Hey guys, before the chapter gets rolling I just have to thank you all again for your incredible support of the story. I know I've been doing a lot of this lately but thanks for getting this story over 400 reviews! Wow, that's incredible! And it's all thanks to you, my wonderful readers. You guys are the best! Now, for your reading pleasure, Chapter 30 of the Earthling Chronicles!
Edited by: Ness Frost
Chapter 30
The silence was deafening to Nail as he sat cross legged in front of the Grand Elder's home, awaiting the arrival of the mighty tyrant who was rapidly approaching. After growing accustomed to the bustling noise of the camp below his bluff, it was a strange feeling to once again be left in absolute solitude. Now only his thoughts remained to keep him company, even though they were the thoughts of two minds.
It was a bizarre feeling, having another consciousness brush against your own. After the ritual had been completed, Nail had felt like he might be completely overwhelmed by the sheer increase in the volume of thoughts and memories that had suddenly been thrust into his mind. With the passage of time, though, the stream of thoughts from Tsumuri had begun to trickle down until every single part of his mind had settled inside of his host's body.
Nail had been surprised by how quickly his brother's mind had settled into his own. He had thought that it would take months- maybe even years- for his fusion partner's psyche to fade into his subconscious, but it had only been a half-hour and Nail could already feel Tsumuri slipping away into the recesses of his mind. At the moment his kin was fairly active, maybe to the point that if allowed he could control Nail's body, but with every passing second Tsumuri became less active, and Guru's protector estimated that in less than a week he would become completely dormant.
A sigh escaped from the green warrior's lips as he opened his eyes and ceased his meditation. It was almost time; the demon had nearly arrived at the spire.
Guru and the other Elders had not been particularly pleased when he had informed them of his and Tsumuri's decision to use the forbidden technique. Moori and Tsuno had done a lot of yelling, and their anger over the younger generation's disregard for tradition and the warnings of their forefathers had been unleashed against the lone Namekian warrior. Guru had simply sat in silence until his eldest children were done with their tirade before reminding them all that what was done was done, and that now all that mattered was that Frieza was on his way.
After that, there had been no more discussion of discarded ancient customs or the flaunting of tradition as Nail helped the Elders move the villagers away from Guru's and begin on another exodus to yet another "safe haven". Nail, however, had no such illusions of safety. He knew that unless Frieza was defeated now, there would be no hole deep enough to hide his people from the sadistic lizard's wrath.
Moori and Tsuno had led what was left of the Namekian population away from the spire that held Guru's home, and now only the Grand Elder and his bodyguard remained. Guru was too old and feeble to be moved to a safer location, and the lone member of the Warrior Caste remained to fulfill his sacred duty of protecting his home and people from the monster that was terrorizing them.
Standing up, the green skinned warrior looked out in the direction of the immense energy signature that was heading his way. A blazing white aura slowly emerged around the warrior's form before he shot off into the sky and proceeded on an intercept course for the tyrant. Nail did not want there to be any chance of Frieza seeing Guru and potentially doing harm to the Father of the Nameks. He may have failed in protecting a countless number of his kin from this genocidal maniac but he was not going to allow the Grand Elder to fall at Frieza's malicious hands.
It only took about a minute of flying for Nail to see a small speck on the horizon slowly becoming larger, as it was on a collision course with him. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Guru's house was out of sight; Nail halted his own flight and began to patiently wait for Frieza to close the distance between them. As he waited, the lone warrior was able to catch his first glimpse of the ruthless overlord.
He was surprised when he did not see a flying figure heading his way, but the form of a round, metallic chair. Nail was also shocked by how small Frieza was and how feeble and weak he appeared, relying on the hover-craft to fly. The Namek knew this appearance of weakness was all a façade though. He could sense the almost overwhelming amount of power radiating off of the tyrant.
What the galactic dictator lacked in stature, however, he made up for completely with his grotesque appearance. The man possessed the appearance of a demon, with what looked like excess bone protruding from his head and arms to go along with a slimy pink material that seemed to be his skin. To complement the bone-like material that covered his head, the monster had two black horns protruding from his temples, completing the heinous appearance of Frieza.
The airborne chair hummed to a stop in front of Nail as the fiend finally arrived at the Namekian's position in the green sky. A cold chill seemed to course through the warrior's veins as Frieza's red eyes scanned over his body. A condescending chuckle permeated through the air before the shrill voice of the butcher of the Nameks broke the silence between the two.
"Well, look what we have here," Frieza said with a sadistic gleam in his eye. "A Namekian, just what I was looking for, though I was expecting to find more than one to greet me upon my arrival."
"Why have you come here?" asked Nail bluntly, barely containing his rage at the sight of the being responsible for the deaths of countless numbers of his brothers. "Haven't you done enough senseless slaughter of our people to sate your desire for bloodshed?"
"But it was just so fun that I thought I would get every ounce of entertainment out of your… people that I could," mocked the demon. Nail snarled in response at the man's suggestion that the Nameks weren't people at all, but rather lesser beings that were simply placed in the universe for the Arcosian's amusement.
