Nail, Krillin, and Gohan dispatch the last of Freeza's minions as they search the ship for the Dragon Balls. Upon stepping through the next door they find the orbs glistening beneath artificial light.

The hum of the great battle between Vegeta and Freeza in the back of their minds stops. A raging chill strikes down their spines. An evil presence like none of them have experienced paralyzes them in place.

"Freeza…" says Krillin. "He's on his way. His power is…it's unreal."

Nail shakes off his fear, though the anxiety clings to his stomach.

"Get the Dragon Balls," he says. "Let's meet up with Dende outside."

Nail blasts a hole in the ceiling for a quick exit. He presses two orbs together with a third between them. They stack up in his arms. Krillin grabs two while Gohan gets the last. They fly through the opening in the ship.

Dende waits on a nearby island. They drop the Dragon Balls by him.

"Dende, Gohan," says Nail, "you two are in charge of moving the Dragon Balls as far from here as you can. If the worst should happen, dump them in the ocean so Freeza can't find them. Krillin, you and I are going to get the last one from Goku."

They nod. Their stomachs churn as the terrifying presence of Freeza draws closer.

Nail and Krillin zoom to the sky.

"When we find Goku," says Nail, "you'll take the Dragon Ball straight to Dende and wish everyone but Freeza to Earth. Got it?"

"I do. Are you sure you and Goku can hold Freeza off long enough?"

"I hope so or we're all doomed."

###

Goku quickens his pace, but he knows he cannot escape the speed of the wrathful blizzard rolling in behind him.

His fingers and toes go cold as his body enters a life preserving state. The blood vessels of his extremities restrict circulation to concentrate his blood around his organs. His terror grows as the involuntary measures take place. His body shakes and shivers.

The dreadful aura surrounds and suffocates him. His breaths shorten as the air fills with a poisonous miasma.

A tiny warmth suddenly appears in the sea of malice. The life forces of Krillin and Nail bob in the squall of despair.

The loneliness and isolation melts away as they get closer. His speed increases as his morale warms up. He sees them on the horizon, lifting his mood further. They meet in a burst of auras.

"I'm sure glad to see you two," says Goku. "Did we get the Dragon Balls?"

"We sure did," says Krillin. "We just need that one."

Krillin wants to ask for it so he can escape. The fear of Freeza bearing down on them cuts deep. He feels guilty about leaving Goku and Nail to face such a vengful storm.

"Hurry back to Gohan and Dende," says Goku offering the ball with a smile.

Krillin gulps as he takes it. "I feel absolutely sick about leaving you guys to fight such a monster."

"We all have to do our part," says Goku. "Yours is just as important. But be quick, okay? I don't want to fight any longer than we have to."

Krillin gives a nervous chuckle and takes off. Relief fills him as he flees the horrible fate.

Don't take any unnecessary risks you guys, he thinks. We're so close.

Goku and Nail stare into each other's eyes. They share an unspoken bond in this moment of peril. They turn to face the tremendous force gathering before them.

Blustering energy laps the sky as Freeza breaks from behind the horizon. In a moment he reaches Goku and Nail, blasting past them without stopping. They brace against the turbulence following Freeza's wake. It swirls them around as the air vibrates with animosity.

They regain their composure and give chase.

Gold and white flames ignite from Nail. Goku summons a Kaioken, but he is too afraid to match Nail with a full double. Fear creeps in. Fear of the same pain he inflicted upon himself during the battle with Ginyu floods his mind. Though healed, his muscles and ligaments are still tender and resonate with memories of agony. Pushing his body like that with all his new power could wreck it again.

They flank Freeza from both sides. Freeza glances each way and sighs. He clicks off his scouter as it runs wild.

Nail strikes first with a giant ki blast. Freeza rolls his eyes and angles upward. He jerks to a stop to avoid a kick from Goku who cuts off his path. Freeza growls as the sudden halt strains his body.

Goku steels his courage and lashes out with a flare of strikes. Freeza's lips dip into a frown. It deepens as he fails to find an opening in the offense to counter while he dodges about.

What is this nonsense? Freeza thinks. Not only are his attacks swift and strong, but their precision leaves him completely impervious.

