Chapter 17

The flight across Namek settled into silence, each member silently dreading the fight to come. Zamasu's mind runs a mile per second, a new plan made and discarded every passing moment. He just doesn't have enough information on Frieza to develop a plan.

"So, Krillin, have you met this Frieza guy yet?" Zamasu's attention turns toward the saiyan flying behind himself and the bald monk.

Said monk gulps fearfully. "O-Oh man. Yeah, we have. He's… his power is monstrous! I've never felt anything like it before! I… there's no way I could even get close to his strength!"

Goku chuckles confidently. "Don't worry, we have some backup plans for this kind of situation. Right, Zamasu?" Zamasu only hums in confirmation, not bothering to give a response.

Suddenly, an intrusion hits Zamasu's senses. Based on Vegeta's grunt of surprise, the prince felt it too. Zamasu then announces, "Frieza has headed off towards a different location on Namek. Two smaller power levels, one substantially larger than the other, seem to be waiting for him. The 'Captain' of those brutes is still at the dragon balls' location."

"Ah. Frieza might be going after Elder Guru!" Zamasu turns his head toward Gohan. The young child nods in thought, not noticing the kai's gaze on him. "Nail said something about protecting Elder Guru from Frieza. This must be what he meant."

"Ah! Earthlings!" Zamasu's gaze snaps to the right as another power enters his senses. His energy flares, an instinctual reaction, but he quickly reigns it in. No need to blow up someone without seeing the situation. Based on the monk and Goku's child's expressions, this is someone they know.

Krillin smiles widely as a small, green alien that Zamasu recognizes as a Namekian flies up to them. "Dende! Glad to see you safe!"

Dende chuckles nervously, his flying a bit wobbly compared to the others. "A-Ah, it was scary at first. But now I can help you guys with the dragon balls! Elder Guru told me to do so!"

While everyone else accepts this readily, Zamasu keeps his gaze on Vegeta. The prince has a spark in his eyes, something that Zamasu doesn't like. It reminds himself too much of when his counterpart's earring got destroyed…

Shaking the horribly degrading thoughts from his mind, Zamasu focuses on the foe that is protecting the dragon balls while Frieza is gone. Without a warning, Zamasu snaps, "Vegeta! What information can you give us of the enemy that is protecting the dragon balls?"

The prince grunts, almost wanting to stay silent, but he isn't stupid. His… allies... will need as much information as they can get. "Hmph. Ginyu is the name of the bumbling buffoon. Despite his ridiculous poses, he is the strongest of the Ginyu Force. Probably not as strong as us at this point, but still able to hold his own. The real issue is that he has some sort of body swap technique. I don't know the drawbacks, but he is well versed in using other bodies. I'd suggest keeping an eye out for it."

A spark ignites in Zamasu's eyes. "A body swapper?" Vegeta nods, a little freaked out at how giddy Zamasu seems to be getting. A wicked grin forms on Zamasu's face, officially becoming number two on Vegeta's list of disturbing things. "This will be a fun battle…"

After Zamasu's display of… something… the group falls into relative silence. Zamasu keeps his senses tuned toward Frieza's location, just in case the tyrant makes a random u-turn and decides to come back. Otherwise, nothing of interest happens.

Then, after a few more minutes of flying, the group descends upon an open plain with a lone ship in the center. Landing on a hill overlooking the ship and crouching down to avoid detection, they examine the situation. Standing in front of the ship, all seven dragon balls nearby and no one else around, is Captain Ginyu.

Zamasu's eyes narrow as he sees a small device on Ginyu's ear. "A scouter. We need to take that thing out." The group nods in agreement, and Vegeta tsks in reluctant acceptance.

The hybrid-kai turns and says, "Who has the best precision in this group?" The warriors look between each other, obviously mulling the thought around in their heads.

"Fine. I'll do it." Everyone turns to Vegeta, the prince growling softly in annoyance. "You all can't seem to decide, so I'll do it myself. Move aside, faker." Zamasu sees red for a split second as Vegeta pushes past him. Zamasu quickly reigns in his anger, not willing to kill someone who could prove useful.

The prince lays down on the ground and raises one finger, aiming it at Ginyu. Energy builds slowly on the tip of his finger as Vegeta closes one eye to aim better. A shot from this distance won't be enough to kill the bastard captain, so the scouter will do. Vegeta sticks his tongue out slightly, makes one final adjustment, and fires.

A thin beam of white-blue energy crosses the gap almost instantaneously. The scouter explodes into smoke and useless metal, Ginyu crying out in surprise. The captain looks around in annoyance, wondering who broke his scouter.

"I suggest you stand down." Ginyu whirls around quickly, watching as someone who looks like a saiyan with upright, unruly black hair descends to the ground slowly. The siayan's eyes are cold and analytical, something that takes Ginyu aback. No saiyan has ever had that look before. It's almost like he is reading Ginyu's every move, even if he is just standing there.