"Though there is one thing that might be able to save you and the rest of your pitiful race," continued Frieza with a small smirk. "I recently acquired a set of Dragon Balls from the wonderful villages scattered around this planet and I was wondering if you knew the password to summon the wish-granting Dragon I've been told so much about?"
"Like I would tell you," said Nail, "You've slaughtered my kin and now you expect me to help you gain immortality so you can continue to kill innocents for the rest of eternity?"
The murderer simply shook his head in disappointment. "It's a shame that you're refusing to cooperate with my generous offer; it really would help your species survive longer. Guess I'll just have to ask the other 27 power levels that my scouter detected were in this area. Maybe they aren't as suicidal as you are?"
"My people would all rather die than help you!" shouted the green fighter.
Another chuckle emitted from the purple lips of the monster before he said, "Do you know how many times I've heard that line before? 5,743. And do you want to know how many times the creature that uttered those words eventually cracked and gave me what I desired? 5,743. I always get what I want, one way or another. I will not be denied my immortality!"
Nail was taken aback by the sudden shift in composure from the tyrant. One minute he was cool, calm, and collected and then in the next he had suddenly shifted into a fit of rage. After the outburst, however, Frieza had returned to his normal demeanor and was eyeing the Namekian warrior with a hint of amusement in his eyes at Nail's determination to defy him.
A growl erupted from his throat as Nail clenched his fist before saying, "You're not going to get a chance to question the others since you're not getting past me."
"Oh, is that right?" said Frieza as he lifted his hand up to the red scouter that covered his left eye. "Heh, oh my, your power level is impressive. 42,000. However I'm afraid that your power is insignificant when compared to my own. 530,000. That's the measurement this device places me at - and I know you Nameks aren't very smart so just for clarification - that is far greater than your own."
"Those power levels that you and your men are always spouting on about aren't everything in a fight," said Nail. "They can't take into account a person's willpower and desire to protect the ones he cares about. No matter the difference between those two numbers, I will defeat you!"
"Oh my," cackled Frieza as he lifted a hand to cover his mouth as he chuckled. "You are a spry one aren't you? Fine, I'll indulge this foolish endeavor of yours. You should be honored; I don't usually dirty my hands with this sort of grunt work."
'I have to stall him a little longer in order to allow the others to get away. Plus, I don't want our fight potentially harming Guru,' thought Nail as he stared down the smirking imp.
"Follow me," he commanded as his aura sparked to life once again. "We will fight on my people's ancient battleground. It will be fitting, seeing as how your defeat will be one of the greatest in history."
"Humph," snorted the Arcosian. "Fine, lead the way. It's not like time is much of a concern for me anymore."
Ignoring Frieza's last barb, Nail quickly blasted off in the opposite direction of Guru's home and flew towards one of his favorite training grounds. The region was far enough away from the Grand Elder's that it would buy the villagers more time to hide and the Earthlings time to use the wishes from Porunga.
Though the wishes would not be necessary if he was victorious in the upcoming battle. All Nail could do was hope that the power he had gained from his fusion with Tsumuri would be enough to end the sadistic being's reign of terror once and for all.
0o0o0o0o0o
Light suddenly flooded into Tien's vision as all three of his eyes snapped open. His lungs suddenly gasped for air as they attempted to replenish his body's exhausted supply of oxygen. While he relished the sudden intake of air, Tien was still unable to see thanks to the bright light that seemed to be hovering only a few inches above his face.
'So this must be what it feels like to be on the other end of a Solar Flare,' thought Tien as he blinked in an effort to readjust his eyes to the light. Slowly, he could make out a dark silhouette standing over him. Tien was eerily reminded of his arrival in the Otherworld the last time he had died. He really did not want another one of those ogres to be the first sight he saw before starting his afterlife of shame.
Surprisingly, though, the figure did not turn out to be one of the blue creatures that worked for King Yemma. Slowly the dark shadow transformed into a familiar green face that loomed above the prone form of the three eyed warrior.
"Dende?" said Tien groggily as the young Namek's face came clearly into focus for the first time.
"Yes, it's me," answered the child as Tien slowly sat up and glanced around. He found that he was still in the same battle-scarred terrain where he and Goku had fought against Captain Ginyu, not the check-in station of Otherworld. A throbbing in Tien's temple caused him to place his hand against the side of his shaven head before casting another glance towards the Namekian child.
"What are you doing here?" asked the stunned human. It was nothing short of a miracle that the one Namek with healing abilities had arrived on the battlefield in the nick of time to bring Tien back from death's doorstep.
"My brother said you and Gohan would need my help," answered Dende. "I'm just glad I get here in time. You were in pretty bad shape Tien, another minute and you would have been…"
"I know," responded Tien curtly, before nodding his head in the direction of Goku's motionless body. "Gohan and his dad are over there. They'll need your help too."
"Right," said the youngling with a nod of his head before dashing towards the unconscious father-son duo.
