With a thousand-man army soon to be at their disposal, Cold and Frieza had their eyes set on eradicating Gohan while claiming Earth as their own.

The colossal tyrant sauntered around his quarters before pausing momentarily to gaze out the window. "Even with our troops combing through this planet, locating that Saiyan spawn won't be a walk in the park." He furrowed his brow and uttered the same guttural sound he usually makes when he's in a state of annoyance. "The last thing we need is another Super Saiyan running loose."

Frieza crinkled his nose. "Hmph, well after we decimate that juvenile monkey, we shall commence with the colonization of this dirt ball. Enslaving humanity sounds like a delightful endeavor indeed." He craned his neck and glared at his tail with a subtle hint of residual bitterness glistering in his eyes. "I've seen their potential. One of them even managed to cut my old tail off. With a bit of discipline, they'll make fine subordinates." He shook his head in a mocking fashion, chuckling softly under his breath. "Ah Goku, that dejected look on your face when you see the ones you fought so hard for serving me would have been priceless."

Up on the lookout, Kami and Piccolo were engaged in a discussion pertaining to a rather sensitive matter, their reunification. In fact, it was this very topic that had Piccolo on edge when Krillin had inquired about his destination. Just the thought of having to share a body with his other half was something that the former villain had dreaded his entire existence. But the way things unraveled, he knew he wasn't in the position to be bickering.

Luckily for him, the feelings were to some extent mutual, for Kami was also caught in a seemingly undesirable predicament. While the old guardian knew that merging with his counterpart was bound to come to fruition, it was always one of those things that he preferred not speaking up about.

After spending close to an hour exchanging grimaces and tossing each other a whole slew of stirring remarks, they finally came to the conclusion that reuniting would be their best bet against the unfathomable force they were up against. It was really the only viable option that had both ends covered. On one end, the tyrant would be denied the opportunity to utilize the Dragon Balls, while on the other, a mighty warrior would emerge. On top of all that, because Kami was able to sense the presence of Cold's mercenaries heading to Earth, he knew utilizing every last resource to its full potential was a necessity.

Just as they were wrapping up their emotive debate, Mr. Popo scuttled over to the determined duo. "Kami!" The devoted assistant reached his hand out towards the guardian and eyed him with watery eyes. "A-are you sure this is the right path?"

"Up here as a guardian I serve no purpose against a vile menace like Frieza." A stern look crept up on Kami's face, as he released a deep breath of air. "But as a part of Piccolo my powers will not only play a vital role in protecting the Earth, but the universe as well."

After having served the guardian for centuries, parting ways was a heart-wrenching experience for Popo. A cascade of tears streamed down his face. "K-kami." His quivering lips produced a shaky but nearly inaudible whimper.

Though a hint of dolor twinkled in the old guardian's eyes, he disregarded his attendant's weeping and instead fixed his gaze on his counterpart. "It will be in your body where I will live on, so place your hand on my chest."

As Piccolo complied with the request, Kami craned his neck to give one last grateful look to the man who had for centuries provided him munificent hospitality. "Thank you Mr. Popo. I will always cherish the kindness you have shown this old guardian." The wrinkly corners of his mouth curved up, deepening his crow's feet.

Popo softened his cry. Though a fountain of tears flooded down his face, his muffled snivels were a clear indicator that he was striving to suppress his emotions for the sake of sending his superior off free of burdens.

Without another word, Kami stiffened his expression and whipped his attention back to Piccolo. He widened his eyes, and screamed at the top of his lungs. In a flash, the two beings were reunited, and a mighty warrior was born.

Meanwhile at Master Roshi's house, Krillin and Gohan had informed the old master on the atrocious string of events that had taken place. The trio sat around the living room in silence wearing grim faces until a familiar voice greeted them. "Gohan! Can you hear me?"

Gohan bolted up, his eyes scanning every nook and cranny of the living room. "Piccolo?"

"I'm talking to you telepathically. There's no time to explain, I need you to meet me at the lookout immediately."

"Right!" Gohan glanced over at Krillin and bit his lip. "Hey Krillin? Someone needs to tell my mom and grandpa the news, can I... leave that up to you?"

"Yeah, I guess." Krillin rolled his eyes back and sighed in a way that people often do when tasked with an undesirable chore.

"I owe ya one Krillin. Well, I'm off." The young warrior sprinted out of Roshi's house, and ascended into the air.

