Co-written by SuperSaiyan2Link.
Pan watched the rest of the scenario play out: Vegeta fighting in vain against the two figures, eventually being knocked unconscious, and being picked up and flown away. She realized what made Trunks so tense before showing her the scroll: his father's life was being threatened by Towa.
After she asked where Vegeta, Krillin, and Bulma were, Trunks took a breath, then explained after Piccolo's death, the Dragon Balls were turned to stone, and that Krillin, Bulma, and Gohan went to Namek to use the Dragon Balls of that planet to revive Piccolo, in turn reviving the Earth's Dragon Balls. He then revealed that not only Vegeta, but also Frieza and his forces sought out the Namekian Dragon Balls as well.
When Pan asked why Vegeta was against Frieza this time around, Trunks told her Vegeta was defecting and found an common ally in the Z-Fighters there in order to stop him from gaining immortality with the Dragon Balls. Pan saw this as a point of redemption for Vegeta, even after what he did when he first arrived to Earth.
Now that she knew the context of their being on Namek, Pan asked what was going on in that instance on the scroll. Trunks explained that Dodoria wasn't supposed to be there, both him and Zarbon were far more powerful than they should've been, and instead of just killing Vegeta, they were going to deliver him to Frieza. Their one advantage was they both had more time before any negative effects could creep in due to Vegeta not being killed from that battle, but even then, time would run out soon.
Handing Pan the scroll, he told her to be careful and to protect Vegeta, both for his own sake and Bulla's. Pan clenched the scroll and closed her eyes, disappearing from Trunks' sight.
On Planet Namek, Pan arrived nearby Krillin and Bulma's location, the former holding a Namekian Dragon Ball in his hands. As Bulma explained that Gohan was off tracking another Dragon Ball, Vegeta flew in and landed nearby, demanding they hand over their Dragon Ball. Her thoughts on Vegeta soured when he threatened both of them, especially his future wife Bulma. Just as the situation looked like it would lead to Krillin having to battle Vegeta, everyone's attention turned to Zarbon landing from across Vegeta.
Bulma wondered if Zarbon was there to save them, to which Krillin told her he was one of Frieza's men. Zarbon intended for Vegeta to reveal where he hid Namekian Dragon Balls, but also hoped he'd have to beat Vegeta within an inch of his life for an answer. Vegeta scoffed, informing Zarbon that Saiyans grow in power immensely from near-death, and that it was a mistake for Zarbon to have had him healed. As Vegeta taunted Zarbon to transform, a flash of light emerged next to Zarbon, then began to reveal someone to Vegeta's shock: Dodoria.
At first, Dodoria appeared confused as if he didn't know where he was or how he got there, but once a purple aura flowed through him, he recomposed himself. He turned to Krillin, remembering him and Gohan ambushing him and Krillin blinding him while fleeing. Krillin warned him that he was more than strong enough to defeat him this time, but Dodoria reassured the Earthling that he would let him live for now, as his main focus was getting revenge on Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince tried to hide his shock at Dodoria's survival, telling him that he still stood no chance against him. With a grin, Dodoria charged his newfound ki, unleashing a gust that gave even Vegeta pause. As Zarbon began to question just where Dodoria had been, Dodoria asked him "What do you say to us working together to bring down this Saiyan?" Just then, the same aura enveloped Zarbon, who then answered "For once, we are in agreement. And gladly."
As much as Krillin despised Vegeta, having seen even the proud Saiyan begin to lose his composure made part of him consider joining forces with Vegeta against a greater threat. Seeing Krillin take a step forward. Pan flew in front of him, signalling him and Bulma to get to cover, then stepped to Vegeta's side, keeping an eye on the two newly-empowered elites of Frieza. Vegeta warned her that this did not excuse her transgressions against him on Earth, and they would settle their score after they survived this battle.
Zarbon flew at Vegeta first, going for a kick to his neck. The Saiyan Prince stopped it with one hand, still standing, but being forced downward as he saw Dodoria running in for a ducking uppercut. Zarbon grinned, keeping Vegeta unable to stand or evade the incoming attack.
Dodoria found his uppercut intercepted by Pan blocking it, but the sheer force caused a whirlwind around the area. Vegeta and Pan were sent rolling, and the Saiyan Prince was immediately intercepted by Zarbon, who took him into the air. Pan saw Dodoria ready to take off and flew in his way.
