While the smoke from the impact rose to the green sky, the warrior slowly stepped out of the crater. The breeze caused his black, spiky hair to sway as he looked around. To him, it was just another miserable rock worth nothing. The only value was the wish-granting orbs, and he would get them. At any means necessary. It would be rough, but he knew that. As long as they didn't know he was here, he could slip past them and take what he wanted.
This was his chance to free himself from the tyrant's shackles. For years, he bid his time. Waiting for a moment to rebel and pay him back for everything. The constant humiliation he had to go through. Well, that would finish shortly. Once he got his wish, nobody would stop him. Not even Freeza. He would take back what they snatched from him. The one to rule the universe would be him.
It was time to figure out where they were. "Let's try this..." He closed his eyes and exhaled. The super-elite warrior relaxed and tried to clear his mind. He didn't budge from his spot for almost a minute.
Suddenly, he felt something. The energy signal came from the east. It was weak, but it moved rather quickly. He thought of checking it out, however, a dark and overwhelming ki forced him to open his eyes. A drop of sweat slid down his forehead as he turned around. There was no doubt about it. He found them.
A smirk appeared on his face as he glared in the direction from where he felt the tremendous ki. "Freeza... He's already on the move!" He closed his hand strongly as he thought of the tyrant.
"That bastard probably gained half of those dragon balls. If he already made the wish, planet Namek would be history... I still have a chance!"
The Saiyan prince released a soft chuckle as he slowly levitated. "Hm, if I keep my power at a low level, even if the scouters pick it up they won't bother to check. They'll think it's just some worthless Namekian." Once he reached the desirable altitude, he shifted in the opposite way.
Using solely the required energy for flight, Vegeta flew away. "I need to find a Namekian village and extract some information out of them." An evil grin surfaced on his face as he flew above the sea. "Maybe I'll even find a dragon ball!" His laugh echoed over the sky as he searched for the closest village.
0o0
Meanwhile, the earthlings tried to find a safe place to hide. They were going on foot for almost an hour and lucky enough nobody spotted them. However, they knew it was only a matter of time if they don't find a cave or something to hide from their enemies. Krillin and Gohan leaped in the air and landed on the next island. While the young half-breed waved to Yamcha that it was safe, Krillin scanned the area.
The former desert bandit safely landed with Bulma in his arms when they heard a voice. "Hey, guys! I think I found a good place for us to set a camp!" After he put her down, Yamcha and the others walked toward Krillin, who emerged from a cave.
"Good eye, Krillin! They won't find us if we're in a cave."
The short martial artist smiled and dropped his bag while Yamcha looked around. However, Bulma wasn't thrilled about it. "You're kidding me... How long am I going to be stuck in this place?" She released a depressive sigh as she dragged herself closer.
He knew she wouldn't like this, but at least it was safe. "Don't worry, Bulma. You have a capsule house, right? It's not like we'll sleep outside." The cave was big enough for them to place a house inside.
Krillin, who was sitting near his bag, suddenly got up. "Hey, there are several energy levels in that direction. I think it might be the Namekians." He lifted his hat and scratched his head. Maybe they should head there, investigate, and talk with them.
While Bulma weakly nodded to Yamcha's words and reached into her pocket, Gohan was getting tense. "Um, Krillin, Yamcha! We should hide! Something's coming this way!" The little boy turned his head to the others as he yelled.
Acting fast, Yamcha grabbed Bulma's arm and pulled her inside. "Krillin, take cover! Hurry before we get spotted!" He and the blue-haired genius leaned against the wall, opposite from Gohan.
Just in time, Krillin picked up his bag and jumped inside. Nobody said a word for almost ten seconds when an army flew above the cave. They didn't even dare to peek outside. Fear froze them. Except for Bulma, they could feel the dark, malicious energy radiating from the army. However, what turned their faces blue in terror was the power of the person in front. They didn't even dare to breathe. After a minute, the entire squadron passed by and they could finally move.
Krillin immediately dropped on his knees. Sweat dripped from the chin as his orbs shook. "B-Bulma... Please check the dragon radar." The blue-haired woman wondered why, but the martial artist quickly answered that. "Because I think those guys might have the dragon balls." Slowly, he rose and angrily tossed his hat on the ground.
While a single drop of sweat slid down her soft cheek, Bulma checked on the dragon radar. "K-Krillin, you were right! Those guys already have four dragon balls with them!" She lowered her hand so everyone could see.
"And what's even worse, it seems they're going after the fifth one! Look!"
Their eyes shifted to the place where Yamcha pointed his index finger. "Oh, no! What are we going to do now?" Gohan glanced at his father's friends and hoped they had an idea.
