Dragon Ball - The Heart of Adventurers

By LastationLover5000 and Demod20, Edited by Firegod00

Chapter 31 - Nail, the Champion of Namek

Moments Earlier

Firmly in his hovercraft — a luxury Freeza afforded to himself, rather than a necessity — he raced headlong across the seafoam green skies of Namek. The tyrant had but singular goal; force the information about the secret of the Dragon Balls from these filthy backwater savages who had holed themselves up in this remote location.

I suppose you thought yourselves clever, you lesser beings. But no one escapes. His thoughts burst from his throat in an irate snarl. "No one escapes Lord Freeza!" Freeza quickly pulled this slip into irritation inwards, steadying his breath. The failure to garner his wish from those pesky Nameccian orbs had not quite settled, and he was flying towards his quarry in a rage. Freeza knew, however, he may have to play his cards differently this time; his Scouter had detected three life signatures.

"Bargaining chips," he said. "In case diplomacy fails, as it so often does with these simpletons who fail to understand the chances I give them. I shall kill all but one of them...and torture him until the secret of these Dragon Balls is revealed to me!" A sickening grin crossed his face. "With our equipment, I merely need bide my time until they break. And what is a few days, perhaps, in the face of eternity?"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

His Scouter went off, attracting his attention. One of the signatures — the smallest of the lot — had flared, though the number was so insignificant that Freeza paid it no mind. Perhaps the Nameccians, with their tricks, could sense his arrival? It mattered not, is what he told himself. He continued his flight...

...and at that moment, crossed paths with a small Nameccian. The two locked eyes, the young lad flying directly past Freeza; an act of open defiance? Freeza kept his eyes on him, but the young Nameccian made no move to stop, and Freeza in turn made no move to stop him. His Scouter told him the larger signatures were still firmly located where he was headed. These clearly had to be the Nameccians he wanted. The fact that the child looked familiar bothered Freeza some, but it was these larger signatures where the secret had to be held, Freeza knew.

Why waste his time on a child when immortality was close at hand?

His destination came into sight not much longer after this; a giant rock structure, jutting out into the Nameccian sky in defiance of gravity and common sense. Atop the pillar of rock sat a small hut, and within that hut, Freeza's scouter told him were the two signatures he was after.

It was sudden and it was blinding.

Where Freeza saw at first the pillar and hut, in the next second, white filled the sky. Luminous and brilliant, a star all its own had formed on the Nameccian surface, enveloping the dwelling and the rock on which it stood. Freeza skidded to a halt, his Scouter running haywire with sound and data. Where once there were two signatures, he could only see one, and it had expanded massively. Is this possible? Or is the bloody thing playing tricks on me?! I specifically asked the Ginyū Special Squadron for the latest model! Freeza then realised, however, that the Ginyū Squad never committed an error; surely this was to do with the manufacturer. "I'll be having a word with them when I return."

Freeza approached the Nameccian hut carefully, floating above the mint green grass of Planet Namek. His Scouter firmly detected one singe individual, a Nameccian who stepped outside of the of the half-spherical dwelling.

"I bid you good day, Nameccian," Freeza spoke lightly, immediately taking charge of the conversation himself. "My time is both short and valuable, so I will get to the point of why I am here—"

"There is no need to waste your breath, foul creature," replied Nail, cutting across Freeza harshly. "I know why you are here and what you have come for, and it hurts me in no way to tell you that you will not find what you seek here. The wish you crave from the Dragon Balls will never be yours."

"It would seem you are going to make things difficult," said Freeza tersely. The tyrant was not used to being cut off mid-sentence by anyone, not even his own parent. To have been interrupted by a the inhabitant of a backwater planet such as this one? A vein throbbed in Freeza's temple. "I was going to give you a chance to tell me how to activate the Dragon Balls of your own free will, but if you have chosen the more...painful route, then on your head be it."

"You've stained your hands with the blood of my fellows," Nail was unable to keep the anger out of his voice as he spoke. "My children have died by your hand. You will not be shown mercy, monster!"

Freeza laughed, a high, cold laugh, the mirth not reaching his eyes. "You fancy yourself someone who can take on Freeza in battle? It has been some time since I've gotten my own hands dirty! Let us see what you can—" His next words were muffled, a green hand gripping his face with enough force to crush stone. Freeza felt his entire body heave itself out of his hovercraft; it took him a moment to realise that he was being dragged through the sky. The wind pressure against his body nearly held him at bay, and the following action occurred too fast for Freeza to resist.

