Just as his men intercepted Nail and the other warriors, Captain Ginyu arrived at the source of the sudden power reading, finding a sight he'd hardly expected. Rather than springing to action at the sight of him, or upon sensing his approach, Vegeta simply sat reclined against a nearby rock, as if he was annoyed at Ginyu for arriving late. The gesture intrigued Ginyu, and he couldn't tell if Vegeta was confident purely out of arrogance or because he knew that he was stronger.
"Prince," he began cordially.
"Bootlicker," Vegeta replied.
Ginyu chuckled. "The insult would be more effective if Lord Frieza actually wore boots."
Vegeta chuckled in turn. "So you'd prefer 'toe-licker' then?"
Ginyu stood silently for a moment, regretting his comeback immensely. "...Look, Vegeta, I think we both know what's about to happen here."
"I disagree. I think you're convinced that I'm about to die, and I'm convinced that I'm about to kill you."
Ginyu smirked. "Confident, are we? Have you truly gained such formidable strength? Or are you simply delusional?"
"Are you certain you want to test either assumption?"
"Hmph. I have been given a mission by my master. And I've never left a mission incomplete." With this, he tossed his scouter to the ground and powered up to the full extent of his power. "Now...show me the power you have reached, Vegeta!"
Vegeta smirked. "They call this assisted suicide, you know..." he said ominously, before complying with Ginyu's request. Ginyu witnessed the display as Vegeta powered up, disrupting the ground nearby and almost causing his scouter to fall and crack had he not saved it in time with telekinesis. Satisfied, he set the scouter down again before flying straight towards Vegeta, fist outstretched and preparing to strike him with all of his power.
He stopped dead in his tracks the moment Vegeta blocked his punch with a single hand, creating a gust of wind that could be felt for miles. As Ginyu realized the sheer gulf in their powers, Vegeta's lips curled into a sadistic grin as he crushed the purple warrior's fist in his own. While Ginyu repressed his scream of agony, Vegeta threw the warrior upward with one arm. Without hesitation, Vegeta began appearing and reappearing throughout the sky, knocking Ginyu around like a pinball and causing severe damage to many bones throughout his body. When he was finished with the onslaught to his satisfaction, he met Ginyu, currently flying sideways through the sky, with a downward kick which sent him crashing into the ground.
Ginyu felt every part of his body going numb from the pain, and he was left completely helpless as Vegeta strolled up to the bleeding and battered captain.
"How the mighty fall," he crooned, beginning to charge up one final ki blast to do him in. However, he faltered when, even through his unspeakable pain and major injuries, he distinctly heard...laughter, from the prone captain. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering if he had simply gone into shock somehow, or if there was something else at work.
"What is it? Why are you laughing?!" he demanded, legitimately anxious. Ginyu only laughed harder before eventually calming down, beckoning him to come closer so that Ginyu could inform him. With extreme effort, he leaned his head up to meet Vegeta's lowered gaze, and whispered something which only confused the prince more.
"You should've gone for the lungs."
Before Vegeta could even formulate a response to the bizarre statement, he shouted with renewed intensity the words which were trademark to Captain Ginyu's last ace in the hole-and, in this case, his only chance for survival.
"CHANGE...NOW!"
A yellow beam emerged from Ginyu's mouth and entered into Vegeta's, and within a few seconds, the process was complete, a puff of smoke around the area the only clue as to the switch having ever occurred. Suddenly, "Ginyu" gasped in pain, while "Vegeta" cackled to himself, sounding the same as they did in their respective bodies.
"Ah, yes! This body truly is marvelous!" Ginyu proclaimed, getting a feel for how it worked. Meanwhile, Vegeta growled amidst the agony he himself inflicted.
"You...how-?!"
"Shhhh, shh shh shh. Do not concern yourself, dear Prince. Just lie back and think of...Planet Vegeta." While Vegeta slipped in and out of consciousness, Ginyu went on. "It really was such a marvelous planet, even after just having emerged from a global war. It was clear to me that your people were a race of great warriors, far stronger on average than most of mine. But, alas...too many of you grew too strong, too fast for Lord Frieza's liking." Vegeta's eyes widened, to Ginyu's delight. "Come now...did you really think that 'the mightiest warriors in the universe' would die out to a random asteroid impact? Mere days after a galaxy-wide recall order was given to all the inhabitants of that same planet?" While Vegeta lost the capacity to respond, Ginyu sighed. "In any event, you, the other one, and the half breed my men are currently murdering are the last. Once they're dead, your race will have been erased from the universe, with one exception. And if there ever is a Super Saiyan...it will be me, making full use of the potential you have unlocked within your own body."