The bald martial artist knew what was bothering the boy. "Gohan, Yamcha... You felt that evil and powerful ki? I-I think that's him. The guy Raditz warned us about, Freeza!" He nervously gulped as he looked at the two warriors.
"N-No way! Y-You think it's him?"
Krillin nodded as he closed his eyes. "Yeah... And somehow they're able to track down the dragon balls. Damn it!" It was frustrating already, and they just arrived on Namek.
The situation wasn't good. "So, what are we going to do? Stay in here and wait for Goku and the others?" Fear consumed his whole body. He wanted nothing more than to have Goku and even Piccolo and Raditz here. However, he also thought of his friend who died to protect him from the Saiyans.
He glanced to the other side, trying to determine what to do when a childish voice captured their attention. "I-I know we were told to avoid Freeza and Vegeta, but..." The little boy looked down and closed his hands tightly while thinking of horrible things those monsters would do.
It was foolish and unsafe, but he understood what was Gohan trying to say. "All right, we'll do it like this! Gohan, you will stay behind with Bulma and guard the place..." Krillin never finished his sentence because the young boy strongly objected.
"No! I'm going with you! I-I want to help too!"
He didn't like it at all, but seeing how determined the boy was, how could he say no. "Ah, fine. Gohan, you'll go with Yamcha." Krillin released a sigh and hoped this wasn't a bad decision.
While the half-breed nodded, Krillin took the dragon radar from Bulma's hand and handed it over to Yamcha. "Here. You guys try to secure one of these two dragon balls... But watch out for Vegeta. I'm sure he'll try to do the same." He tried to remain calm while he spoke with seriousness in his voice.
The scar-faced martial artist knew that already. "Right! That guy doesn't know how to sense ki so we'll just move on foot and pay attention." As long as they were careful and focused, there was no way Vegeta would find them.
However, something wasn't right. He shifted his dark pupils to Krillin and asked him a question. "And what about you? Krillin, don't tell me you'll..." His eyes were wide open when he saw the expression.
"Yeah... I will find out exactly who we're facing!"
Yamcha wanted to object, but Krillin wouldn't let him. "Don't worry. If it's too dangerous, I'll get away from there. Be careful, guys!" Before any of them could open their mouths, the bald martial artist ran toward the end of the island and jumped.
Their bald friend moved fast and just disappeared from their view. "Well, I guess we should move out too. Say, can you move fast but keep your ki low?" Yamcha glanced at the boy as he held the dragon radar.
Gohan quickly responded. "Yes!" He squeezed his fists tightly and was ready for it. Despite still being afraid of Vegeta and Freeza, he will try to help his friends no matter what.
When he heard that and saw the child's expression, Yamcha couldn't but smile at how much Gohan remained him of Goku. "Great! We won't have any..." Before he could finish, a loud voice startled them.
She couldn't believe it. They formed a plan and everything without even thinking of her. "Hold on! You're not just going to leave me here by myself!?" She tried to hide the fear, but her quivering hands gave it away.
He understood how she was feeling, however; they had no time to lose. "Bulma, you'll be much safer here than where we're going. Just go deep inside and set up the house. Under no circumstance, leave the place." The former desert bandit closed the distance and gently grasped her hands.
"Gohan and I will get back soon and with a dragon ball. Don't worry!"
She stared into his eyes for a few seconds before pulling her hands back. "When you put it that way, I guess you're right..." Bulma turned away and picked up Krillin's bag. "Be careful, guys!" She slightly moved to the side and waved before they vanished.
After she let out a long-held sigh, Bulma continued to walk deeper into the cave. As she moved forward, she prayed her friends would be all right, but also that Goku gets here as soon as possible. It didn't take her more than a minute to reach the end of the cave. The blue-haired scientist clicked the top of the capsule and threw it on the ground. After the smoke cleared away, she opened the door and walked inside.
With the light already turned on, she approached the couch and put Krillin's bag near it. "Ahh, I need a relaxing bath! Oh, right! I better contact master Roshi and tell him about Freeza and Vegeta!" Before she did that, Bulma removed her yellow jacket and put it against the chair.
With a fast pace, Bulma marched to her room. As she walked inside, a big smile appeared on her gentle face. "Hehe, here it is!" She picked up a device from the floor and put in on the bed. "Now, let's try this... I should be able to contact Earth." Her fingers traveled across the device as she tried to make it work.
00oo00
They jumped from one place to another. Their fast movements were precise and coordinated pretty well. Despite keeping their energy at the lowest level, they already covered a lot of ground. Their hair swayed wildly in the wind as they soared into the air and aimed their sight to the next island. While they were still in the air, he pulled his hand up and glanced at the radar.
