cui's gut. "See?" He took a step back and allowed the soldier to drop on the ground. While Cui puked, Vegeta raised a leg and struck the man in the head.
Cui's limp body slammed into an unstable wall. The soldier cried out as he bounced off the wall and fell on the ground. He tried to stand, but nothing. Scared, Cui tried to crawl away. However, a heavy boot pinned him down. A scream echoed through the burning station.
Vegeta added more pressure with an evil grin on his face. He was enjoying this. After all, he waited a long time to do this. "There's no need to cry. I'll send you some company shortly!" The prince lifted his leg and backed off a step.
He placed a hand forward and gathered enough energy for the finishing blow. The yellow orb grew in size by each second. Once it was at the needed level, Vegeta fired it at Cui. There was one last agonizing cry before Cui's entire body turned to nothing but dust. Vegeta lowered his hand and just turned around.
"Hmm, with Cui out of the way, I can get on planet Namek unnoticed by Freeza."
Maybe it was a good thing Cui confronted him here. However, he needed to do another thing. "Yes, just in case someone tries to alert him." With a simple swing of his hand, Vegeta destroyed a part of the wall and flew out.
He soared into the dark sky. Once he reached the desirable altitude, the Saiyan prince halted and turned around. Just like before, he put a hand in front. Wasting no time, he fired a single but large ki blast toward the station. A loud explosion shook the entire planet. Smoke rose to the sky while scorching flames devoured anything.
The flame-haired warrior crossed his arms and observed the scenery. "That's it. Now there's no going back. Mark my words, Freeza! I'll get the dragon balls and my wish!" With a cocky smirk, Vegeta flew away. He needed a space pod, and he knew exactly where the backup hangar was.
00oo00
Darkness. There was nothing in this endless void. Suddenly, a bright light alerted him of danger. He acted fast and jumped away. While he floated in the air, he felt something from behind. He ducked and avoided a kick. The moment he touched the ground, he rushed back at the man. They exchanged several blows until a fist broke through his guard and crashed into his chubby cheek. He clenched his teeth and wanted to pay him back for that. However, several copies appeared before his eyes. Not knowing what to do, he backflipped, hoping to put some distance.
He did so and immediately lifted his arms to protect himself for any attack. The bald martial artist attacked from all angles. Before it hit him, the boy closed his eyes. Despite the man closing the distance quickly, he relaxed and concentrated. He remained still on the spot until an elbow was only two centimeters from his face. His eyes were wide open, but he took the hit. However, now he knew which one was real.
The half-breed spun after he received the strike and faced the other side. He lifted his hands above the forehead and yelled. "Masenko!" The boy quickly released the ki blast.
A bright light illuminated the place as it headed toward the bald man. He lifted both hands and tried to defend himself. The blast clashed with his arms, and he gave his all to deflect it. And that was an opportunity the boy waited for. The young half-breed appeared behind him before he realized something was wrong. A strong kick from behind sent him flying to the other side.
He groaned. That was quite a kick, however, it wasn't over yet. Just as he lifted his head, countless ki blasts surrounded him and were going straight at him. He released a scream and tried to block and evade each one of them. Impossible!
"Bahh! Ahh! Woah!"
Cold sweat dropped on the floor as he woke up. He needed a few seconds to breathe. Slowly, he lifted his head and noticed the boy had a hard time breathing as well. He smiled. Despite just being a child, Goku's son was already so strong.
"Hey! You guys all right? You've been fighting for almost an hour."
Krillin and Gohan glimpsed to the side and saw Yamcha carrying bottles. "Y-Yeah, we're good." He took the bottle and chugged down the water. "Gohan, that was impressive!" Krillin wiped away the drops from his chin and looked at the boy.
The chubby half-breed was happy to hear such praise. "T-Thanks Krillin! I was surprised by how many techniques you have! I'd like to learn some!" Gohan shifted his attention to the former desert bandit and thanked him for the water.
Yamcha sat on the chair and spoke to them. "I guess that shouldn't be surprising. After all, he's Goku's son and was trained by Piccolo." He wanted to fight the boy. However, he would let the kid recover and eat something before that.
After he drank the entire bottle, Krillin leaned his head against the chair and stared at the ceiling. "I wonder how long before we reach Namek." His words forced the others to look at him. With each day that passed, he was growing more and more nervous.
Gohan wondered the same thing. Before any of them spoke, Bulma captured their attention. "Hey! If you guys are done with your image-training or whatever the name is, clean the ship! It's filthy!" She pointed at the back of the ship where all the trash was.
"Um, sorry Bulma, but that's your mess, not ours. We cleaned up our stuff already."
She tilted her head to the side and tried to convince them to do it, anyway. "But I'm busy here! I must pay attention to the command panel and besides, we're almost there." Bulma lifted her eyebrow in confusion when she saw their expressions.
They weren't even aware of that. "We're almost there!? Just when did you think to tell us that?" Krillin instantly jumped on his feet. He couldn't believe she didn't tell them that sooner.