He allowed himself one last round of laughter before walking over to his scouter and placing it over his right eye. This completed, he took off into the sky with a burst of ki, leaving the disgraced prince bleeding and broken in a body that wasn't his own.
Krillin, Yamcha, and Nail seethed with fury as Burter admired his handiwork with a sneer. Recoome, meanwhile, stood there indignantly, while Jeice was somewhat ticked.
"Aw, come on, Burter, are you seriously going to hog all of them?!" he called out just as Burter turned his attention towards Nail, who had readied himself into a combat stance.
"Well, if he hits me, then there's not much I can do about it, is there? The rules say I can fight him if he does!"
Recoome growled, acknowledging the point.
"Fine, but if you kill him, you have to treat us to dinner after we mop up!" he called out.
"Sounds good!"
Nail scoffed. "You would be so arrogant as to treat this like some idle amusement?" he asked pointedly, to which Burter laughed.
"Hardly 'idle' amusement-this is the most fun I've had in months! Do you have any idea how rare someone of your power level is? I lost hope in ever meeting a foe of your strength on dust balls like this!"
"Tch. Well, then, I'll do my best to ensure you don't meet more," he said as he powered up to maximum and flew towards the alien, who swiftly replied in kind, meeting his overhead kick with a punch of relatively equal strength. After this first clash, the two proceeded to rain down a series of blows upon the other, finding themselves stymied at every turn.
"Amazing! To think anyone could match the fastest in the universe!" Burter said aloud in shock when the two finally broke away for a second.
Nail, unlike Yamcha, refused to comment, instead simply resuming his attack anew.
After another minute of this relative stalemate, Burter became frustrated, and decided to try a new tactic.
"Take this! Space Mach Attack!" Burter cried out before he began a renewed assault upon Nail, who still managed to block every punch and kick he threw out even as Burter's speed greatly increased. The two finally broke away from their heated combat once more, each one panting heavily and bleeding from minor blunt injuries.
"You know, I'm impressed," Burter said between gasps. "Nobody's ever managed to go blow for blow with my Space Mach Attack before! Well, except for the Cap-oh, don't even start!" he called down to Yamcha, who was still on the ground. Nail simply smirked, before Burter turned back around to face him. "Now, then! Get a taste of true speed!" With this, he began charging up an aura of blue ki around himself, before rushing at Nail with all of his speed and power. Nail was able to react fast enough to fire off an attack of his own to block his headlong charge.
"MYSTIC FLASHER!" he cried out, sending out a stream of yellow ki from his palm which stopped Burter in his tracks. For a while the two struggled as Burter attempted to push through the attack, but eventually Nail won out, and Burter was sent crashing into the ground, heavily wounded. Not missing a beat, Nail charged up what power he had left and aimed it in a ki blast towards Burter's prone form, only to find the blast intercepted by a ki blast from Jeice. Nail cursed to himself as he set himself back down on the ground some distance away, readying himself for the coming battle. Jeice, meanwhile, moved to the side of his comrade.
"Don't worry, mate. I wasn't about to let some slug ice you," he said as he held out his hand, which Burter took gratefully. "Just grab the balls and head back to Lord Frieza-me and Recoome will mop things up around here and bring in some prisoners to fess up the code."
Burter nodded. "Copy that, pal. Kick his ass for me, huh?"
"You know it. Now move it, soldier!" Jeice commanded, and Burter flew off. Nail attempted to intercept him with a ki blast, but a kick to the head from Jeice left him far too preoccupied. Similarly, none of the other warriors could do anything in their present condition, and in a matter of seconds, Burter had grabbed each of the balls and moved them to one spot before lifting them up with telekinesis, charting a course back to Frieza's ship. Jeice smirked as he punched Nail in the face once more, noticing he had slowed down somewhat.
"Ha! Not quite as agile now, huh, you slimy bastard?!" he asked tauntingly, to which Nail couldn't respond through the pain and exertion. Jeice grinned with satisfaction before going at Nail full force. Although Nail did his best to parry most of the blows, the occasional hit would get through, weakening him ever further, until finally he was left on the ground with a powerful knee to the face. As he struggled to get up, Jeice began charging up a ball of red hot ki above one of his fingers. With a look of pure malice, Jeice readied his Crusher Ball and was about to launch it, when something caught the red alien's eye. His partner was the first to point it out, with a question directed at his commander.