As the boy ran to help his friend, Tien simply sat there completely stunned by the sudden turn of events. Just moments ago, it had seemed like he was doomed to suffer an eternity being tormented by the knowledge that he had failed his friends and now events had taken another 180. It seemed like Fate had deemed to give him a second chance to redeem himself.
Pushing himself up, Tien stood up with newfound determination as he flexed his newly repaired muscles. Dende's restorative powers were truly impressive, nearly on par with the magical senzu beans in that regard. His tendons, which had been completely shredded by over-usage of the Kaio-ken, had been sewn back together and were now as strong as ever. It was quite a handy ability to be able to completely restore a person back to full power even from such grievous injuries.
Looking over his shoulder, the three eyed warrior saw that the small healer was bent over of the form of Goku as he worked to repair the man's wounds. Amber waves of energy washed over the Goku's body and Tien could see the cuts and bruises disappearing from his friend's body thanks to Dende's gift.
By the time Tien had made it to Dende's side, his friend had woken from his unnatural sleep and was gradually coming to his senses. A small smile formed on the former Crane student's face as he heard his former rival mumbling something about Chi-Chi making him breakfast. Same old Goku.
"Tien, what are you doing here?" asked the yawning Goku as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Are you eating breakfast here too?"
Simply shaking his head, Tien extended his hand and offered it to Goku before saying, "No Goku, I'm not here to eat breakfast and neither are you. We were fighting, remember?"
The dazed fighter took Tien's outstretched hand and was pulled to his feet. After taking a moment to regain his senses, Goku snapped his fingers before exclaiming, "That's right! We were fighting against that purple skinned guy with the silly poses. I remember you went down and then I jumped in to save… Gohan!"
The concerned father quickly whirled around as he desperately tried to find his son. Tien placed his hand on his ally's shoulder before steering him to face where Dende was kneeling beside Gohan's limp body. Already the young Namek's ability was having its effect on the half-Saiyan, as the two older warriors could see his eyes beginning to flutter open.
"Wow, he's ok," muttered Goku breathlessly, relieved that his son was going to be alright. Suddenly remembering that he himself had been severely injured, the wild-haired warrior quickly began to pat himself down looking for any of the wounds he had suffered in the battle. "And I'm ok! And so are you Tien!"
"Yes I am," said Tien with a nod. "Thanks to Dende, it looks like we're all going to make it."
"Yeah I guess so," said Goku as he looked down at the small Namek. "Plus, thanks to mini-Piccolo, I feel stronger than ever!"
Tien just shook his head at Goku's slightly racist comment before examining his friend's power level more closely. It had indeed jumped up another level thanks to the beating that he had received during the battle. It would not surprise the human if the Saiyan was even more powerful than Ginyu now.
"Daddy!" Gohan's body was a mere blur as he flung himself at his father. The two fell to the ground laughing as they embraced each other and even the stoic Tien was touched by the father-son moment playing out before him.
"Thanks Dende for helping me and my Dad," said Gohan as he looked over his shoulder and shot a smile at his friend. "You really saved us!"
"It was nothing really," said the Namekian child shyly as he shuffled his feet, embarrassed because of the praise coming his way. "I just did what anyone would have done."
"No," said Tien, and Dende raised his head up in surprise at the human's assertion. "Few people would have risked their lives to help out a couple of half-dead Earthlings. That took real courage, you should be proud."
"Yeah you did great Dende!" exclaimed Gohan as he leapt off of his father.
Smiling at his new ally and friend, Goku stood up and offered Dende a handshake before saying, "I really appreciate you saving me, Tien, and my son. Any friend of Gohan's is a friend of mine!"
"Thank you. You are all very kind," said the Namekian with a slight bow and a small smile.
"So what now Tien?" asked Goku, returning to the task at hand. "Do you think we should go after Ginyu now that we're healed?"
"Yes," said the Earthling, "and also Vegeta. Neither can be allowed to have possession of the Dragon Balls since Ginyu will give them to Frieza and Vegeta will use them to gain immortality for himself."
"Right and we need the wishes to wish back Krillin, Piccolo, and the others," said Goku as he crossed his arms and looked down at the ground deep in thought. "I don't really see any other option than to go after them."
"You're right, Goku, and thanks to Dende I think you'll be strong enough to beat Captain Ginyu now," informed Tien.
"Wow you really think so?" asked Goku skeptically.
"Yeah dad, you're a Saiyan!" interjected Gohan. "I remember Vegeta saying that every time a Saiyan survives a near-death experience, they become much stronger than before! So now that you're all better after that fight against Ginyu, you should be a lot stronger!"
"Plus, you were close to him in strength during our last battle. Now that you've received this power boost, Ginyu should be no match for you now and neither should Vegeta," said the three eyed warrior.
"Alright then, let's go beat those guys and then wish everyone back!" exclaimed Goku as he turned to fly off in the direction of Ginyu's energy signature. His son took to the air with him while Dende hung hesitantly back, unsure of what to do. It did not take long for the Saiyan from Earth to realize that Tien had not moved and was staring off into the opposite direction.