"Getting in my way, are we, girl?"
Pan fired off several ki bullets, which Dodoria knocked away with his spiked wrists, then moved them quickly to block Pan's impending punches. None of the blows successfully harmed Dodoria, but each sent him grinding backward. Even still, he kept his balance, never wavering.
"Dodoria was on Vegeta's level..." inquired Pan. "...Right?"
"Right..." began Trunks. "...but after his defeat on Earth, my father's power increased dramatically, allowing him to easily overpower him."
"...so you're saying Vegeta should mop the floor with both of them."
"At this point in time, yes, but now Towa's made them more than a match for him."
Vegeta broke off his clash with Zarbon, both floating in midair. Zarbon saw Vegeta sweating while his light green skin was without any bruises, let alone blemishes.
"How?!" shouted Vegeta, who lost his composure as Zarbon began to cackle. "You couldn't best me without your transformation, and now I'm stronger than I was before!"
"Who knows, Vegeta..." began Zarbon. "Perhaps Saiyans aren't the only one whose power increase from battle after all."
Pan glanced away for just a moment to see what was happening on Vegeta's end, witnessing the dread on the Saiyan Prince's face.
"Aha!"
After Dodoria's comment, he disappeared from Pan's sight.
"I've got to focus!"
Pan tried to sense him, putting up her ki shield in advance, but just as she heard him again, he struck with his hand, managing to hit before her shield covered her completely. His five fingers' nails dug into her back, Pan wincing from the sharp pain, as Dodoria struck at the shield with his other hand. Instead of breaking it, the shield held, but Pan was knocked to the ground, Dodoria's other hand still on her.
"A force field, huh?"
He tossed her towards a wall of rock, finally letting her loose, but leaving an extended scratch upon release. Due to her shield, she bounced off the structure upon impact, but found herself on her back, one hand on her wound.
"He's far faster than he looks. I can't lose Dodoria again or he'll really gut me."
She noticed Dodoria planting his feet firmly into the ground and putting his arms back. Pan then caught a faint glow from between his lips.
"Quick!" shouted Trunks. "He's firing a...!"
She put both her hands out, glowing fast, as she quickly shouted...
"Kamehameha!"
Pan fired a quick Kamehameha burst at Dodoria's head before he could fire his mouth beam, sending him onto his back.
"Not much power, but enough for now."
She used her time to tear off a small piece from her cape, then wrapped it around her from underneath her jacket and over her shirt. The whole time, she watched as Dodoria slowly got to his feet, his face with a few marks from the attack. His joyous smile from before melted away into a near-snarl of annoyance.
"That... stung!"
He put one foot forward.
"Now I'll really crush you!"
His foot dug into the ground, leaving cracks as Dodoria flew at her head-first. She swiftly ducked as Dodoria tore through the entire rocky structure with a headbutt. Even as it crumbled on top of him, Dodoria simply stood, dusting off the top of his head.
"Talk about hard-headed..."
"I think you mean thick-headed," Trunks replied.
"Now's not the time for that," Chronoa reminded them both.
Meanwhile, Pan saw Vegeta's arm forced against his back by Zarbon, who then proceeded to knee the Saiyan Prince in the back.
"Shoot! Vegeta needs my help!"
She zoomed upward, but then found a barrage of ki projectiles in her path courtesy of Dodoria. As Pan had to place her focus in maneuvering around the barrage, Dodoria made his way up to Vegeta, where the two comrades attacked the Saiyan Prince at once. Vegeta tried to block one attacker with each arm, but was soon met a punch to the face from both Dodoria and Zarbon simultaneously, an impact that slammed him into the ground.
Pan, the barrage behind her, saw Vegeta's impact, as well as Zarbon and Dodoria side-by-side in the air, never more unified than in this moment. Zarbon put his hand out, the other hand steadying his aim as Dodoria performed the same motion.
"How is this...?" went Trunks in astonishment. "Dodoria's performing one of Zarbon's techniques."
Vegeta, still getting up, saw the dual Elegant Blasters ready to fire at him. Instead of trying to get out of the way, he put both his wrists out, believing he could deflect both of them.