"Hey, Jeice...were we expecting backup?" he asked, legitimately wondering if perhaps Frieza had called in another group of soldiers to help them out. Jeice, however, scowled intensely as he got a fix on the distant flaming ball in the sky: the telltale signal of a ship entering atmosphere.
"No," Jeice replied, before he threw his Crusher Ball towards the descending ship, intending to blow it up before it had a chance to land.
Frieza tapped his foot impatiently before the scouter over his eye reported a large power reading. Turning around, he saw the form of Vegeta flying towards the ship, but relaxed slightly when he caught sight of Ginyu's scouter over his eye. Nevertheless, he felt he had to be extra sure as Ginyu landed.
"Ah, captain! Splendid! So, then, the change was successful?"
"Indeed, my lord!" Ginyu replied, bowing to his master. "His power truly is extraordinary-perhaps the equal of your own. Well...in this form, at any rate."
Frieza's eyes widened in surprise before he sighed. "Let us be thankful you managed to get him when you did. Who knows what kind of a pain in the neck he may have become? But...just to be absolutely sure..."
"Yes, my lord?"
Frieza sighed, regretting what he was about to ask yet feeling it necessary. "...Will you perform the Dance of Joy?"
Ginyu's new face brightened up at the prospect. "Certainly!" he answered cheerfully, before taking a few steps back and striking a pose. After a series of motions and poses, Frieza waved his hand.
"Alright, I've seen enough, captain!"
Ginyu stopped immediately. "Your caution is wise, my lord."
"Yes, yes, thank you. Now, tell me...is Vegeta dead?"
Ginyu chuckled. "If he isn't by now, he will be soon. He wrecked my old body. I'd be surprised if he could even fly, let alone remain conscious. And even if he is alive, he's nothing compared to what I am now."
Frieza nodded. "Still, it doesn't hurt to be cautious. We'll have your subordinate stand watch while you go out and assist your men."
"Subordinate?" Ginyu asked. "Who do you mean?"
"Well, I assumed that the weakening person flying towards here was one of ours, and Guldo perished some time ago."
"Guldo's dead?!" Ginyu cried out in shock. "Ah, no, he was so useful! And he was an integral part of the team's color dynamic!"
"Surely there must be a powerful yellow alien somewhere in the universe?" Frieza asked, somewhat exasperated. "Or perhaps you could find a prodigious blue and yellow pair from Symbia?"
Ginyu thought this over. "Hm...I suppose that could work. But anyway, who is wounded?"
"All of your other men are so close in power that it's hard to tell. But...he does seem to be moving fairly fast."
"Burter?!" Ginyu gasped. "To think that their powerful ally could keep up with the third fastest in the universe!"
Frieza nodded. "Fortunately, the others seem to have the situation under control. That mysterious warrior is not long for this world, nor are any of the other weaklings. And if my hunch is right, I believe Burter is delivering the Dragon Balls right into our hands."
Ginyu nodded. "I suppose they can finish up without my getting involved, eager as I am to test out this new body."
Frieza pursed his lips. "I would wait a while before engaging in combat, captain."
Ginyu cocked his head. "Why not, my lord?"
"Well...your power flying in...wasn't that impressive."
Ginyu looked back at him in disbelief. "I was flying remarkably fast, to my recollection."
Frieza shook his head. "Captain, power up to maximum. Right now."
Ginyu was taken aback by the request, but nodded. "Certainly," he said before powering up fully. When he was done, he looked at his lord. "Well?"
"...80,000," Frieza replied frankly, to Ginyu's shock.
"80,000?! B-but that's not even stronger than I was before!"
Frieza sighed as one who has suffered a similar problem as that of a friend. "I worried something like this might happen. Your soul, mind, consciousness, whatever, hasn't adjusted to your new body yet. A similar thing happened to me when I crafted my transformations-it took a while to truly draw out the ideal level of power for each one. Similarly, you will need to learn the operation of that body in order to draw out Vegeta's immense power."
Ginyu simply looked on, downcast, but brightened up when he considered Frieza's words. "Very well! I'll simply have to train harder in this body! In fact, I shall begin immediately!" With that, he set about doing rudimentary stretches and mimed attacks while Frieza simply looked on at the empty sky, watching the fight through what his scouter could tell him.