"Hey Tien, are you coming buddy? I thought you said we had to go after Vegeta and Ginyu. What are you standing around for?" he shouted as he hovered several dozen feet in the air.
Tien sighed before turning his head to face the Turtle School pupil. "No Goku, I'm not coming with you this time. I'm afraid that unlike you, I did not get stronger from surviving our last encounter. I would just be a liability on the battlefield at this point."
"So you're just giving up?" asked a confused Goku. It was unlike his friend to ever back down from a challenge and to simply cease to fight even if he knew he was outmatched. Even against a superior foe like King Piccolo, Tien had never stopped fighting until he could no longer continue.
"No, not quite," answered the stoic warrior as the memory of a young Namekian's plea to him the day before filled his mind. "I just have to go somewhere first and do something I should have done a while ago."
Turning to face the young Namek at his side, Tien said, "You should go with them Dende. They'll need you to summon the Dragon, since Nail informed me that it could only be summoned by speaking Namekian. He taught me the incantation, but I hope that by the time I catch up with you all the wishes will already be complete. Plus, your healing powers might come into play again just in case something goes wrong."
Dende nodded before taking to the sky to join the Son men, who were still looking at Tien with curious expressions. Where did Tien have to go and why did he think it would help him become stronger in such a short time? Gohan had an inkling of an idea of what the human warrior was planning but he was not certain, and Goku simply shrugged his shoulders before speaking again.
"Well good luck Tien. I hope to see you soon. I'll be sure to give Ginyu a few good hits for you!"
"They'll be much appreciated," said Tien with a small smirk. "Good luck Goku, our friends are counting on you."
The wild haired fighter's goofy expression quickly turned to a serious one as he gave his former rival a confident nod before taking off in the direction of Frieza's ship. Gohan and Dende quickly followed in the elder Saiyan's trail, leaving Tien alone on the ravaged field.
Looking around, the human fighter realized that it would take years, maybe even decades, for the landscape to recover from the battle that had been waged here. Large craters now marred the once beautiful blue plains, and the picturesque lagoon that had resided to the side of the meadow was now empty and dry, reduced to a giant mud pit that fit in quite well with the burnt fields and scorched earth. There seemed to be no hope of recovery for this once beautiful region of Namek.
And yet, in the dead center of the desolation resided a single blue bud. Sprouting up in the middle of the barren wasteland, it stood tall and proud in defiance of the destruction that surrounded it. This tiny piece of the former beauty of the meadow served as reminder of the past, and at the same time held a glimmer of hope for the future of recovery even after such a cataclysm.
Looking down at the single seed of life in this scarred and burnt earth, Tien outstretched his hand in a seeming effort to reach down and grasp it. Instead of touching it, though, the human halted his limb's advance on the plant, stopping mere inches from it. Drawing some of his ki out, Tien slowly allowed some of his energy to flow out of his body and into the azure sprout and the surrounding dirt.
As he fed it his energy, Tien watched as the tiny bud grew and then bloomed into a beautiful red blossom. Then, the surrounding area began to sprout up more of the same species of flowers until an entire patch of roses had blossomed in the area. Ceasing the output of energy, Tien stood up and looked at the cluster of life that he had helped cultivate before slowly ascending into the air and flying in the opposite direction that his friends had gone.
0o0o0o0o0o
"Are we almost there yet?" came the ear piercing voice of Frieza, and Nail winced slightly from the outburst. The tyrant's high-pitched voice really bothered the Namek's sensitive ears and he wished, for his hearing's sake, that he had at least had a deeper voice. Other than the slight grimace, though, Nail simply ignored the frost demon's question.
The Namek's super-hearing also picked up the growl of annoyance that came from the fiend's throat because of his "impudence". Again, he simply ignored his enemy as he continued to focus on the ground below. Only a little farther until they reached the spot that Nail had in mind.
"I'm beginning to grow impatient with this little charade, Namek!" shouted Frieza from behind Nail. "I know time isn't the biggest concern in the universe for me now, since I will soon become immortal, but this is ridiculous. Are we going to fight or not?"
Not bothering to answer the Arcosian, Nail simply halted his flight mid-air above a small ravine with a small river running beside it. This was the area where he had spent much of his childhood training under the last protector of their people, and where he had honed his skills for many years. It was only fitting that he fight what could be his final battle where it had all began.
"Follow me," he said bluntly as he descended to the ground with Frieza following directly behind him in his hover-chair. Touching down onto the ground, Nail grasped the blue vest he had been wearing and discarded it to the side as Frieza finally got out of his chair behind him.
"So Namek, what do you think of the most powerful being in the universe?" asked Frieza as he placed both of his hands behind his back.
"I expected you to be taller," said Nail in a dead-pan voice as he turned to face his opponent.
The ruler of the North Quadrant simply chuckled. "Why be taller when I have all the power needed to defeat you now? In fact, your power level is so negligible compared to mine that I possess all the power necessary to beat you in my left hand," Frieza said as he raised the aforementioned appendage.