"What is my father doing?! Against two of them and with their power-up, there's no way he can withstand them! That arrogant...!"
The two attacks fired just after Trunks' comment, to which Pan flew in front of Vegeta, gesturing him so her back faced the beams. She put up her ki shield, but she was unsure if that alone could stop the combined attack.
"Kaio-KEN!"
The shield doubled in size upon the attacks' collision. A massive explosion, one large enough to engulf the body of land they stood upon, sent Pan and Vegeta in the shield flying back before the two rolled closer to Bulma's cave where she and Krillin watched in shock. Once she deactivated the ki shield and her Kaio-Ken, the Saiyan Prince shoved her off of him.
"Get off me! What is this, woman?! You attack me on Earth and here you nurse me!"
He made it onto his feet, then pointed up at Zarbon and Dodoria, who floated above in no hurry to continue.
"You had a clear shot! You should've attacked them! Did you think I needed your help?!"
Pan kept it together in appearance in front of him, but she kept trying to justify putting up with it to herself.
"He's just like this now! He'll change! He'll become a better person!"
"Vegeta's difficult, I know," went Trunks. "At this point, he's still not much better than Zarbon and Dodoria, but Krillin and Gohan needed his help just to survive until Goku arrived. And even then, he was paramount against Frieza' forces."
"Hey!" shouted Dodoria from above. "Are you two just going to lick your wounds or will you at least put up a fight?!"
"I'm going to shut him up," declared Vegeta.
Zarbon prepared to advance, but Dodoria put out his arm in front of him.
"Let me take the Saiyan Prince. I'll make him beg."
Instead of arguing against this, Zarbon grinned.
"Be sure that you do, Dodoria. I won't give you long."
Dodoria scoffed, then slowly hovered downward eyeing Vegeta, who turned back to Pan.
"Don't delude yourself, girl: you are on your own," warned Vegeta. "If you can't handle Zarbon, I'd sooner watch you Earthlings die than spill one drop of my royal blood to help you."
Pan simply nodded as she eyed Zarbon, who waited with crossed arms. Vegeta's ascent began slowly, but then sped up rapidly as Dodoria did the same with his descent. A midair collision caused a big shockwave, sending them both back and causing sides of the cave to shed small pebbles.
"Will he be a better match against Dodoria as he is now?" asked Pan.
"Maybe..." began Trunks. "...but I fear my father will still underestimate Dodoria, much more-so than he did Zarbon. Should things get worse for him..."
"You know I'll step in if it comes to that."
"I know you will, but Zarbon will need your focus."
Pan made her way up to Zarbon's level, who turned his head, his green ponytail following.
"You surviving against the likes of Dodoria is impressive. I'd offer you the opportunity to join Lord Frieza's forces, but judging by the look on your face, you've already rejected it."
As much as Pan wanted to tell Zarbon she would never join the likes of Frieza, she kept it to herself and readied herself for battle.
"Such a waste. Oh well."
As soon as they began trading blows, Pan could already tell that Zarbon fought much more precisely and elegantly.
Whereas Zarbon seemed to have the complete edge over him earlier, Vegeta found Dodoria a much more even battle. Granted, he had yet to overpower him as of yet.
"Surprised, Vegeta? You thought I wouldn't be a match for you. Well I'm not just a match..."
"About to call yourself a forest fire?" Vegeta taunted.
"Not this time! This time, I'm a...!"
"What, a flaming hurricane?"
This further infuriated Dodoria into lashing out, but even then, Vegeta's taunt didn't gain him much more than a few free shots.
"Damn it, Father! You should've learned the stakes from Zarbon!"
Zarbon flew upward, firing an orange arrow-shaped down at Pan, who flew out of the way. She fired ki blasts in retaliation, but then heard a shout from Vegeta: Zarbon's attack nearly struck him from below, exposing him to a hit from Dodoria.
"Pan, focus!"
She turned back to Zarbon, just barely avoiding a kick from him. He looked down at Vegeta, then back to her, seeing the concern she tried to conceal.
"Ah. Loyalty to Vegeta?"
Pan knew she couldn't answer, but even with the Vegeta she knew growing up, her best friend's father, a Saiyan unrelated to her by blood, but that Pan sometimes treated like an uncle being long gone, she wouldn't allow either Zarbon or Dodoria to do anything to this brutal younger Vegeta.