Jeice smirked as the Crusher Ball arced ever closer to its target, while Nail cursed to himself for not being able to react in time in his present condition. Even still, he attempted to charge up a ki blast to intercept the attack, but found himself kicked in the back of the head by Jeice, leaving him on the ground once more. Jeice and Recoome then went back to watching the Crusher Ball, only to find it had become too small to see clearly in the distance.
"Huh. Did you get it, or...?" Recoome asked before he noticed something-a small red dot in the sky, gradually flying closer. With a start, he realized what it was. "Boss, get down!" he cried as he threw Jeice to the ground, the Crusher Ball soaring just a few feet above where their heads had been and continuing on towards a nearby mountain, vaporizing it completely upon impact. Jeice and Recoome looked back to the ruins in shock.
"Did someone just...bounce it back?" Jeice asked, wondering who could be powerful enough to reflect his signature technique.
"Impossible! I-I'm only getting two 5,000 readings on the scouter!" Recoome replied, his anxiety evident. Yamcha, however, smirked with what energy he could muster.
"Ohoho, you guys are screwed now!" he called out confidently, leaving Jeice and Recoome confused. A handful of seconds later, the two got their explanation, as a familiar figure seemed to burst onto the scene in a tremendous display of speed. Nail looked up from where he had been on the ground and squinted, as if he doubted what he was seeing.
"Wait...is that-?"
"GOKU!" Krillin cried out happily, before wincing in pain from his injuries. "Agh! Ow! Hurts to shout!"
Goku chuckled slightly before he heard his friend's cry of pain. "Oh, shoot, hold on! I've got a couple Senzu beans on me and..." He stopped in his preparations when he caught sight of Gohan, barely breathing, and rushed to his side in a flash. "Gohan!" he cried out in concern, hurriedly pulling out a Senzu bean. "Can you...oh, God, your neck's broken!" Panic overtook him for a second before he steadied himself and moved to force Gohan's mouth open slightly. "Okay, daddy's going to feed this to you, okay? Don't worry!" The Ginyu Force members looked on in utter confusion as Goku fed Gohan the Senzu bean, and were outright shocked when Gohan's wounds seemed to disappear a moment later, and he blinked slightly to regain his composure.
"Daddy...?" Gohan asked faintly, before his vision came into focus, and he clearly saw the relieved face of his father. "DADDY!" He cried out in sheer joy, tears coming to his eyes as he hugged his father. Goku chuckled as he returned his son's embrace before breaking away. "I-I can't believe it you're actually here oh my gosh so much has happened I was so scared we almost died like five times and Miss Bulma was kidnapped and Vegeta's insanely strong and we all got pretty strong too but then these guys came and beat us up and-"
Goku placed his head on Gohan's shoulder and focused his ki intently for a moment. A host of images played out throughout his mind as he absorbed the contents of Gohan's memories.
"Son, it's okay. I know."
Gohan paused in his fast-paced recounting of events to cock his head in confusion. "You do?"
"Yup! Master Roshi showed me how to do that trick while me and Piccolo were resting!" Goku replied cheerfully before he caught sight of Krillin and Yamcha, and looked somewhat more concerned. "Sorry, son, I'd love to catch up, but it's gonna have to wait a sec." With that, he flew to meet Krillin, still heavily wounded. Everyone involved looked on in shock and wonder at Goku's newfound speed.
"Man...this new training of yours must've been really productive," Krillin said through the pain as Goku knelt down.
"Yuh-huh!" Goku replied happily before he looked over to Nail. "Oh, hey...uh, Nail! Are you doing okay?"
Nail grimaced as he pulled himself to his feet, his regeneration beginning to kick in. "I've...been better. But my regeneration can take care of this. Focus on your friends."
"Okay!" With that, he handed a Senzu bean to Krillin before flying off to Yamcha and repeating the process. Both accepted the beans gratefully, pulling themselves to their feet while Goku sized up his competition. However, Yamcha suddenly found himself convulsing in pain as his right arm began to throb violently, particularly where the gaping wound remained. Falling back to his knees, Krillin and Gohan rushed to his side while Goku spared only a glance, focused on the coming fight at hand.