After filling Gohan in on what had happened, Piccolo asked Popo to escort them to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

Gohan looked more exhilarated than he had in quite some time. "On the way to Master Roshi's, Krillin told me that if you and Kami reunited, you'd become even stronger than a Super Saiyan." He glanced up at his mentor in the midst of walking. "Well I think he was right."

Piccolo opted out of replying, and instead continued sauntering behind Popo.

Popo gestured his hand towards a wooden door. "Here it is, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber." He twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

Piccolo eyed the glimmer of white light that glistened through the half-open entrance of the mystical chamber. He took in a deep breath of air before stepping forward and fading into the shimmering brilliance of the room. Gohan gulped and proceeded to follow his mentor.

As the door shut behind them, both teacher and student surveyed their surroundings. They were in a rather homey environment that was divided into two sections; one area was clearly meant for dining while the other appeared to be a resting area with two beds.

"The gravity, it feels so different." Gohan turned his head from the bedroom and peered into the dining area. He scampered out of the lodging area but stopped short with his mouth gaped open when he stepped foot onto a seemingly blank and borderless opening. The house-like setting was merely an island that remained anchored on a limitless sheet of white flooring.

"Stay focused, we only have two years to do this," Piccolo said. "You ready?"

Gohan shook off the sense of bewilderment that the chamber had elicited and smiled the radiant smile that often sparkles on his face when he feels exceptionally determined. "Sure am! Just like old times!"

Over at Goku's house, the responsibility of getting Chi-Chi on the same page as the rest of the group turned out to be quite an exasperating journey for Krillin. It took him nearly an entire day to convince her to drop her overbearing tendencies and focus on the crisis at hand.

When all the squabbling was finally put to rest, Krillin escorted Roshi, Chi-Chi, and Ox King to Capsule Corp in a plane that Chi Chi had obtained from Bulma for the purpose of tracking Gohan when the boy wanders away from his studies.

By the time of their arrival, night had fallen and everyone had gone to bed. Bulma and her father however, continued working into the night.

For the first half of the following day, the group hung around outdoors in the picnic area, overwhelmed by suspense.

After spending the vast majority of the day cooped up in his room, Vegeta finally ventured outdoors. When his presence caught the group's attention, he scrunched his face. "The minute we take off for Namek, all you scumbags are to stay put in the cabin so I can train in the gravity room, understood?!"

"Yeah, whatever." Krillin waved his hand in a dismissive fashion before turning his back to the demanding prince. "Huh?" He suddenly recoiled back a step, his face blue and his hands shaking. "G-guys, do you sense that?"

Tien bolted up from his seat, all three of his pupils dilated like three round blots of ink spreading on white paper. "What power…"

"Yeah," Yamcha said. "And so many of them."

Vegeta shot the trio a sideways glance. "Keep your damn power down at all times! Frieza's obviously called for reinforcements. The last thing we need is for their scouters to detect us."

Deep in space, a spaceship nearly identical to Cold's was orbiting around Planet Earth. Aboard the ship were Commander Sorbet and an army of ruthless mercenaries. As the ship drew closer to its destination, Sorbet peered out his window and gazed at the blue planet.

"Commander Sorbet," a voice bellowed from the pint-sized villain's scouter. "We should be landing within thirty minutes."

"Excellent." Sorbet rubbed his hands together. "Heh Heh Heh."

The large fortress-like ship descended from the sky and anchored onto a rugged stretch of land a couple hundred meters from Cold's ship.

After the landing process was finalized, Sorbet scurried over to the neighboring ship and headed straight for the tyrant's quarters, where his superiors awaited him. "King Cold, Lord Frieza." He bowed his head.

"Good to see you commander." Cold welcomed his minion with a quick nod.

"Likewise, your excellency." Sorbet fiddled with his hands before shifting his attention to Frieza. "Congratulations Lord Frieza, thanks to our recently developed spy bots, we were able to witness your victory against those pesky Super Saiyans."

"Oh?" Cold raised his brow, his mouth slightly agape. "So the third stellar region has actually succeeded in developing those nifty gadgets? Last I checked they were merely a work in progress."

Sorbet nodded with enthusiasm. "Why yes."

"Well that's a damn good thing," Cold said, "because this planet's currently harboring that Saiyan spawn. I'm sure you're well informed on the matter."

Sorbet clasped his hands together; the outer corners of his eyes twitching like a flickering bulb on the verge of going out. "Well you see…" Drops of sweat began dripping down his blue complexion. "Once we learned of Lord Frieza's victory, we uh well, stopped monitoring the whole ordeal."