"You're very confident in your abilities," the green-skinned man commented as he dropped into his fighting stance, "especially for someone that uses others to do his dirty work."
"Oh I assure you, I am quite capable of doing the 'dirty work' - as you call it - myself," remarked the galactic overlord smugly. "In fact, just to prove how utterly hopeless this fight is for you, I'll allow you to strike me. Go on, I won't bite, well at least not yet."
Shrugging his shoulders, Nail quickly retorted, "Suit yourself," before kicking off of the ground and flying towards the arrogant dictator. Bringing back his leg, the lone member of the Warrior Caste whipped his limb forward and hammered his foot into the side of Frieza's face. For a split second, Nail could see the demon's eyes widening in a mixture of surprise and pain as it seemed his head was thrown back in slow-motion before the full force of the kick came into effect.
The powerful flying roundhouse sent the genocidal alien's small frame flying through the air for several hundred feet before it collided with the wall of the canyon. Upon contact, Frieza's body pierced through the sheared rock and disappeared into the newly created cave as thousands of tons of stone collapsed atop the stunned tyrant.
Satisfied with his the effect of his attack, Nail placed his hands at his side and waited for his opponent to emerge from the pyramid of rubble. Since Frieza had measured his power level with that device, the warrior had been slowly raising his ki in an effort to reach full power without his foe noticing. His tactic had led to the expected result of the cocky butcher underestimating him and allowing him to get a free shot in that did significant damage.
Hearing a howl of rage, the Namekian saw that the pile of rock seemed to be rising into the air in one giant mass of stone. Compressing together, the formerly loose mound of rock now seemed to have been melded into one giant boulder that was slowly rising into the air until it was several hundred feet above him. After a few more seconds of staring in slight awe of this colossal mass, Nail heard a familiar snickering.
Hovering beneath the mountain of bedrock was Frieza himself with one of his fingers stretched upwards in the direction of floating rock. "Heh, heh that was quite a powerful kick there Namek, it seems I may have underestimated you. Let's see how you like being buried alive though!"
Screaming the last word, the frost demon thrust his arm forward and pointed directly at Nail. As if on command, the ball of rock hovering above Frieza rocketed forward towards the Namekian warrior and the planet.
Nail snarled as he realized that he could not simply dodge the oncoming missile since it could do significant damage to his home world if he allowed it to hit the planet's surface. Acting quickly, the warrior gathered some of ki into his hand and then fired an orange energy beam that collided with the streaking sphere. The descent of the stone was slowed significantly by Nail's beam, but it still did not possess enough power to completely destroy the rock upon impact. Pouring forth more of his ki, Nail released a fierce battle cry as his attack finally overwhelmed the rock and a giant explosion filled the sky.
A deafening roar filled the Namek's ears and he cringed in pain as the sound overwhelmed his senses while a brilliant light illuminated the sky. The usually green atmosphere above had transformed into what seemed to be an orange sun and thousands of meteorites shot from the epicenter of the blast, giving it the appearance of a magnificent firework. His proximity to the denotation caused him to be thrown backwards violently and he landed roughly several hundred feet away on the other side of the river.
Slowly, the thundering blast subsided and the beams of light died down to only leave a giant cloud of smoke as evidence of the titanic struggle. Nail panted slightly from the effort of overcoming the hunk of rock and he berated himself for not being prepared for such an attack. He had not been aware that Frieza possessed telekinetic abilities and it had led to him being caught off-guard. It wouldn't happen again.
"I just love fireworks, don't you?" The voice had come from behind him, and Nail attempted to turn his body to face his opponent, but he was too late as a swift kick sent the Namek flying into the air. Forcing his flight to a halt, the green fighter began to scan for his adversary but he caught sight of Frieza too late as a swipe from the Arcosian's tail sent the Namekian crashing back to the ground.
Flipping himself upright, Nail dug his heels into the ground and skidded to a halt. His eyes tracked Frieza as the heinous alien dropped back to the ground himself and gave the Namek another smug look and chuckle.
"Well it seems you aren't completely incompetent, I would say you're even stronger than Ginyu," Frieza mockingly praised. "Let's see if my intuition is right, shall we?"
Raising one of his hands to the red scouter across his face, the galactic overlord lightly tapped the button of the side of the device. A loud beep signaled the beginning of the machine's analysis and Nail watched his foe's eyes widen in horror as the number on the screen continued to rise. Finally, the scouter was unable to measure the Namekian's immense energy signature and malfunctioned. A small explosion obscured the frost demon's face for a few moments as the device burst apart from its overloaded system.
Nail's ears pricked up when he heard the fiend snarl in anger as he finally realized just how powerful his opponent was. As the smoke cleared, the lone warrior could see a brief flash of rage on the tyrant's face before Frieza regained his normal, composed state.
"It would seem you have even more power than I originally thought," spat out the Arcosian. "I could use a power like that and you would be well rewarded for your valuable services. What do you say Namekian?"