After a moment, Yamcha's breathing slowed, and his right arm seemed to regenerate itself slowly, stopping the bleeding and eventually reforming a normal right arm. With a slight gasp of pain and shock, Yamcha flexed the joints in his hand and moved his arm around a bit, finding no residual pain save that caused by the blood loss. Left to marvel at this miracle, the other Earthlings and the wounded Nail were preoccupied while Jeice and Recoome remained fixed on the Saiyan warrior, their apprehension evident, until Goku spoke up.
"Just checking: are either of you responsible for any of this?" he asked candidly, to which Jeice found himself panicking slightly before regaining his composure.
"W-well, what if we are, you orange hillbilly?! We don't have to answer to blokes like you! Right, Recoome?!"
"Y-yeah! Step off, small fry!" he called out, his confidence coming back faster.
Goku simply sighed. "Well, that complicates things. See, I was willing to think that maybe you weren't all that bad, just following orders and all that because this Frieza guy would kill you if you didn't. But what I'm hearing is...one of you broke my son's neck," Goku finished harshly, his usual cheerfulness replaced by a look of quiet anger. "So obviously that's made me think twice about letting you go."
Jeice gulped before hardening his resolve. He gathered up all of his ki and charged straight for Goku, Recoome in tow, before Goku's afterimage vanished from sight, the man himself reappearing just behind them as they both moved out of the charge.
"You guys can't adjust your level of power all that much, can you?" Goku asked frankly, to which Jeice, only just noticing Goku's presence, turned around frantically in response, at a loss for words. "So, if this is it..." Goku continued, angering Jeice.
"Grr! Why, you little-!" Jeice began before Goku's afterimage disappeared once again, leaving him unprepared for Goku karate chopping him in the neck, knocking him out cold. Recoome simply looked at the unconscious body of his commander in shock before growling.
"Alright, wise guy! Let's see how you handle this!" The brute readied himself into a combat stance as purple ki crackled all around him. "RECOOME...ULTRA...MEGA...ERASER GU-!"
Goku silenced the brutish alien warrior with a quick elbow strike to his pelvis, leaving him to fall to his knees, rapidly losing consciousness.
"Y-you..." he began, before promptly falling bent over onto his face and into the dirt.
Goku took a step back from the fallen warriors before taking breathing in, as one might do when finishing a quick warm up.
"Well! That was fun! Kinda hoping to fight guys who are actually a challenge, though. And I can't seem to sense Vegeta anywhere. Is he dead? Also, wasn't there supposed to be a leader guy who's, like, way stronger? Cuz I'm not really sensing much over in the direction of Frieza's ship..."
The others looked over at Goku in shock, Nail especially, given his lack of knowledge about the Saiyan fighter.
"Unbelievable! It took everything I had just to defeat one of them, and he defeated two with no effort at all?! Who is this man?!"
Suddenly, Yamcha remembered something amidst his residual shock.
"Wait, Goku! There was a third one with them-he was the one who beat us all up! He's made off with the Dragon Balls!"
Goku started in surprise. "Oh, shoot, that's right! Uh...just, give me a second!" After a second's concentration, Goku opened his eyes and looked back at the group, giving them a thumbs up. As the others cocked their heads in confusion, they all became aware of a far larger power flying directly overhead, moving too fast to make out clearly. And yet, to the Earthlings, it felt familiar.
"Wait...is that Mr. Piccolo?!" Gohan cried out in astonishment as the individual in question hunted down Burter.
"Yup!" Goku said happily. "He sure is strong, huh?"
"Holy hell!" Yamcha muttered to himself in astonishment.
"Are you not worried that Frieza and this 'Ginyu' will detect your power level with their scouters?" Nail asked bluntly. Goku shook his head.
"Nope! I'm way stronger than him now, anyway!"
At this, he was met with stunned silence.
"...You're serious?" Krillin asked.
"H-he's way more powerful than any of us, daddy. Are you sure you-?" Gohan added.
"Well, I'm definitely not in my base form, yeah, but with all the training I've been doing, I've greatly improved the Kaio-ken technique!" Goku replied. "I should be able to handle kicking it up all the way to Times Ten! And, heck, I could probably beat him with Times Four, minimum!"
Gohan's eyes widened along with the others.
"You're actually serious?!" Yamcha asked, before breaking out into a wide smile. "Oh my God, yes! The nightmare is finally coming to an end!" The others were similarly relieved, while Goku simply smiled, grateful that his friends were okay.
"Oh, by the way, can we meet this Lord Guru guy?" Goku asked. "This whole unlocking thing sounds really cool!"