"Quite foolish." Cold shook his head in the midst of speaking through gritted teeth. "It appears we must resort to more strenuous tactics after all."

Sorbet gulped and swayed back.

"Gather the troops!" Cold leaned over and pointed his finger at the trembling commander. "You are to order them to tear through the cities until they draw that monkey out of his hole. And make sure you scan the planet and keep an eye out for any ships heading out into space." He stroked his chin with his thumb and index finger. "Hmm, these fools seem fairly advanced in interstellar travel. I suspect they may leverage that ability to take refuge elsewhere."

"Yes, of course!" Sorbet stiffened his body and bowed. "And we could also resend our spy bots to double our efforts." He reached for his scouter and pressed down on a button located on the earpiece until it beeped. "Tagoma, prepare all troops for battle immediately!"

After assembling their army, King Cold, Frieza, and Sorbet stood at the edge of a mountain just a few miles south of North City. Hovering above them was a thousand-man army, poised for attack.

"Hah, what miserable fools." Frieza scoffed, eying the city with a bloodthirsty grin. "Feel free to demolish the entire place. There'll still be plenty of humans left to enslave elsewhere."

"Alright men! Full-scale attack!" Sorbet signaled his arm towards the city.

Without missing a beat, the soldiers rushed in and began terrorizing the unsuspecting civilians.

Deep in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Piccolo and Gohan were locked in a sparring match. After training for nearly two years, both warriors had multiplied their strength several-fold. During that time, the young warrior had even managed to grow a few inches vertically.

Gohan charged at Piccolo and unleashed a barrage of punches.

The Namekian weaved around each strike with precision, but blocked the final punch that came at the tail end of the combo. "Good." He put his guard down and assumed a lax posture. "I'd say that about does it."

Gohan nodded, as he too freed his muscles of stress and transitioned to state of relaxation.

"We should head back down and see how they're doing on that ship." Piccolo began ambling towards the chamber's exit. "Don't forget, we still need to buy time until your dad's revival."

Immediately after vacating the chamber, the Namekian stopped short and shuddered. "D-damn, they're here already? I thought for sure we'd have more time!"

Gohan tensed up, shifting his apprehensive gaze to the only man other than his father that he could count on during a calamity. "W-what do we do?"

"Head on over to Capsule Corp, and proceed as planned."

"What about you?"

Piccolo remained silent.

"Piccolo?!"

"With their new scouters, it'll only be a matter of time until they find us and ruin our plans. Someone needs to hold them back. Besides, if I could at least crush their men and injure Frieza in the process, our chances will be that much better."

Gohan hurled himself in front of his beloved mentor and waved his arms in the midst of shouting. "I'm not letting you go alone!"

"That won't be an option." Piccolo chopped his student on the side of the neck, rendering him unconscious. "Sorry kid, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you down there." He tucked the boy under his arms and flew down from the lookout. As he glided through the forest, he began speaking telepathically to Krillin. "I'll be at Capsule Corp shortly, so meet me outside the building." Upon reaching his destination, he materialized himself a new set of weighted garments.

Krillin was lounging around outside, expecting his arrival.

Piccolo carefully handed his unconscious student to the bald little man. "I'm counting on you."

"Look, I know you've enhanced your power exponentially." Krillin placed Gohan over his shoulder. "But do you think it'll suffice?"

"We'll see." Piccolo said. "You wouldn't happen to have a Senzu Bean by any chance would you?"

"Actually, I do." Krillin reached his free hand into a small brown pouch that was attached to the belt that wrapped around his waist. "Per Korin, Yajirobe stopped by earlier and dropped off a handful." He pulled out a bean and tossed it at the Namekian.

"Thanks." Piccolo caught the kidney-shaped miracle cure and devoured it in an instant. "I prefer to face this bastard with nothing short of full strength." He enclosed himself in a pearl white aura and went off to confront the diabolical tyrant.

Cold, Frieza, and Sorbet grinned at the sight of their lackeys massacring the defenseless civilians of North City. But their contentment was short lived. A shower of ki blasts suddenly rained down from above and incinerated the vast majority of their troops like a breathtaking meteor shower inundating hundreds of unsuspecting individuals out of nowhere.

Frieza twisted his face into a grimace. "What the hell was that?!" He glanced up at the sky, turning his head left and right.

"Your fight is with me now," a voice called out.

The trio of villains froze momentarily, as though their confidence was actually tainted with a drop of fear.

"A Namekian?" Cold raised a brow, opening one eye wider than the other.