"Gohan! We need to move faster!"
He might have said that, but he could tell the boy was increasing the speed steadily ever since they left. "Don't forget to keep your energy low! We don't..." Suddenly, his eyes were wide open. He halted and pulled the boy by the shirt and hid behind a boulder.
Yamcha wrapped his hand tightly around Gohan's chest while a drop of sweat slid down his neck. "Crap! There's at least four of them up ahead... I guess we're forced to take a detour." He could feel the evil unit advance to the place they needed to cross.
However, Gohan could feel what was up ahead. "But we can't, Yamcha! They're going straight to the village, we sensed! Those guys, they'll..." He didn't want to think about it, let alone finish the sentence.
Yamcha didn't want to risk it. He wanted to go the other way and avoid any contact. But it was a cowardly behavior, and the former bandit didn't want to seem like one in front of Goku's son. He relaxed his fists and exhaled.
"All right... Let's see, it's just four of them and they don't seem strong at all." An arrogant smirk appeared on his face out of nowhere. "Hah, piece of cake! We'll just strike them before they can see us. That way, they won't be able to report back." He looked at the kid, who joyfully smiled.
The boy's eyes were shining with admiration toward the long-haired martial artist. "Thanks, Yamcha!" He was glad he got to know his father's friends. All of them seemed like good people.
Yamcha just couldn't stop smirking. Finally, he got someone to look up to him. "Remember, keep your energy suppressed until you're ready to strike! Let's go!" He took the charge and jumped out of hiding.
They moved faster than before. The cries that rang from the village were too loud. Gohan clenched his teeth and increased his speed. It took only two minutes for the boy and Yamcha to reach the village. Just as they set foot in, they separated.
"N-No, please! W-We don't have any dragon balls in our village!"
The chubby namekian tried to convince the frog-looking soldier, but the man slapped him in return. "As if! We'll kill everyone in this dump if you don't tell the truth... How about we start with the kids?" His eyes were wide open in horror when he heard that.
Before he spoke, the namekian forcefully coughed. "Gah! N-No, not the children! I-If you must, kill me but do nothing to them!" He could barely get up after he received a strong punch.
"Hah, fool! We'll do whatever we want! I..."
The soldier wasn't even aware of a presence behind. "Kahh!" A powerful kick struck the man across the cheek and sent it flying into a boulder. Rocks buried the soldier's body, surprising others.
The remaining soldiers turned around, but they could only see the namekians. Confused, they glanced at each other. Suddenly, their scouters came to life. While it distracted them, a dark shadow slammed into a yellow soldier with a helmet and carried him away.
"Huh!? Where's..."
A sound from above caught the man's attention. Just as he glanced up, his entire body shook. His crimson eyes widened as he could only stare at the approaching ki blast. Before he could let out a scream, the blast consumed him and exploded.
The only remaining soldier took a step back and leaned against a weird-looking house. Sweat slid down his large forehead as he tapped the button on the scouter repeatedly. He couldn't understand what was going on. Overwhelmed by fear, he raised the laser gun attached to his right hand and aimlessly fired.
He kept firing all over the place. The namekians moved to safety as the soldier shrieked. He was afraid of the invisible force. However, his eyes saw something. As he narrowed his eyes, he was sure he saw something orange. He continued and tried to shot it, but the thing dodged easily and closed the distance.
"N-No! Just what's going on!"
Was the soldier's last sentence because Yamcha appeared before him and lifted the right hand. "Good night!" The scar-faced warrior buried his fist deep into the soldier's gut.
Yamcha turned around and walked away from the unconscious soldier. "Well, that was easy." He shifted his pupils to Gohan, who already talked with the villagers. The martial artist smiled when the boy introduced him to the oldest namekian.
"Thank you, strangers, for helping us in our hour of need! I don't know if we can ever repay your kindness!"
Just like their elder, the other namekians bowed their heads. "Ah, c'mon! Of course, we would help! We're just trying to stop those evil guys from getting all seven dragon balls!" Their eyes were wide open when they heard Yamcha say the name of the sacred orbs.
While his fellow villagers grew skeptical and wary of the strangers, the chubby elder had a question to ask. "Y-You know about our dragon balls as well!? How!? A-Are you looking to use them as well!?" The namekian tightened the grip around the staff as he waited for the answer.
Gohan and Yamcha immediately felt the shift in the air and tried to explain. "Please, don't be afraid of us! We came to planet Namek from Earth because we need the dragon balls to revive our friends! Um, you see… The guardian of Earth, Kami, is a namekian as well!" The little boy took a step forward and didn't move his eyes away from the elder.