Nail nodded. "Of course. Right this way."
The group promptly took off towards Guru's home, landing at the entrance after a brief flight and entering the main hall moments later, where Guru, Tsuno, and the other Namekians had been watching the fight feverishly alongside Bulma. Nail moved to greet his Namekian brothers, while Bulma moved to embrace Goku. When the greetings and sighs of relief were over and done with, Guru held up a hand, asking his children to be silent.
"I can easily guess as to your intentions, Son Goku," Guru replied. "Step forward."
Goku did so, whereupon Guru placed his right hand over Goku's head and unlocked his remaining potential.
"Hehe! It tickles!" Goku replied, smiling his usual boyish smile as he felt the newly unlocked ki course through his body.
"I imagine that this 'Piccolo' will want his potential unlocked too."
"You bet! I bet he'll become even stronger than me!" Goku replied eagerly.
Guru chuckled. "Contrary to what you may think, there are limits on how much power I can draw out of people. Still, he is quite strong. He's rapidly overtaken the last warrior from before, and could subdue him quite easily."
"Yup! He's gotten really fast since we've been training!" Goku replied cheerfully before a darker thought entered his head. "Oh, wait a sec, I told him that the guy he's chasing probably broke Gohan's neck, so he might just-"
All of the warriors started suddenly as they felt Burter's distant ki signature abruptly cut out, before Piccolo's hovered in place for a moment and turned around, headed back towards Guru's home.
"...Hm," Goku finally said, frowning slightly at Piccolo's violent actions. Gohan was likewise perturbed at his mentor's ruthlessness, although the others were more neutral.
"In any event," Guru began, turning the warriors' attention back to him, "There is the matter of what to do with the Dragon Balls this time around, once Piccolo brings them back here. And, of course, Frieza is liable to involve himself in this struggle sooner or later."
Goku nodded. "From what I could get off of Gohan's memories, it sounded like the main ideas involved teleporting people places."
"Essentially correct," Nail replied. "The first solution seems moot at this point, given your new power and this 'Kaio-ken' technique of yours, and the second..." He paused to consider the ramifications of the second plan they had come up with. "Although it may prove beneficial, some here are reluctant to abandon this planet."
"But, then again, if you truly are capable of defeating Frieza, then it would be a sensible precaution to relocate everyone to minimize further loss of life in the ensuing battle," Guru concluded. "Plus, there is the matter of your Dragon Balls. I take it, based on his extraordinary power, that Piccolo did indeed fuse with this 'Kami' person, the creator of your Dragon Balls?"
Goku's expression darkened slightly. "Yeah, uh...that's right," he confirmed, to everyone else's shock. Goku turned to face them. "Dr. Briefs and I both forgot to mention this earlier, and Kami hadn't yet gotten around to telling everyone on Earth before you guys left. Sorry about that."
"It's okay," Krillin replied. "It's just...surprising, that's all."
Goku chuckled mirthlessly. "You're telling me."
"At any rate, their fusion has likely rendered the balls inert with the absence of their creator. However, all members of the Dragon Clan are trained in the art of reactivating Dragon Balls should a current Grand Elder perish without naming a successor. Thus, teleporting all of us to Earth will allow us to restore your Dragon Balls...perhaps even modify their properties."
Goku and the others thought this plan over before nodding. "Seems like the best plan in the long run," Krillin stated, to the others' agreement. The Namekians discussed the issue among themselves for a moment, before the majority came to the same conclusion, despite their reticence about leaving their home for any length of time. Guru nodded and held up his hand, indicating that he had heard and acknowledged the views of all parties involved.
"Well, that settles the first wish-to transport all good people, living or dead, from Namek to the planet Earth, in order to restore your own Dragon Balls. This wish would include, of course, a list of exceptions for everyone who wishes to stay and fight Frieza. As for the other two, your comrades have already been revived once more, yes?"
"Yeah, but Master Roshi is busy training in the afterlife. Chiaotzu wants to see his friends Tien and Launch again."
"Hm. Then we shall use one of the wishes to revive Chiaotzu, unless you believe there are more pertinent interests at stake."
"Nothing I can think of at the moment."
"Very well." Guru nodded and held out his hand. "Does anyone else wish to have their potential unlocked?"
After a moment, Gohan stepped forward, while Dende looked on, hesitating over some vague impression. Guru placed his hand over Gohan's head once more, releasing some of the potential of Gohan's newly recovered body.