An unusual occurrence then happened for the usually sober Namekian: he actually laughed out loud. "You really expect me to work for you now that you realize that you're in danger of losing this fight? After you slaughtered my people with reckless abandon for your own selfish purposes, you think I'm just going to forget everything that you've done for a few riches! I will never forget and I will never forgive! You are going to fall here and now you monster for the heinous acts you have committed against my people and countless others across the universe! Justice will be dealt and there's absolutely nothing you can say that will save you from my righteous wrath!"
"That was quite the speech," retorted Frieza, for the first time actually sounding serious. "But I simply didn't want to let a power like yours go to waste. For you see, you have absolutely no hope of defeating me my friend. No matter how "righteous" your cause is or how determined you are to defeat me, it will not matter in the end because my power is limitless. You can either join me and live, or die here because of your foolish 'morals'. It's your choice."
A growl escaped from Nail's throat as dropped back into his stance in preparation to resume the fight. "Just shut up and fight!"
With a shrug of his shoulders, Frieza responded, "Suit yourself. I honestly can't see why so many of you 'heroes' are so intent on getting yourselves killed, because that is the only ending of the path you've chosen."
With a bellow of rage, the last Namekian warrior suddenly charged the monster who had slain so many of his people and delivered a powerful right hook to Frieza's jaw that silenced the alien for now. Dashing after him, Nail continued his assault but his foe was ready for him and the two clashed in the sky as a shockwave erupted through the air, signaling the beginning of another round between the two titans.
0o0o0o0o0o0
The wind whipped around the three-eyed human as he streaked through the emerald sky in a race against the clock to arrive at Guru's. The sooner he arrived at the Eldest Namek's home, the sooner he could receive the power-up the ancient alien had offered to him earlier. Then, he could return to help Goku in case they were forced to do battle against Frieza.
He had been a fool earlier in refusing Guru's generous offer to increase his power to help him in the upcoming battles against Frieza and his henchmen. Tien had been blinded by pride and the desire to rely only on the strength that he himself had worked for and rejected the offering that could have assured him victory. It was a stupid mistake, for if Tien had only been mature enough to realize that it was okay to except the help of others, he would have had more than enough power to defeat Captain Ginyu with ease.
Now, thanks to his hubris, they had lost the Dragon Balls to the flamboyant villain and if they weren't able to take them back quickly, it could mean that they would lose any chance of reviving their fallen friends. Not to mention that with every passing second, it seemed more likely that Vegeta or Frieza would use the wishes for themselves. Then there would be nothing to stop them from terrorizing the universe for the rest of time!
All of this could come to pass simply because of Tien's stubbornness. With this second chance that he had been given, though, the human warrior realized that he had to do everything possible to up their chances of succeeding. He owed it to his friends that were counting on him to bring them back from the next dimension and if that meant sacrificing his pride, then so be it.
The words of the small Namekian boy, Cargo, seemed to ring through his ears as he flew. The child had urged him to return to the spire where the surviving Nameks had established a camp around the mountain that bore the home of their leader. There was one part of the youngling's strange plea, however, that still puzzled Tien. The child had claimed that he would have to bring an "injured friend" with him when he returned. Who could this person be that he was supposed to bring back with him? Cargo had been right with his prediction of Dende needing to be there at the battle against Ginyu and in the fact that Tien needed to return to Guru's, but could he have been wrong about the injured friend part?
As the former Crane Student pondered the Namekian child's strange prophecy, Tien was suddenly assaulted by a massive amount of energy that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Stopping dead in his tracks in the air, Tien whipped his head around to look towards the west where it seemed two gigantic powers were doing battle.
"One of them must be Frieza," said Tien aloud, "but where did that other energy signature come from? It's even larger than Frieza's!" Closing his eyes, the stoic fighter extended his senses even further out in an attempt to distinguish the two colossal ki's apart from each other. After a few seconds of meditation, Tien could clearly tell that one of the powers belonged to the evil tyrant Frieza. The other was much harder to place but after another few moments of examination Tien suddenly exclaimed.
"Nail!?" There was no mistaking it; the energy signature was definitely that of the Namekian warrior. Yet it still felt foreign to Tien as his mind felt the energy signature that seemed to belong to his friend. It was Nail, and yet, at the same time it wasn't.
"What is he doing fighting Frieza though?" wondered the Earthling. "And how did his power jump to a completely different league than it was before?"
At that moment, it suddenly hit him: Nail must have been the friend Cargo spoke of earlier. The Namekian warrior must be destined to lose his battle against Frieza, and it was up to Tien to save him from dying against the sadistic killer. Yet, at the moment at least, it seemed that the protector of Namek was doing fine against the Arcosian. If anything, his friend seemed to have the upper hand during the clash.
That didn't matter, though: if there was any possibility that Nail would be defeated, than Tien needed to be there to save him. He had failed too many people already; he wasn't going to let another one of his friends down. Not when there was a chance that he could make a difference.