Nail arrives with a flurry of his own fists and kicks. Freeza's eyes and nostrils flare with agitation. His arms and legs now intercept attacks he is forced to block.

By my estimation, thinks Freeza, these two are about as strong as Captain Ginyu. But how can that be? One is just a slug and the other is that wretched, worthless monkey from Earth.

Freeza's frustration boils over. A dome of energy expands from his body. The kinetic surface pushes Goku and Nail back on its surface. Freeza smiles as they struggle against it. He yells, and the bubble pops. It catches his foes in a widespread explosion.

Freeza's mouth returns to a smile after the attack. He scans the fiery smoke for his prey. His lips purse flat as their forms appear in the screen of red and black. His frustration returns when they seem unscathed by the attack. He inhales and puts his hands on his hips.

"You boys are doing an admirable job with your struggle," he says. "I can see now how you managed to defeat my elite soldiers. But let me make one thing clear, you won't be able to stop me from reaching my ship and the Dragon Balls."

"Not only will we stop you," says Nail, "but we'll put an end to you for all your evil deeds."

"You certainly are a bold one," says Freeza. "But your friend doesn't look as confident."

Goku's insides squirm beneath the surface. Nail looks over to him.

"We have enough power between the two of us now," he says. "I know we do."

Goku nods but his anxiety tells him different.

No. Something's wrong, he thinks. Freeza isn't worried at all that our combined power levels rival his after battling with Vegeta and Raditz. His confidence is frightening.

And I feel this terrible dread. Like something horrible is about to happen. But what?

A roaring Nail snaps Goku's thoughts. He kicks on the Kaioken and charges behind him. The strain of pushing his body hard enough to keep pace with Nail tears at his muscles.

Freeza lifts a finger and points it at Goku. A concentrated beam of death fires from it. Goku halts as a flashback of this attack dropping Nail activates his danger sense. He twists his shoulders sideways to slide his abdomen clear. The heaviness of the beam as it whooshes past his hip lingers in the air.

Goku holds his breath. A cold bead of sweat forms on the side of his head. Realization of how close he was to being horribly maimed keeps him stunned.

Freeza's face lifts in surprise. It settles into a smile as he fires another.

Goku's eyes widen as he twists the opposite way and leans back. The beam brushes the side of his right shoulder. The caress sears his flesh. A blister swells from the burn as a grotesque ridge.

Goku grabs below the wound. His fear works double time.

Before Freeza can fire another, he retracts his hand as Nail tries to swat it away. They clash together. Freeza keeps his focus on Goku as he evades and blocks Nail's strikes.

No one has dodged my Desubimu before, he thinks. How can a Saiyan have such power? Vegeta should have been the peak of their inferior breed.

Nail's fist grazes Freeza's cheek. The shock brings his focus solely on the Namekian. Dodging becomes more difficult and the strikes hit harder against his guard.

And nothing in our reports told us Namekians could be this strong, he thinks. This is absolutely infuriating!

A gust of energy inflates Freeza's purple aura. Nail is blown back by the force. Freeza launches with a cocked arm across his chest. He karate chops Nail in the side of the face. The satisfactory feeling of the head bending around the ridge of his hand brings him joy.

Nail jets backward to recover and allow his ringing brain time to settle.

"I must say," says Freeza, "you boys have proven more troublesome than I expected. And I truly hate when my plans are inconvenienced."

His face sharpens like a predator about to strike.

###

Krillin rushes towards the surface of an island. His feet break into a sprint as they touch the ground. He slides to a stop beside two boulders where he senses Gohan and Dende hiding.

"Bring the Dragon Balls out quick!" he says. "I don't know how much longer Goku and Nail can hold Freeza off."

Gohan appears from between the two boulders, Dragon Ball in hand. He throws it to Krillin. Krillin drops his and catches it. Dende rolls one after another to Gohan to pick up and throw to Krillin. When all seven are together, they start to glow in a rhythmic pulse. Gohan and Dende hurry to them.

"Okay Dende," says Gohan. "Do your thing."

Dende nods and hovers his hands above the Dragon Balls. He calls out in his native Namekian language. The only word Krillin and Gohan can distinguish from the mess of syllables is the word 'porunga.'