"There. Now you will experience an even greater boost in power." Gohan nodded, readying himself for the coming conflict. On this note, Piccolo could be heard arriving outside, nonchalantly throwing the Dragon Balls into the chamber through the hole in the wall before entering through the elevator from the entrance below.
"Greetings," Piccolo said to the various warriors assembled there, who generally returned his greeting, although Goku frowned slightly.
"Was that really-?"
"Was that really-?"
"Yes," Piccolo replied harshly before his gaze settled on Gohan, and brightened somewhat. "Hello again...Son Gohan," he said, evidently with some slight effort. "I am amazed at the strength you have obtained."
He heard Kami chuckling in his head. "Oh, my. First Goku, and now his son too. Everyone seems to be passing you by."
"Shut. The hell. Up."
Guru allowed himself a small smile. "So, Piccolo, we meet at last. I had long lost hope of any relation of my departed friend Katas returning home, and yet...hm. Well," he finished, having had his fill of reminiscing of happier times, and held out his hand. "Stand under my hand, and I shall unlock your hidden potential."
Piccolo nodded, stepping forward and allowing Guru to touch his head. In an instant, he felt a rush of ki enter into his body, and he stepped back in astonishment once the process was complete.
"Yes, as I thought. Your fusion has indeed given you great potential. I hope that this new power serves you well."
Piccolo smirked, looking around at Goku, Gohan, and the others as they all sensed his full power.
"Likewise," he said, satisfied. "Well, how about that, old man?" he thought to himself snidely. Kami declined to comment. Goku, meanwhile, cracked his knuckles, ready to go back into combat at any moment.
"Alright, we don't wanna have to fight the guy here, so here's the plan: me and Piccolo will go meet Frieza halfway, far away from anyone else. Then you guys can cast your wish and get out of dodge." Goku was about to continue when Gohan cleared his throat, somewhat nervously. He looked over at his son. "Yes, kiddo?"
"Aren't you forgetting somebody?" Gohan said, attempting to crack his knuckles for emphasis, but not quite managing it, instead simply moving his fist in his other hand and imitating the sound, to Bulma's amusement.
Goku looked over at Piccolo, who nodded, before looking back at Gohan. "Are you sure about this? I mean, don't get me wrong, you're ridiculously strong now, you'd be really helpful, but...well...your mother is very-"
"Daddy, I'm pretty sure Mommy's going to kill you and Miss Bulma simply for how much I've been beat up already." Goku and Bulma's eyes both widened slightly. He had to acknowledge that his son made a good point. "Besides," Gohan continued. "Even though I get scared fighting, and I don't want to hurt anyone if I can't help it...Frieza killed all of these people, for no reason. If I run away when I possess the power to do something..." he left the sentence hanging, his meaning evident when he concluded, "I have to do this."
Goku looked at his son, unsure of whether or not to allow his request, before nodding. "Alright. You can fight along with us. Anyone else?"
Nail, Krillin, Yamcha, and the other Namekian warriors looked to each other, unsure of whether or not they should say anything. Yamcha eventually stepped forward slightly, speaking for the group. "Look, we all want to help defeat this guy, but at the same time...what can we do? H-he's way too powerful for any of us at this point-we'd probably just get in the way. But we don't want to just cut and run at the first chance, either. It's..." he ended awkwardly, unsure how to elaborate. Goku nodded in understanding.
"I gotcha. Well, for now, just stay here and keep everyone safe. And...don't sell yourselves short here. A lot of people would probably be dead by now if it weren't for all of you."
Goku's words of encouragement caused them to brighten up slightly, and they all nodded in acknowledgement of Goku's instructions. However, Dende instead furrowed his brow, the vague impression of an idea entering his head as he mulled over their situation.
Meanwhile, Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan spared one last look at the group assembled in Guru's home before turning around and heading back out of the building, taking off at top speed in the direction of Frieza's massive ki signature while Nail and some of the other Namekians busied themselves with taking the Dragon Balls outside. Gohan flew with determination, even as he was still nervous about the whole ordeal, while Piccolo was more subdued, waiting to fully exercise his new power. Goku, despite being reasonably sure he would triumph, was tense with excitement.
"So this is the toughest guy in the universe," he thought as he felt the tyrant's ki, before settling into a confident grin, ready for battle. "Come on and show me what you've got, Frieza!"
