Verspa was bluffing," Raditz repeated. He had interrupted Kakarot and Chi-Chi's training. His face was serious as he relayed his message.
"You're sure?" Chi-Chi asked again, still not daring to believe it. If Frieza wasn't sending troops, then she wouldn't have to worry about her friends and family's safety. Raditz nodded.
"She didn't send for backup. Frieza tried contacting her while I was-" Raditz's voice cut off, not allowing him to finish his sentence. He bit his lip and continued. "It was just a check-in. He wanted to see when she would have the Dragonballs and told her to check in with him."
"So, when he realizes she's dead, he'll head straight for Earth," Kakarot said slowly, putting the pieces together. Raditz sighed.
"We can't be sure, but, yeah. Probably. Frieza won't trust anyone else with a job Verspa couldn't handle," Raditz said, folding his arms.
"What are we going to do?" Chi-Chi whispered. "We can't destroy Frieza, it's impossible."
"It's not impossible," Kakarot said, "But we won't even attempt it here. We should lure him back to Vegeta. Have you told any of the others?" he asked his brother. Raditz shook his head. "I think we need to present the information to them, then," Kakarot began to walk away, calling out towards the others. Chi-Chi and Raditz followed closely behind. Once their small band had gathered together, Raditz informed them all of the news.
"Well, the good part is that we don't have to worry about any freaky aliens, right guys?" Oolong piped up, breaking the silence.
"No, you idiot," Bulma hissed. "Earth is still the target unless we can think of a plan to draw Frieza away."
"Oh," Oolong said, falling silent.
"Kakarot is right," Bardock piped up. "We can't let Frieza come to this planet. No offense, but none of you would stand a chance."
"How are you going to draw him away?" Tien asked. "You don't have the Dragonballs anymore."
"Yeah," Piccolo laughed darkly, "You used them to revive me. Once you make a wish, you have to wait a year to use them again."
"Frieza doesn't know that," Sona said. "All we have to do is convince Frieza that we are in possession of the Dragonballs. Then, when we return to Vegeta, he'll follow us."
"When he finds out you don't really have them, he won't be too happy," Master Roshi mused.
"Let us worry about that," Vegeta growled.
"That reminds me," Chi-Chi spoke up, timidly. "When you draw Frieza away, you don't expect all of us to just sit here and let you fight him, do you?"
"What? What do you mean?" Raditz asked her. Chi-Chi discreetly turned her focus to Kakarot, not removing her eyes from his face.
"We offered to help you, didn't we? Some of us will want to see it through to the end. Some of us are going to want to come with you."
"That would be suicide," Raditz warned.
"You've never heard of dying for your friends?" Chi-Chi asked. "Besides, we could be wished back with the Dragonballs."
"I suppose if any of you want to come, we can't stop you," Bardock agreed. "The help would be appreciated."
"Well you can count me out," Oolong said, quickly. Raditz threw him a dirty look.
"Thanks a lot, friend," he muttered. Oolong put his hands up in surrender.
"What am I gonna do? I'm just a pig!" he protested. Still, Raditz's withering look was unrelenting. Oolong heaved a sigh. "Fine, I guess I'm coming. But it's only for moral support; don't expect me to do any fighting."
"We can decide who will accompany us to Vegeta later," Bardock said. "We need to fine tune our plan." Their little group divided up into smaller, more specialized sections, with the intent to meet back together at the end of the day. As they were splitting into groups, Kakarot caught Chi-Chi by the arm, and gently pulled her aside.
"Chi-Chi," he started, his deep eyes filled with concern. Chi-Chi knew what he was going to say, and she shook her head furiously.
"You can't make me change my mind," she said, cutting him off. "I'm going back to Vegeta with you. I won't be able to do much, but maybe I can help a little." She glared at him defiantly, a smile spread across her face. Kakarot laughed a little.
"I wasn't going to try to stop you," he said. "If there's one thing I've learned about you, it's that I can't make you change your mind." Chi-Chi almost laughed aloud at this. If only he knew how much he'd changed her mind. "I just wanted to thank you," he continued. "Not many people would have volunteered to go back to Vegeta with us. But," he added. "Think about what you're agreeing to do, okay? It's dangerous."
Chi-Chi's reply was cut off before she could even open her mouth to speak it. She could see large silhouettes on the hill, and a deep, cheery voice calling her name. It must be Gohan, Yamcha, and her father. Without thinking, she ran quickly towards the sound of her name.
"Papa!" she called, happily. She ran to her father, who caught her up in his arms, hugged her tightly, and set her down again. "It's good to see the three of you again," she smiled.
"You have no idea how good it feels to be here," Yamcha said, sighing contentedly. His condition did look quite improved. He smiled at Chi-Chi and continued sauntering down the hill.
"What exciting adventures of yours have we missed, my dear?" Gohan asked. Chi-Chi regaled him of their Dragonball hunting days. She told them of the battle with Piccolo, their old foe, and Verspa's betrayal. She told them of Verspa's defeat as well as her bluff. Lastly, she filled them in on their plan to draw Frieza away from Earth. Gohan and her father listened patiently and intently, hanging on to her every word. When she finished, she was greeted by several moments of silence.
"Well," her father spoke up, "Maybe next time, we should just come with you in the beginning. We missed out on all the fun." Chi-Chi laughed and led her father and Gohan down the hill to join with the rest of the group. She felt relieved that Earth was no longer Frieza's target, but she knew there was a lot of work to be done before everyone would be completely safe.