Then, more saiyans appear, and an earthling, if he remembers correctly. The group of five surround Ginyu silently as the lead saiyan puts his hands behind his back, almost like an officer. "There are five of us, one of you, and you aren't strong enough to take us all on at once."

Ginyu looks around in a slight panic, screaming in his mind "NO FUCK CAPTAIN OBVIOUS!". These goons wouldn't have revealed themselves if they weren't confident in taking himself down, and from what he heard from the reports, two of them gave Vegeta a very hard time on Earth. If they've been training and using that Zenkai thing saiyans have, then there is no telling how strong they are now.

The captain tsks in annoyance, falling into a fighting stance, his eyes constantly darting around. He smirks slightly and turns his gaze to Zamasu. "Sorry, but I can't back down. Frieza would kill me if I did. I value my life over your orders."

Zamasu frowns in annoyance, even if slight understanding worms its way in. Zamasu is about to speak again, when Goku suddenly says, "Hey, Zamasu. Can I fight him?"

The kai-saiyan turns his gaze to Goku, the saiyan looking oddly composed. "Is there any particular reason why you wish to fight him?"

Goku just grins slightly. "I want to test out my new moves. I can only go so far against you, after all."

Zamasu sighs in exasperation, his eyes closed. "Very well. Make it quick. We need to take the dragon balls and leave."

As Goku grins in triumph, Ginyu can't help but thank his lucky stars that this is happening. In a one-on-one fight, he can easily swap bodies with his opponent! From there, he could easily take them on, or disorient them even more with more body-swapping until Frieza returns!

Hiding his thoughts, Ginyu turns his attention to the one who requested the battle. "A fight, huh? Very well! I accept this offer!"

Goku grins widely as he falls into a fighting stance, but one slightly different than usual. In fact, it looks similar to Zamasu's. "Alright! I can't wait to test these new moves out!"

Suddenly, Goku's right hand ignites into a blaze of blue energy. The ki hums dangerously, small bursts of white coming from the blade, as it elongates into the length of a dagger. Not as long as Zamasu's, but just as deadly. Goku grins excitedly. "Let's go!"

The two warriors' aura burst into life, one a bright blue and the other a deep purple, and collide in the center. Goku tries to push against Ginyu with his blade, but is surprised to find resistance. He looks down and his eyes widen in surprise.

Ginyu grins smugly, his own hand forming a purple ki blade. "You're not the only one that knows that technique! I'll have to thank Salza for teaching me this at some point!"

The two warriors back off, Goku quickly reassessing the situation. Zamasu's mouth tugs into a small smirk, his own mind analyzing the situation, but also keeping an eye on Frieza in the background. "I had my doubts a first, but this could prove to be useful for Goku. If he can fight against another blade user that isn't holding back, he will surely learn more techniques and tricks for the sword."

The earth-raised saiyan looks at Ginyu's blade, then breathes softly. He smirks, his eyes brimming with excitement. "Well, I'm certainly getting excited! I didn't think I'd be fighting another ki blade user!"

Despite himself, Ginyu nods with a smile. "Indeed! It is refreshing to know that there are still those who appreciate the art of swordplay! If I may ask, who taught you the technique?"

Goku blinks in surprise, then gestures to Zamasu. "Zamasu did. He thought it'd help me in future battles."

Ginyu's eyes flash as a plan begins forming in his mind. "Is that so…"

Silence falls again as the two fighters wait for a bit longer. Then, Ginyu rockets forward with a yell. The alien's hand descends quickly, almost too quickly for Goku to react properly. Goku hastily throws up his ki blade as a defense, hoping to stop the blade.

Instead, Ginyu smirks and twists his body, throwing a kick into Goku's side. The saiyan jumps over and tries to bring his own blade down. Ginyu leans back, easily avoiding the strike, and slashes toward Goku's arm. The earth-raised saiyan brings his arm back hastily, not expecting such a quick retaliation.

A sudden pain is felt in Goku's side and he jumps back. He grits his teeth and grips his side, feeling a shallow cut across his lower ribs. Goku looks down, seeing the small quantity of blood, and can only gape in confusion. "How? How did you get past my defenses?"

Ginyu lowers himself into a fighting stance, his ki blade brimming with power. "Simple. You are inexperienced! You do not know your way around the blade just yet. I am able to move with minimal movements and quick slashes, far faster than you can!"

Goku takes this in, then nods. "Alright, that makes sense. Ready for round 2?"

Ginyu's eyes flash, something Goku misses. "Of course. I will make the first move!" Inside his mind, Ginyu smirks confidently. "That mentor of his is right behind him! If that saiyan dodges, his mentor will get hit! Either way, it is a win-win situation!"

The captain's blade distinguishes and he raises both arms outward. Goku blinks in confusion, wondering what Ginyu is doing. Vegeta, however, stares at the pose in familiarity. Then, it hits him, right as Ginyu screams, "CHANGE NOW!"