"Yeah! We can't resurrect our friends because of the restrictions on the dragon balls. So, we were hoping if you guys would lend us yours and help us!"
While his brothers whispered behind his back, he was just as surprised as them. "I see... I think I understand now." For a namekian to be on a distant planet, that meant only one thing. He closed his eyes for a moment and took in the air. There was only one thing to do.
His cough gained the earthling's attention. "Listen carefully, good friends. You must seek an audience with our father, the Grand Elder!" He approached the two brave warriors and smiled.
"Grand Elder?"
The namekian nodded as he placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Yes. He's the one you must find. It's not that far from here, in that direction." He lifted his staff and pointed to the north.
While the little half-breed nodded and wondered what kind of person this grand elder was, something was bothering the scar-faced warrior. "North? Wait, a minute! Isn't that where..." Swiftly, he pulled out the dragon radar from his gi and clicked on it.
His eyes widened when he saw it. He was right. "That's in the same direction where one of the dragon balls is! Don't tell me he's..." Yamcha didn't bother to finish when he saw the namekian nod.
The former desert bandit smiled and lowered his hand. "So, it's like that… Well, thank you! I promise we'll stop those bastards from collecting all of them! Gohan!" After the boy said goodbye with everyone, they dashed forward and disappeared from the village.
He couldn't but continue smiling. "Village elder. Do you think it was wise to tell them about Grand Elder?" The chubby namekian closed his eyes and slowly turned around.
"There's nothing to worry about. They might be aliens to us, but I could feel they're good people. I'm sure the Grand Elder will approve of them."
00oo00
He was on the move for almost an hour. Sweat flew from his face as he continued to run. He hoped he would catch up with them, but they were already there. His face twisted into a scowl as he felt several energies disappear. He clenched his teeth and tried to hurry. However, something else caught his attention. Suddenly, he stopped running and just remained still on the spot. He shifted to the side and stared at a small rock. Something was coming, he could feel it.
He narrowed his eyes as he waited. His expression changed when he saw a small namekian ran past the rock and stumble down. "Huh? A kid?" He relaxed and approached the little child so he could help.
Just as he was about to reach the little namekian, the child winced in fear. "Hey, don't worry. I will not hurt you. See, I'm just going to help you stand." A warm smile was on his face as he showed his hands.
The boy stared. Scared and suspicious, but allowed this alien to help. "Oh, it's nothing bad. Just a little scratch." Suddenly, this bald person lifted him and dusted off his robes. "My name's Krillin. What's your name, little guy?" He blinked in confusion as the man extended its hand.
"D-Dende..."
For a moment, he forgot this was a different planet. The boy didn't know how earthlings greeted each other, so Krillin pulled his hand back. "Well, nice to meet you, Dende!" The bald earthling took a step back and glanced away. His senses still locked on what was going in the village.
Just then he realized something. "What happened to you that got you running so fast? Don't tell me you came from the village up ahead!?" He closed his hands tightly when he saw the tears sliding down.
Dende wasn't sure who this alien was and its purpose, but he felt no evil. "S-Some people wearing strange clothes appeared out of nowhere and started killing everyone." He closed his eyes but regretted doing that as the images of that terrifying massacre flashed before him.
The anger inside of him swelled. "Damn you, Freeza! How can someone be so evil!?" He uttered the tyrant's name with venom. Krillin shook his head and tried to figure out what to do.
However, he was curious to know something. "Dende. How were you able to escape? I can still sense Freeza and his men in your village." He pointed toward the village as he asked that.
"E-Elder Moori pushed me and my brother to run away while they distracted those evil people."
Now he understood why he felt strong powers suddenly appear in the village. "Wait, a second... Brother? I don't see him anywhere..." Krillin bit his tongue and stopped. It was obvious what happened, and he hated himself for bringing that up.
The little child trembled as tears dripped on the blue grass. Krillin's expression softened as he dropped on his right knee and placed both hands on the kid's shoulders.
There was nothing he could do to ease the boy's pain. "I'm sorry... I know it's painful, but you'll get to see your brother again. After we deal with Freeza, we'll just use the dragon balls and..." As soon as he said that, Dende shoved him away.
His breathing was erratic as he glared at the bald alien. "H-How do you know about the dragon balls!? A-Are you with them!? I-I..." Dende was ready to run away. He didn't know what else to do anymore. Just as he turned around, he bumped into a soldier.
"Hi-hi! Did you think you could run away from us? Stupid kid! Dodoria already killed your precious friends!"
The alligator laughed as he stared at the whimpering child. "Say hello to that other brat when you see him!" He continued to laugh as he was about to strike the namekian. However, his punch hit another person's hand.