"What are you talking about? Didn't Yamcha tell you!?"
Everyone glanced at the scar-faced martial artist who couldn't believe he forgot to tell them. "W-Well, I'm sorry, guys. It slipped my mind." And just how couldn't when she distracted him. She walked around in underwater and he only thought about that.
Krillin released a sigh and handed the bag to his friend. "Well, then you'll be the one cleaning. Right, Gohan?" He winked at the little boy and evilly smiled.
While Yamcha was mumbling some words and cleaning the ship, Krillin and Gohan stood near Bulma's chair. They stared at the countless stars as they approached planet Namek. His pupils drifted to Gohan. He couldn't but wonder how the boy was feeling. For such a young child, this was hard. He didn't know what to say when even he wasn't sure what awaits them. It forced the bald martial artist to snap out of his thoughts when he heard her voice.
"Guys! There it is! Planet Namek! We're finally here!"
And she was right, because in front of their eyes was the green planet. Astonished by the view, none of them said a single word for almost a minute. They floated above the planet and admired the view.
He put a hand on his friend's shoulder and talked to everyone. "This is it, guys. From here on, we must be careful. Freeza or Vegeta might already be down there." The long-haired warrior hoped that wasn't the case.
While Gohan nervously nodded, Krillin closed his hands strongly. "You're right. We will stick to the plan and avoid any contact." That was their only way. "Bulma, can you land us somewhere without people?" He gazed at the blue-haired genius as he asked that.
She would try. "I'll see. Buckle up, everyone! We're going down there!" After everyone sat in their chairs and put the seatbelts, Bulma gave the command to land.
The spaceship processed the command, and after five seconds, flew toward the planet. As it breached the atmosphere, the entire ship shook while flames engulfed it. The ship pierced through the clouds and crashed against the ground. After several seconds, the engine died out, and it allowed them to look through the window.
"We did it! We've landed on planet Namek!"
Bulma jumped off her seat and proudly pointed outside. "Woah! Good job!" She smiled when Gohan said that. Yamcha and Krillin were glued to the window and stared at the blue terrain.
The tall martial artist needed time to process this. "A-Amazing... I've never thought I'd travel to another planet. This is unreal!" He couldn't hold back the smile either.
Krillin nodded at that. "Same here buddy!" For a moment, it distracted them from the important things. They took their time to absorb the view in front.
She was the first to snap out of it. "Just hang on for a minute, guys! First, I need to examine the atmosphere's compensation. Luckily, I brought..." However, something was wrong. She lifted her head when she felt fresh air. Bulma immediately rose and glanced outside, only to see Yamcha, Krillin, and Gohan out there.
They weren't even aware Bulma was yelling at them. "So, this is Namek. This looks a lot like the place Mr. Piccolo and I were training." Gohan walked in the front line as he looked around. It was very similar to that place.
Meanwhile, Krillin and Yamcha approached the nearby water. They stared at it and saw some weird-looking fish. "Huh, I wonder if they taste good..." He was sure they had enough supplies, but wondered just in case.
"Hm, blue grass and green sky. This place doesn't seem that much different from the earth"
They turned around and slowly walked back to the ship where an annoyed Bulma waited for them. "Do you three have any common sense!? What are you thinking just strolling on out here!?" Her loud voice echoed all over the place.
Scared, Krillin and Gohan hid behind Yamcha. "H-Hey, since you dated her do you have any idea why's Bulma so angry?" He whispered because the last thing he wanted was for Bulma to hear him.
Yamcha just smiled and shook his head. "Um, Bulma? Why don't you check the dragon radar?" He hoped that would calm her down or avert her attention to something else.
She was still glaring at them. Just how could they put their lives at risk before checking if the planet was suitable for them. "Fine! There better be a dragon ball nearby!" She pulled out the dragon radar and checked.
"Hey, look guys! It's a signal! There're dragon balls here!"
Yes, this was great! Their trip to Namek paid off. While Krillin and Yamcha shook their hands and Bulma jumped out of joy, Gohan felt something strange. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he needed to warn them.
The little boy approached his father's friends and tried to talk to them. "Krillin, Yamcha. I feel a strong ki over there..." After he gained their attention, Gohan pointed to the south.
The pupils of the Turtle Hermit immediately focused their senses. "Gohan, you're right!" A drop of sweat slid down his scarred cheek as he felt the energy. However, it wasn't just one.
Krillin could feel it too. "There's a lot of them! Strong ones at that!" The bald warrior bit the flesh inside his mouth. Just as they feared, their enemies were already here.
Acting fast, Yamcha turned to Bulma. "We must capsulize the ship and find a safe place to hide. It's too dangerous out here in the open!" There was no time to lose. They needed to move fast and carefully so the scouters don't detect them.
Bulma didn't protest. She went to do that while the men remained in front. While they waited for Bulma to capsulize the spaceship, a loud noise caught their attention. They glanced at the green sky, only to see a space pod consumed by flame's fly toward the ground. Their eyes were wide open. They knew exactly who that was.
"Oh, crap!"