"I highly doubt it's love."
With a shout, Pan struck Zarbon's cheek, but found herself immediately met with a barrage of kicks with the last sending her downward. She caught herself in midair, then flew back up for another punch. Zarbon swerved backward, then struck Pan below the chest, forcing her backward.
"My rib..."
"You have exceptional beauty, Earthling... but your power isn't enough against one of my caliber."
He covered the distance before Pan could fire off a ki blast, and took hold of her by her neck with one hand. Zarbon felt Pan gripping his wrist, but continued speaking with the same calm as before.
"You're stronger than that bald brute Vegeta ordered around, but not anywhere near myself, let alone the universe's last Saiyan."
He saw Pan's arms finally drop, believing her will to fight to be gone.
"It's a shame to snuff you out, but those who stand against Frieza must perish."
His other hand began to charge with ki as he was then startled to see Pan's hands against the side of her face.
"Solar Flare!"
Blinded, Zarbon let go of Pan, covering his eyes with both hands, and still keeping himself afloat, but trying to maintain his altitude.
"You! You insufferable little...!"
Pan knew this was her one chance to end things quickly.
"Kaio-KEN!"
A gut punch caused Zarbon to spit out dark green blood and forced him to release his eyes. His vision had not yet returned to him as he tried to follow what he could only perceive as a red blur zooming around him. Pan attacked all around him for as long as she felt she could before he could successfully hit back, but knew both that her window would soon expire and that her body couldn't hold Kaio-Ken forever.
A two-handed slam into the back of Zarbon's head sent him falling at a high speed. Pan followed him, booting his chest with both her legs to further accelerate his descent. She flew as fast as she ever had before, feeling her body tire, but knowing she had to land before Zarbon did.
"Come on, come on!"
As she landed, her feet practically embedded in the ground, she put both her hands out and caught the high-speed Zarbon by his back. Pan didn't feel anything close to Zarbon being crippled like Goku had done to Nappa, but she could tell from his cries that it was not something he'd recover from soon.
Pan reverted back from Kaio-Kan, dropping Zarbon just from her body trying to recover. She remained on her feet, but had to crouch over just to catch her breath.
"So... leave Zarbon as is, right?"
"The damage you've done to him was a bit much already, so..."
As Chronoa tried to finish, Pan saw Dodoria kicking Vegeta multiple times in midair, then knocking him down.
"Hurry!" shouted Trunks. "My father's...!"
"In trouble. I know."
Dodoria landed to the ground hard, causing Vegeta to stumble as he saw his adversary about to unleash Maximum Blaster.
"Go down alread...!"
Dodoria felt a crushing pain across his throat, causing the massive yellow beam to fire off from his hands into the sky instead of his intended target. Pan wrapped her legs around his sides, then pulled back with her family polearm with all her might. As Dodoria tried to grapple Pan, Vegeta took hold of both his arms and slammed both his feet into his stomach before tugging on them.
"That's it, Pan! Just keep Dodoria in place!"
"You already told me everything I could want to save your skin before! You have nothing to bargain with now!"
Pan didn't care to see Vegeta's sadistic side and just wanted the battle to be done with.
"What are you waiting for, Vegeta?"
The Saiyan Prince was surprised to hear her refer to him by name for the first time, but still scoffed at her.
"If you want Dodoria dead that badly, then do it yourself!"
In the midst of Vegeta's berating, a sphere-shaped projectile struck Pan's back, causing her to lose her grip on Dodoria and the Power Pole, her weapon dropping to his feet. Vegeta turned, seeing Zarbon, even after the beatdown he took earlier, having had enough power to fire off this attack.
"Damned brat should've finished him off first!"
He turned back to Dodoria, hiding his gasping for air with a look of intended wrath.
"Bastard!"
Just as Dodoria began to lift Vegeta off his feet, the Saiyan Prince quickly let go of one of his hands and fired off a blast at Zarbon, knocking him back. Just as he prepared another for the top of Dodoria's head, he felt his leg being tugged and was slung helplessly downward.