"What? Who the hell are you, cue ball!?"
Krillin didn't respond. His expression darkened as he squeezed the alligator's fist hard. Anger consumed the martial artist. He released a sky-piercing scream and pulled the enemy closer only so he could bury a heavy knee into the soldier's abdomen. The evil man dropped on the ground and gasped for air, but Krillin didn't let go just yet. He smashed his fist under the alligator's chin. The force behind the strike was powerful enough to send the soldier flying.
The soldier crashed against the ground and never stood up. "You bastards! How can they be so evil!?" Krillin didn't stare for too long because he remembered the kid was behind him.
"Dende, are you all right!?"
He didn't respond while the bald alien shook him. Why did this person help him? Wasn't he a part of their army? Maybe, just maybe, he could ask some help from this strange-looking person.
Dende shook his head and lifted his tiny hands to wipe away the tears. "I-I don't know who you are, but please help us! My people are getting killed as we speak because of the dragon balls! C-Can't you help us!?" He pleaded loudly as he clutched the man's robes.
Krillin didn't know how to respond. There was no way he could fight Freeza and his upper-class soldiers. "I'm sorry, but we don't stand a chance against Freeza..." He saw the desperation and fear in the boy's eyes, but what could he do?
He wanted to explain everything to Dende. However, he felt a strong ki approaching. "Oh, no! Someone powerful is looking for us! We must hide!" But that wasn't an option. Before he could even take a step, a large soldier with a pink skin tone landed only several meters from them.
The soldier caressed his chin as he slowly approached Krillin and Dende. "Hehe, found you!" He cracked his knuckles until his eyes traveled to the bald martial artist. "Oh, what's this!? That's not a namekian... Who are you!?" There was clear confusion on the man's rough face as he tilted the head.
Meanwhile, Krillin didn't know what to do. "Oh, no, no, no! Don't tell me this ugly pink blob is Dodoria!? Can't I catch any break!? What am I going to do now!?" Cold sweat slid down his jawline and dripped on the ground as he tried to remain calm.
"Hey, you! I asked you a question. Well, I'll gladly beat it out of you, if I need. I just warmed up nicely after killing those weaklings! Hehe!"
Dende didn't dare to watch. The boy buried his face into Krillin clothes. "C'mon, think! There must be something I can do! I don't have to fight him, just distract him with something so we can fly away! But with what?" He tried to think of something while Dodoria closed the distance.
Suddenly, it came to him. "Of course! I can always use that!" There was a way for them to get out of here.
Krillin lifted the boy and helped him move on his back. "Good. Now, don't look and hold on. We're getting out of here!" Once the boy nodded, Krillin released a shout and charged at the large warrior.
Dodoria raised an eyebrow, surprised by this. "Hm, you're approaching me!? Hehe, fool! I'll squash you and that brat!" He launched himself at them with amazing force.
The bald martial artist knew this was a gamble. He couldn't even follow the soldier's movements. Just out of nowhere, Dodoria appeared in front of him. A giant arm with spikes on it was going right at him, but he was prepared.
His hands were already up and near the face. "Take this, you bully! Solar Flare!" A bright light enveloped everything in front of his body. He could hear Dodoria's scream, which was enough to tell him his plan worked. Wasting no time, Krillin blasted into the sky and hoped he would put enough distance by the time the large warrior recovers.
Meanwhile, Dodoria's cry rang over the valley. "Ahh! I can't see anything! My eyes! Y-You bastard! I will make you pay! I'll kill you, do you hear me!?" He tried to open his eyes, but it hurt too much. Just what did that puny man do to him? Whatever it was, he would get him even if it was the last thing he did.
While he thrashed around and cursed, Dodoria wasn't aware somebody approached him. "Dodoria, just what are you doing? Did you find and kill the child? Lord Freeza is getting tired waiting for you." He immediately recognized the voice.
"Zarbon! There was somebody else with the damn brat! He blinded me!"
That intrigued the tall man. While he held two orbs between his arms, he gracefully moved his head so the ponytail could fall from the shoulder pad. "Somebody else? So, there were more namekians around here." Zarbon spoke quietly, but Dodoria could hear him.
He clenched his teeth and shouted angrily. "No! It wasn't a namekian! I'll kill him, whoever he is!" Slowly, he could open his eyes little by little.
The elegant, green-haired warrior curiously raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, really? You better explain everything to Lord Freeza." He turned around and walked away. However, the man frowned as he moved back to his master. "Could it be there is somebody else besides us searching for dragon balls? Maybe that is the reason I received no report from the north sector..." Zarbon would mention that to his lord and go inspect it.