"Don't worry, I'm on my way Nail," said Tien as he flared his crimson aura and took off in the direction of the battle between the defender of the Namekians and the evil tyrant, Frieza.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Nail heard yet another feral snarl come from the purple lips of the butcher of his people as he blocked yet another one of the alien's attacks. The two had been locked in an exchange of blows for some time now and while each combatant had received their fair share of hits, Nail had evaded or deflected the majority of his opponent's attacks while managing to slip through Frieza's defenses time and time again. The Namekian could feel the frustration radiating off of his opponent at his inability to stomp out the pesky green fighter once and for all.
Catching the Arcosian's small fist in his own palm, Nail gave the enraged overlord a mocking smirk before using his other hand to fire a Kiai which sent Frieza sprawling backwards. The guardian of the Eldest Namek wasn't finished with his attack yet, however, as he shot his limb forward after the retreating figure of Frieza.
Thanks to the Namekian ability to extend their limbs to extreme lengths, Nail's green arm snaked after the tottering frost demon and managed to latch onto his leg. Retracting to its normal length, the arm pulled the alarmed alien back towards the primed Nail who quickly thrust his knee into Frieza's exposed stomach as soon as he was within reach.
A clot of blood was thrown from his opponent's mouth as Nail ground his kneecap into his enemy's now broken armor. Leaving his opponent doubled over in pain, the green warrior followed up his knee strike with a vicious elbow that sent the tyrant crashing to the ground.
Frieza wasn't completely overwhelmed by the force of Nail's attacks, however, as he managed to ease his fall slightly, cushioning the impact. No large crater was formed or billow of dust blown into the air by his contact with the ground. Using his ki to stop himself, Frieza landed on the ground, only slightly jarring his body as he landed on all fours.
What the mass murderer wasn't expecting, however, was for the determined Namek to continue his assault so quickly. As Frieza was pushing himself up to his feet, Nail suddenly phased behind him and fired a powerful, golden ki wave that completely encompassed the form of the galactic overlord. In fact, Frieza only had time to glance over his shoulder before the energy overtook him and concealed him from sight.
Panting, Nail looked at the cloud of debris in front of him with satisfaction. Even if the slayer of his kin had managed to survive his Mystic Flash attack, he would be severely damaged from it. Meaning that it would only be a matter of time before Nail would be able to deliver the final blow and exact vengeance on the tyrant for his fallen brothers.
The Namekian was not disappointed by the results of his barrage, for when the smoke cleared, it revealed the weary form of Frieza. His purple armor had been completely obliterated, revealing more of the white and purple bone-like material that covered the rest of his body. The alien's arms hung limply at his sides and his back was bent as he seemed to be gasping for air.
Yet, when Frieza realized that his opponent could see him, Nail saw him put on the same smug mask of arrogant confidence he had worn for most of their interactions. In fact, the Arcosian actually began to laugh at the Namekian, even though Nail could tell it caused him pain to do so. The fiend's actions elicited a snarl from the usually stoic warrior. Why couldn't this lunatic simply concede defeat?
"I must say Namek… I'm quite impressed by your strength. I've only met a handful of fighters with your skill and power, outside of my own family of course," commented Frieza in between gasps for air. "It's a shame that you didn't accept my offer, it seems that all that talent is going to go to waste."
"What are you talking about?" bellowed Nail, the demon's cool demeanor getting under his skin and causing him to lose his composure. "You've been losing this entire fight, you're about to pay for your crimes and yet you still hang onto the delusion that you can win!"
Frieza simply chuckled as he finally stood upright and clenched his hands by his side. "It's not a delusion. It's a simple fact. You can't beat me you simpleton! I've only begun to scratch the surface of my power!"
It was like a light-bulb had suddenly gone off above Nail's head as he suddenly came to the startling conclusion his opponent had constantly been hinting at. "You've been holding back?"
"That's right green man," said the maniacal tyrant with another fit of laughter. "Now watch carefully, only a few people have had the privilege of witnessing this transformation before. I believe you are the third person that has pushed me to this point, but let me assure you that after this, any hope you had of victory will be thrown out the window!"
With that, Frieza unleashed a primal scream and the surrounding terrain began to shake violently as a red, electrical energy encased the Arcosian's body. A look of abject horror formed on Nail's face as his enemy's energy began to skyrocket as his muscles began to bulge and the horns on the side of his head began to curve upwards.
Realizing that if the heinous imp was able to finish this metamorphosis into the hulking creature he was becoming there would be no stopping him, Nail poured all of remaining energy into an orange sphere in his palm. With a fierce yell of his own, the Namek made one last effort to stop the monster's transformation.
His energy beam was upon the changeling in a split second and a huge explosion rocked the landscape as fire and smoke consumed Frieza and hid his form in the blast. A behemoth-sized mushroom cloud rose into the sky as the tremors in the earth ceased and Nail's hands fell to his knees as his lungs desperately grasped for air.
As Nail gulped all of the oxygen his lungs could muster a deep, rumbling laugh began to echo throughout the ravine. Looking up, terror consumed the Namekian's body and mind as he witnessed the terrible form of the now gigantic Lord Frieza.