Indeed, it was Piccolo who had taken the pleasure of obliterating the men moments before making his entrance.

"Ah, I remember you." Frieza took a step forward with a stiff expression. "You gave my second form quite a workout back on your filthy home world. What brings you out here anyway? Have you decided to do the smart thing and surrender that Saiyan child?"

Piccolo substituted his words with a condescending scoff.

Frieza narrowed his eyes and cocked his head back. "I'm surprised you would subject yourself to this. I thought you Earth-trained fighters are capable of sensing power without the usage of devices."

"Oh, I sense you alright, and to be blunt, it's nothing I can't tangle with."

"During our previous encounter, you may have managed to slip away." Frieza made a fist and held it out in front of his face. "But I'll make sure I kill you this time." He vanished into thin air.

Piccolo took his fighting stance and braced himself.

A second later, Frieza reappeared with his fist cocked back. But before he had the chance to strike, he was backhanded aside like a common housefly. The attack not only threw him off the cliff, but it sufficed in keeping him down for an extended period of time.

Cold glared down at the city below him, while Sorbet took cover behind a boulder.

"Relax, that was just a warm up." Piccolo locked his eyes on Cold. "I'll have plenty of juice left for you."

"Now now." Cold crinkled his eyes, patting the air with his palms facing down. "Let's not get carried away here."

Before the conversation could go on any further, Frieza bolted out of the pile of rocks that he was submerged in. "Damn you! How the hell could a weakling like you even pull off such a maneuver?"

"Hah." Piccolo sneered at his infuriated opponent. "Why not step back in and find out?"

Completely unscathed, Frieza screamed and darted towards Piccolo. Once within a few feet, he promptly vanished, reappeared behind the Namekian, and swung his fist.

In one swift motion, Piccolo whipped around and simultaneously blocked the attack with his forearm. Although he managed to protect his face, the impact pushed him back a few meters.

Frieza then sprung up and swung his tail, but Piccolo swiftly caught the whip-like strike. In response to the hasty defense, the tyrant twisted his body, kicked the Namekian in the temple, and subsequently pummeled him down with a flurry of punches.

The vicious assault left Piccolo pretty banged up; his weighted garments were torn, and his face and arms were smudged with dabs of blood. Despite this, he brought himself back to his feet and wiped his bloody lip clean.

Frieza widened his eyes, as his lips curled into an "o" shape. "I'm impressed Namekian. You've far surpassed your Saiyan comrades." His usual sinister grin snuck up on his face and brushed away his look of astonishment. "What say you drop this idiotic rubbish and align with me? Bring me that Saiyan child, and I shall bring you onboard as my right hand." He opened his arms out in a welcoming manner, as though he were flaunting his sincerity. "I'm sure my father would appreciate a man of your talents. Isn't that right father?"

Cold chuckled, looking rather pleased at the prospect of a new recruit. "We could sweeten the deal by letting him rule two of our finest planets."

"Stop trying to squirm out of this, so we could actually kick it up a notch." Piccolo clutched his torn garments and tossed them on the floor.

"Ah, so you choose to follow your Saiyan friends to their graves." Frieza shook his head, his lips downturned, looking rather disgruntled. "So be it." Flame-like purple waves lit up around his half metallic body, as though he were on fire. "I'll just slaughter you all in cold blood!"

Piccolo gawked at the eerie glow radiating from the tyrant. "Damn, what power."

"Are you beginning to have second thoughts Namekian?"

Piccolo refrained from answering, and instead shot down to a squatted position, with his arms bent and fists closed slightly above his waist. He shouted intensely, enclosing himself in a blue aura that intensified by the second. A fierce gale blew, as the ground shook and rocks kicked up into the air. He finally ended his showcase of power with a dazzling burst of light. "Now, onto round two." He pivoted his right foot behind his left, and positioned his half-closed left fist in front of his face with his right arm cocked back close to his ear.

The two fighters leered at each other. Frieza maintained a rigid posture, while Piccolo shifted around and made subtle adjustments to his stance. Within seconds, both fighters lunged at one another and began savagely exchanging a myriad of punches and kicks. Frieza decked Piccolo in the cheek, only to get socked in the nose immediately after. He gnashed his teeth and retaliated with a kick aimed at Piccolo's head but his efforts were in vain, as the Namekian blocked and countered with a punch of his own.

The tyrant leapt up and turned his left shoulder towards the attack. He then retreated into the air, with Piccolo tagging closely behind.