A few minutes before, Frieza had clenched his fist in anger upon detecting that Burter's ki signature had abruptly cut out, and a far more powerful ki signature was heading off in the opposite direction after a moment's pause.
"No...no, no, no, no, NO!" he screamed with fury as he saw his prize being taken before his eyes once more. Ginyu stopped his training regimen and hurried to his master's side.
"Master, what is the matter?!"
Frieza growled slightly as he replied, "All of them are dead or dying. They never stood a chance...nor do you, for that matter."
Ginyu's eyes widened in shock. "Y-you mean...Burter...Jeice..."
"All of them are gone!" Frieza cried out in fury. "The most dependable soldiers in the galaxy, gone, and their leader only at a fraction of his new strength!"
Ginyu began to panic slightly as he considered the ramifications. "D-don't worry, master! I will go and-!"
"They're all far stronger than you at the moment, captain," Frieza interjected quickly. "No...this has gone on long enough. They've been interfering with my plans for too long." Frieza took a couple steps forward, until he was standing over the edge of his ship. Ginyu took a step forward to interject.
"Master-"
"Remain here, captain. Guard the ship and kill anyone who comes near," Frieza ordered strictly, in a tone which brooked no argument, before his expression hardened. "I will exterminate these determined pests and obtain what is mine!"
With that, he took off with enough force to rip off a part of the hull plating, locating their ki signatures with his scouter and adjusting his course to intercept them mid-flight. He scowled with rage as he allowed more of his latent power to be let loose.
"Either I will obtain immortality...or they will wish they had," he thought to himself grimly, ready to enact his retribution.
Alright, done! Have a bit going on atm, so I'll try and make this note brief, but at last, we're going into the final act of this fic's Frieza Saga! Got a few twists and turns for the coming chapters, so I hope y'all enjoy!
Anyway, comments!
Ushindeshi says:
"Great story. I love how you made master Roshi a respective character. I can't wait to see he's results. Cool robot hand you made for Yamcha but can you make it much more cooler. I'm not surprised Guldo is dead, he did died on the Frieza saga."
Thanks! And yeah, I do kinda regret him taking a back seat here, but don't worry-it'll have plenty of ramifications through the story moving forward. He's not going to be on the sidelines very long.
VermillionC4 says:
"Finally reached this part! I have to say, great fic. It's rare to have a story focused on Roshi actually keeping up. A little ironic to have it focused on him but have him out for a large portion of the story, but eh you'll make up for it I'm sure. He no doubt should be capable with that training he did on his own to match up in the T.O.P. Regarding your point earlier back in the story...I think Roshi had surpassed Tien and Krillin going based on his performance. He managed to do even more than his two human students, afterall! A little sad you said we wont see his hypnosis. But it's your story to make, and I like it regardless! Really wonder how Goku and Piccolo will manage with them being so far behind Vegeta and Frieza in power. And how the heck are Krillin and Nail gonna survive this?"
Well, pretty much all of those questions were answered here, lmao. Hopefully those answers work! Although, in the case of Goku and Piccolo going against Frieza, nobody gave them the memo on his transformations. So, needless to say, they're in for a surprise. And Vegeta...he's had better days.
Hm. Yeah, there are definitely differing opinions on this. I do agree Roshi will turn out much stronger than Tien at least, although he's had a major advantage. They'll catch up sooner or later, though.
Anyway, glad you've been enjoying it!
HA4e says:
"Finally! Read all up to this chapter, and it's the bloody Ginyu Force! I just loved the interactions and dialogue of the Ginyu Force here. And poor Gohan still gets his neck broken."
Ikr? It hurt a little to write, I'll admit, but Gohan pulled through, and now he's a stronger boi than ever. Also, yeah, Ginyu banter was my favorite part of this little mini arc. I love these goofballs.
And, technically not this chapter, but KakashiHatakeDFS says:
"i see you watch masako. i have the utmost respect for you now" in reference to a nod at the end of the Saiyan Saga.
Ah. I see you are a man of culture as well.
With all that said, power levels, at long last!
Goku(100x gravity training): 150,000, 1,500,000 with Kaio-ken x 10
Goku(potential unlocked): 200,000
Piccolo(100x gravity training): 300,000
Piccolo(potential unlocked): 450,000
Gohan(post-Zenkai): 530,000
Frieza(first form): 530,000
Vegeta(wounded, body-swapped): 23,000
Alright, with all that said, hope you all enjoyed, have a fantastic night, and take care.