"What's the matter Namekian?" taunted the demon with his now deep voice. "I thought you wanted me to be taller."
0o0o0o0o0o
Goku suddenly stopped mid-flight as he felt one of the powers he had been sensing suddenly double in size. To his horror, however, it was the evil and dark ki that had made the leap in power.
"Did you sense it too Dad?" asked Gohan as he and Dende stopped in their flight as well. Both of the boys looked up with worried faces as they looked to the older hero for answers.
"Yes son," replied the Saiyan from Earth. "It seems like Frieza was holding back the entire time during his fight with that other huge power level."
"His power level, it's… unreal," commented the half-saiyan boy.
Seeing the downtrodden look in his son's face and also in the face of the Namekian child, Goku decided to uplift their spirits some. "Hey don't worry you two, look we're almost caught up with Ginyu and then we'll be able to use the Dragon Balls! Everything will turn out okay, I promise."
The two boys nodded their heads, the small smiles on their faces showing Goku that he had been successful in making them feel better about their chances. The trio flew for another minute in silence before they arrived at the peninsula where Frieza's ship had landed. Goku was completely taken aback by the sheer size of the craft since it was many times larger than the ship that Dr. Briefs had allowed him to use on the journey to Namek.
"Alright you two should hang back," Goku said as he surveyed the ground below and saw the form of two figures standing in front of the massive ship. "I don't want Ginyu or Vegeta to hurt either of you so it will be safest for you to hide out here until after the battle is over."
"But Dad I want to help!" exclaimed Gohan.
"I know you do son," said the boy's father as he placed a hand atop Gohan's head and ruffled his hair, "but I'm not sure if you're quite ready for a battle of this magnitude. Let me take care of this one, alright Gohan."
The boy simply nodded, still slightly downtrodden, but Goku knew that he and Dende would listen to him. Satisfied that the two boys would be out of harm's way, the Turtle School student quickly descended towards the two forms that were standing beneath him.
As he touched down in front of them however, he was utterly shocked by the scene before him. Standing before him was the proud Saiyan Prince, staring down at the motionless body of Captain Ginyu. The purple-skinned alien's body was limp and Goku was not sure if the man was dead or alive. As a gust of wind washed over the two Saiyans, Goku saw that the short, green alien was cowering off to the side while the flame-haired Saiyan stood over his commanding officer.
"Well hello there Goku," spat out the older Saiyan as he turned to face the Saiyan from Earth. "How nice of you to drop in and join us."
Alright there's Chapter 30, and here's the power levels for this Chapter and Chapter 29 as promised. At the bottom, is my thoughts on how Namekian Fusion works and how it effects their power levels.
Chapter 29 Power Levels
Ginyu: 120,000
Goku: 110,000
Tien: 12,000
Tien (Kaio-Kenx8): 96,000 Time Limit=1 minute
Tien (Kaio-Kenx9): 108,000 Time Limit=30 seconds
Tien (Kaio-Kenx10): 120,000 Time Limit= A few moments
Gohan: 45,000
Chapter 30 Power Levels
Nail: 570,000 {Nail's Power Level (42,000) + Tsumuri's Power Level (15,000) times 10}
Frieza (1st Form): 530,000
Frieza (2nd Form): 1,060,000
Alright, so here are my thoughts on the Namekian Fusion. In the manga/anime, the first instance we see of it is Nail and Piccolo fusing together. We're not exactly sure of how strong Piccolo was at the time, but he was stronger than the rest of the Z Fighters on King Kai's planet and could defeat them all when they ganged up on him to fight. Those fighters were shown to be slightly stronger than the Ginyu Force members (I would say around 10% stronger than them) so I would estimate Piccolo at the time of his arrival on Namek as being around 60,000.
We know Nail's power level is 42,000 at the time (stated in canon), and we know that Piccolo was than evenly matched with Frieza's 2nd form after the fusion (or around the 1 million range). Using the formula I came up with as shown above (Fusion Participant A + Fusion Participant B times 10) you would get Piccolo's new power level after his fusion with Nail to be 1,020,000 a perfect amount for the level of power he displayed in his fight against Frieza.
Alright, there's my spill on power levels for this chapter, I hope you enjoyed the beginning of the Frieza fight, with Nail actually forcing the Arcosian to transform already! Again I really appreciate all of the support you guys have shown me and this story in getting Earthling Chronicles over 400 reviews! I am absolutely stunned by the success this story has had and I'm glad you all enjoy the story so much.
Oh, and before I forget again, I know I've seen several reviews suggesting implementing Arale into the story as another female fighter to go along with Chi-Chi. Sorry to say, that won't be happening in this story mainly because there's no way that she could compete with the Z Fighters now. When she is shown in Dragon Ball, Arale is the same strength as Goku was, maybe stronger, during the Red Ribbon Saga. Being an Android, she cannot become stronger than she was built to be so her strength has not increased at all and actually cannot get any higher. Also, she would still have the appearance of an 8 year old girl since again she is in fact a robot.
Again, thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you in a review! Until next time!