Pan, trying to reach for the Power Pole, saw it rolling away from her down towards the water, then lost sight of it: Dodoria grabbed her by the head, obscuring her vision with his palm. With a roar, he slammed Pan into Vegeta's chest, taking chips out of his armor and causing him to spit out blood. Before Dodoria could perform another attack on Vegeta with Pan's body, she fired at his face, forcing him to let her go. Just as she landed, Dodoria struck with a titanic punch. Pan guarded against it, but she was still floored by its force, leaving her exposed to a kick.
"Stay out of this, Earthling!"
He sent her rolling towards the cave's entrance, where she saw Krillin and Bulma watching her approach, as well as the figure that approached Vegeta.
"I'll be with you space trash in a minute."
Vegeta, who finally made it to his feet, lost sight of Dodoria as he finished his sentence.
"But first..."
Dodoria was behind Vegeta, grabbing him by his arms. For Vegeta, a nightmarish reminder of what he had done to Dodoria. For Dodoria, a reversal he was in control of this time.
"Prince Vegeta, was it?"
A tug caused Vegeta to spit out, followed by a shout of pain.
"Enjoying yourself, prince? It's fun on the other side, isn't it? ISN'T IT?!"
Pan watched as Dodoria continually pulled Vegeta by both his arms to the sound of the Saiyan's cries, fully intending to rip him in two.
"I'll take your arms, Vegeta! Let's see you get stronger from that! From bleeding to death!"
"Wait!" shouted Zarbon, who even admist the power-up looked deathly terrified at what Dodoria was doing. "Lord Frieza wants Vegeta alive! For the Dragon Balls he stole from us! It was an order!"
"Aww shove it!" Dodoria retorted. "Make an excuse! He'll summon the Ginyu Force to finish up here anyway! The prince is mine!"
Before, Dodoria was content with beating Vegeta down and returning him to Frieza, but after Vegeta had him at his mercy for the third time, he wanted nothing more than to make Vegeta feel the same agony he had felt each of those times.
Pan, seeing Dodoria's back turned, floated quietly to him. She grabbed his shoulder with one hand as the other delivered a chop to the back of his neck...
...which was followed by Dodoria striking her with the back of his head.
"You thought that measly chop would knock me out!? Now leave me to my fun!"
She swerved her body back upward, then tried wrapping both arms around his neck, but even as she tried to tighten her grip, it was to no effect.
"Ha! Go ahead! Try and choke me to death! Without your precious pole, your arms might as well be hugging me."
Every time Pan was in combat with someone, she had always been told not to go too far, whether it be ringing out Piccolo, knocking Raditz into the path of the first Special Beam Cannon, or nearly flying Vegeta and herself into orbit. Here, she was faced with all efforts to down Dodoria turning up short.
"I don't know if I can get him unconscious! What would you have me do?"
She knew Dodoria was supposed to have been killed earlier and that his presence here alone invited alterations to history. Pan waited to hear what to do in this situation, but she heard nothing from either of them.
"Trunks! Chronoa! What do I do here?!"
Pan knew they were both as stumped as she was.
"He'll kill Vegeta! Your father, Trunks!"
As Pan clearly became more panicked and after hearing what would befall Vegeta, Trunks and Chronoa both desperately attempted to come up with what to do.
"My father killed him... but Towa pulled Dodoria out before he was killed. So if he's here now, surely..."
"Vegeta is supposed to kill him. That is how history is supposed to be. Anything else would be..."
This deliberation between the two did nothing to help Pan, who kept waiting for confirmation. She could see Dodoria beginning to grow impatient with his attempts to tear Vegeta in two.
"This is taking too long. I'll just end this right now."
Pan immediately recognized that same glow from Dodoria's mouth.
"Nighty night, sweet prince!"
"I won't let Vegeta die."
She didn't know what would happen as a result of this, but Pan saw no other choice.
"Kaio-KEN!"
Dodoria felt a huge aura around Pan, and her grip on the top of his head and chin were far tighter than before, almost digging into his skin. As he hurriedly tried to fire his mouth beam at Vegeta, Pan swerved his head sideways...
*CRACK!*
...breaking his neck and causing the beam to avoid hitting Vegeta. Said beam struck a tall landscape, practically vaporizing it upon impact.
"Pan... what have you done?!"
Pan heard the shock in Chronoa's voice as she let go of Dodoria, who fell to the ground on his side, his dead eyes and shocked face frozen in place.
"You've... killed Dodoria."