The two began exchanging more blows until Frieza back handed Piccolo out of the air.

The tyrant followed up by firing an immense purple orb from the palm of his hand.

The Namekian got up just in time to catch the elephant-sized sphere with both hands. The pressure behind the deadly force was enough to drive him into the ground. His feet sunk several inches into the dirt, as his legs wobbled. Try as he might, he was unable to push the attack back. With veins bulging out of his head, he screamed at the top of his lungs and launched a blast of his own as leverage to repel the ball of vile energy.

The tyrant marveled at the sight of his own lethal creation coming towards him. "Hah." He punched the sphere back down towards the ground.

Piccolo gasped before taking the attack head-on and getting caught in the explosion.

"And there he goes, the last of his kind." Frieza descended to the ground, snorting in a disdainful manner. "What a waste of talent." He shot his father a sideways glance, as the corners of his lip contorted into a smirk. "I imagine that must have been quite intriguing, eh father?"

"Stay alert." Cold grunted his usual grunt of disappointment. "If he withstood the brutalities of your punches, it's unlikely he keeled over from that poorly executed blast." He shook his head and scowled at his son. "Judging by his movements, you far exceed him in power. But you're so fixated on giving him a good thrashing that you're lashing out with insufficient force. On top of that, you're neglecting to evade his attacks. This fight should have been over the moment it started."

"Well I was only exerting a tenth of my true power." Frieza shrugged his arms out like he usually does when he's feeling cocky. But before he could say another word, he was kneed in the head and thrown into a pile of rubble.

Piccolo charged up a blast in his hand, and whipped around to face Cold. "Now to get you out of the way!" To the Namekian's dismay, the behemoth-like tyrant had already vanished. "Ugh! Damn!"

"You surprise me," Frieza said in a taunting voice from an unknown location. "I thought ten percent would have been sufficient to exterminate you."

Piccolo's eyes scanned the battlefield. "What? Show yourself!" He suddenly flinched and quivered, for he caught of a glimpse of the metallic tyrant through his peripheral vision.

"Now Namekian, observe as I triple the power I was wielding moments before." Frieza crouched down a few inches, and clenched his fists by his waist. A purple aura surrounded him, and the ground shook uncontrollably, creating craters and crevices. Trees and boulders got caught up in the might of the gust that blew around him.

Piccolo shielded his face, but the tempest emanating from the tyrant caused him to slide back on his feet. "D-damn, he wasn't bluffing about that ten percent crap!"

After wrapping up his display of power, Frieza took his signature stance. "Now you die." He vanished and made his entrance by decking Piccolo in the face with a bone-shattering punch.

The sheer force behind the attack sent the Namekian skidding back on his shoulder. After lying flat on his back for a good minute or two, he finally managed to get himself back up. His face was smeared in blood while gashes and abrasions were all over his body.

With the blink of an eye, Frieza disappeared once more, and greeted his resilient foe from behind with a spine-severing kick. He snickered as he watched the Namekian stumble forward.

"Makankosappo!" Piccolo turned around, and fired his signature attack in the midst of falling.

"Two can play at that." Frieza swatted the attack away and return fired with a Death Beam that impaled the noble warrior just as he hit the ground.

Back at Capsule Corp, Gohan was resting in bed, still unconscious. Chi Chi had stepped out for a moment, leaving Krillin in charge of watching her son.

Gohan suddenly sprung awake. "Piccolo!" He paused momentarily, as though his mind was registering what had happened while he was out of commission. "I have to go!" He dashed out of the room.

"No Gohan!" Krillin chased the young hero down the stairs and down the long corridor of Capsule Corp until they exited the building. "Piccolo already instructed that we all stay here. You'll only get yourself killed!" He flailed his arms and stomped his foot. "Besides, if your mom finds out you left, she'll flip out!"

"I don't care! I sense his energy falling, he's dying!" Gohan gnashed his teeth, and clenched his fists so tightly that his entire body began trembling. "I've already lost dad to that monster, and I'm not letting him take Piccolo!" His hair spiked up, as his pupils began turning green. "You'll pay Frieza!" His hair turned blond for a second but flickered back to jet black, but his eyes remained green. With a fearsome shout came a dazzling golden light that consumed his entire body. Seconds later, he stepped forward as a Super Saiyan. Without wasting a second, he shot up into the air flew towards North City.

"Gohan!" Krillin stretched his arm out. His scowl conveyed a blend of fear and uncertainty. "Ugh! Damn it!" He sprang into action.