"WAIT! THAT'S HIS BODY SWAP!" Goku's gaze snaps over to Vegeta, his eyes wide in shock. Then, hearing a beam rapidly approaching, Goku doesn't wait. He dives to the side, not willing to wait any longer. The beam sails past, and Goku gets a small moment of relief. However, that moment is shattered as he sees who the beam is targeting next, now that Goku is out of the way.

The earth-raised saiyan's eyes wide in fear as he sees the beam rapidly approaching Zamasu, almost too fast to dodge. "ZAMASU!"

The beam rockets past everyone, its target directly in its line of sight. It rapidly approaches Zamasu, no obstructions present and no way to be stopped. Ginyu smirks in victory as the beam reaches Zamasu…

And the kai tilts his head out of the way, the small beam flying right past. Colliding with the ground and finding no body to swap, the beam disintegrates rapidly, leaving only a gaping Ginyu behind.

Zamasu smirks in amusement, returning his head to its original position. "Did you really believe that would work on me?" Ginyu can only watch in fear as the strongest of the group flashes his aura. Even without ki sense, Ginyu could tell that this saiyan is immensely strong, much stronger than Ginyu himself. Then, Zamasu continues. "I know how body-swapping works. You need a medium, something to do the job. For you, it is that beam you fire from your mouth. Miss and nothing will be achieved. It's not nearly as efficient as the dragon balls though."

All of the earthlings and Vegeta snap their attention to Zamasu. Even Goku is surprised by this sudden information. He knows Zamasu did something bad, but not exactly what that bad thing was. Did it have to do with the dragon balls?

Zamasu talks a step forward, his light purple aura roaring with energy and power. "I have used a body swap in my past to try and achieve my own goals. The body you see before you is a mixture of my original body and my stolen body. As such, I know how body-swapping works. I needed to in order to prevent anyone else from stealing the body I stole. It's simple really. Determine the medium, then interfere with it."

The hybrid's smirk widens. "Yours is a beam. Avoid it, nothing happens." Then, Zamasu's eyes freeze over, all but the smallest drops of mercy leaving the orbs. "Now then, if you know what's good for you, you will leave this planet. Do not even attempt to contact Frieza, or try to fight again. If you do either, you will suffer a very slow, painful death." Zamasu punctuates this by creating a broadsword-length ki blade, the energy brimming with more power than anything created thus far.

Ginyu, terrified out of his mind, only nods numbly. Zamasu, feeling a bit generous, says, "Two of your lackeys, the blue and red ones, also survived and left the planet. Search for them. It'll give you something to do." The captain's eyes widen in surprise, but he quickly nods and turns away.

Vegeta growls in annoyance as Ginyu flies off. Despite Zamasu proving to be much stronger than the prince himself, and just as ruthless from what he saw earlier, he still can spare these goons of Frieza's so easily?! The idea of sparing anyone related to that tyrant is repulsive!

The prince doesn't voice his thoughts, knowing that Zamasu is not in a good mood, and another fight is the last thing they need. The saiyan turns away from the group as they check on Zamasu, not in the mood to deal with earthling emotional gunk.

Then, without warning, a massive power snaps its way into his senses. Vegeta's eyes widen immensely in shock and, as he reads who the power belongs to, fear. Vegeta turns around quickly and shouts, "It's Frieza! He's coming! Grab the dragon balls and let's get out of here!"

"Oh my. I certainly hope that was a joke, Vegeta, for both your sake and mine." The prince's eyes widen even more in absolute terror as his senses register that the tyrant, who was just on the other side of the planet, is now less than twenty feet away.

Everyone turns and looks up at the hill they were just on. Looking down on them from above, an annoyed frown on his face, is a white and purple alien. There's no mistaking who this is, even without any prior sightings. The alien's frown turns to absolute fury. "Because it wasn't very funny."

Frieza has arrived.

The book closes slowly, Chronoa humming softly to herself. "Interesting. I guess it isn't impossible for Ginyu to know the ki blade technique, since Salza uses it so often and they often were competing."

The Supreme Kai of Time grins widely and says, "Either way, it sure is getting interesting! Frieza's here now, but I'm certain my little Zamie and his friends can handle him! Who knows, maybe something new will happen this time around?" The kai turns to the other person in the room. "Now Trunks, if you may?"

Said time traveler jumps in surprise, not expecting the order, then nods. Trunks coughs slightly, then says, "Alright. This chapter is a bit shorter, but also a bit sweet on the fighting. The author had to get rid of Ginyu, despite his hilarity, and Ginyu just wouldn't put up much of a fight anyway. Also, the chapter might not be as refined as the others, but the author hopes you all enjoyed it anyway! Things are heating up with Frieza's arrival, and things are about to get crazy." Trunks sighs in relief. "There. That's all it has to say.

Chronoa smiles warmly. "Thanks, Trunks." The kai grins and turns to you. "I hope you enjoyed reading! And please, leave a review! We always appreciate it!"