Spikes of orange and yellow energy stab from the balls. The spikes grow until they fuse together in a haze.

The green sky above darkens to a murky black as clouds gather.

A winding beam of lightning bursts from the orbs and snakes upward. The bolt pierces the black sky. The dark clouds swirl outward like a hurricane, propelled by the great force.

The light and wind assault the sight and hearing of the three standing before the awesome might of the summoning. The flash and rumblings subside. Krillin, Gohan, and Dende crane their necks to look upon a terrifying beast.

The great dragon of Namek towers above their insignificant presence. Its muscular torso and serpentine lower body fill the sky. Its angry, red eyes narrow upon them. A booming voice bellows in the Namekian language.

The three stand in silence at the awe-inspiring sight.

###

Goku and Nail break apart from Freeza after another aerial exchange. Freeza snickers while they heave for oxygen.

"I will admit," says Freeza, "I was furious when Vegeta told me one of your friends stole the last Dragon Ball. I was even worried you might steal my wish somehow.

"But then I stopped to think. 'What if there was some sort of ritual only you Nameks know to summon the dragon?' So I decided to play around with you two until the task had been done."

Freeza notices black clouds filling the horizon. A smile widens his lips.

"You see, Captain Ginyu informed me of the strangest thing about the Dragon Balls. He said the sky will grow dark when the dragon is summoned. That's the signal I've been waiting for."

The black clouds close in on them as they expand across the planet. Freeza forms a coy, amused expression.

"And there's my cue to leave. I'm quite eager to make my wish."

"You can't escape from us," says Nail. "We've still got plenty of energy to hold you off."

"I must apologize for misleading you to believe such a ridiculous notion. You see, the true depths of my power still escapes you. My current form is merely a weaker state meant to restrain it. You've only been breaking yourselves against a fraction of my real strength."

"No way! You're bluffing!"

It's not a bluff, thinks Goku. He really is unstoppable.

"Seeing is believing," says Freeza with a wink.

The black clouds roll over them and suffocate the sunlight. A bolt of yellow lightning strikes behind Freeza.

He pulls his scouter from his face and drops it. His fingers clench tight. His biceps flex as they draw in the fists. He inhales a deep breath.

Goku feels something unlock inside of Freeza. An enormous power bursts forth. Paralyzing fear fills him as an astounding presence presses in on him from all sides. It squishes his body like the intense gravity of King Kai's training. His breaths shorten.

Nail roars and charges without hesitation. He throws a punch. Freeza's torso jumps as it doubles in size. The expansion absorbs the blow. A gust of ki explodes Freeza's armor. A chip of it cuts Nail's cheek as he is blown back in a spiral.

Freeza's neck strains as his head grows to match the size of his still enlarging chest and arms. The horns on his head stretch and curve upward from the base. His legs and tail thicken and elongate to complete the transformation.

Three new purple gems like the one upon his cranium reveal themselves from beneath the armor. Two of them cover his shoulders, while the third sits center between his chest and abdomen.

Freeza smiles with absolute satisfaction. The looks of terror and despair on Goku and Nail's faces fills him with ecstasy. He now stands head and shoulders above them.

"Don't look so glum, boys," says Freeza with a deeper voice to match his buffer physique. "This is cause for celebration. The only people who have seen this form are my closest family. But you managed to force me into it to make a very precise appointment."

Freeza flexes his new muscles before continuing.

"I'm sure you two thought you were the ones stalling me. But I knew all along I could just speed off at my leisure."

Freeza vanishes.

Goku and Nail cannot follow the movement at all. They cannot discern his location as the massive power hammers their senses like an ocean storm.

A cold breath chills the back of Goku's neck. Before he can even twist his head, a blunt force drives between his shoulder blades. He and Nail both sprawl forward with crippling agony.

Freeza laughs as their spines jump from his knuckles. He leaps upon his prone victims and drops straight down into the backs with his knees. Goku and Nail rocket into the ocean below.

"Now be good and make the best use of what little time you have left. Bye bye."

Freeza laughs and vanishes again. He reaches his ship in an instant and sees the dragon rising a hundred miles away. He licks his lips and disappears.