Unceremoniously, the Emperor of the Universe was thrown downwards. He rocketed to the surface of Namek like a comet, barely managing to straighten himself from crashing into the ground with his whole body. His three-toed feet shattered the ground, Freeza crouching to keep himself upright. His entire skull throbbed in pain, while Freeza was trying to process the incomprehensible nature of it all. They were nowhere near the rock formation, or the hut that had rested atop it. Instead, they were alone on a barren island in the middle of the vast Nameccian ocean. How?! Someone like him shouldn't be able to make me move, much less push me this far away! It's impossible!

"In the name of the Grand Elder, I will pass judgement on you," Nail's hand flexed, clearly having only recently released Freeza's cranium. "I bear the weight of my people on my shoulders; someone like you, who fights only for himself, will never prevail over the spirit of Namek!"

Standing fully upright, Freeza held a hand lightly to his chin, regaining his normal composure and laughing. "Ohohohohohohoho! You do say the most amusing things, Nameccian. Allow me then, to let you in on a little secret." He gestured to the Scouter that he wore. "These devices are the pride and joy of my Research and Development Division, and they allow us to read life signatures of living beings. The average Combat Strength of even your strongest fighters has only been in the upper thousands. If you were to read my Combat Strength, it would show you the true gap in our powers — I rest at a comfortable 530,000!"

"Meaningless numbers," replied Nail. "But if you are so insistent on taking stock in them, then keep your trinket locked on me." Nail gripped his fists tightly, holding his arms at either side of his power. He began to flash, a vivid white aura exploding out of his body, cracking the ground beneath him until far more than the entire island shook. The ocean churned, sloshing against the shore, and his ki kicked up dust and shattered rock. Brimming with aura, easily maintaining a staggering level of power, Nail spoke again. "What does your toy say?"

Freeza wanted to believe it was false. No being could match him, nay, surpass his strength, especially not someone from a backwards planet like this one. And yet, the number was plastered over his eye, plain as the binary stars in the sky.

₅₉₀,₀₀₀.

This vermin's Combat Strength exceeded his own. Freeza clenched his fists, tightening them into balls with force to draw blood.

That can't be! He refused to believe it, not until he tested it himself. While he did not do Nail the courtesy of replying, his face betrayed him; confusion, indignation, and rage crossed his countenance all in seconds. He knew Nail was his superior.

The Nameccian warrior wasted no time. No need for a combat stance. Speaking to the tyrant any further was a waste of time. Nail simply moved, trailing a glimmering white behind him. His elbow slammed into Freeza's jaw, the frosty tyrant staggering back on his heels. Nail's arm swung upward, the forearm crushing into the side of Freeza's head. This blow lifted him off his feet entirely, flung through the air by the sheer strength packed by Nail post-merger.

Bursting from the ground, cracking it beneath his feet, Nail pursued Freeza around the island; closing in, he brought his fist upwards, crashing painfully into Freeza's stomach. Winding the Emperor, Nail took the chance to kick him hard — the sound cracked the air, his foot indenting itself into the Combat Jacket that Freeza wore.

Every strike from Nail's limbs were packed with meaning. Each blow, revenge for the ones who he once called brothers. Every gasp of pain from Freeza was penance for those he now considered his dearest sons. His onyx eyes brimmed with fury and sadness. He would wrench payback for his kin out of this monster with a barrage of blows; he brought to Freeza all the pain of the Planet Namek. Freeza was unable to fight back. Nail's movements were too quick, too precise, and every strike Freeza attempted to throw — a cursory left hook in an attempt to catch him in the side, a swipe with his tail in the expectation he wouldn't expect it — were thwarted with expert skill, the results of the training done by the only remaining warrior to call Namek home.

Freeza managed to force himself away, releasing a kiai from his entire body to push Nail back. His hand brimmed with ki, crackling and snapping. "Die you worthless worm!" Thrusting his arm forward, Freeza let a ball of ki loose. It ripped the ground beneath it, barreling forwards towards Nail.

Nail raised a four-fingered hand towards a battered Freeza. "HAH!" Shouting mightily, he released his own kiai towards Freeza's attack. It collided and crushed it, diminishing the size until the blow was nothing but dust.

In defiance of what Freeza considered common sense, he witnessed an attack of his own — his own attack — to be disrupted and destroyed by this Nameccian.

If he'd merely stopped it, I could have understood that! He shouldn't be able to, but I could still understand it! But to have negated it completely!? Must I suffer this humiliation still further?! Freeza grit his teeth, cracking one of the lower molars in frustration. "You simply won't stop, will you?! Not until I've been pushed to the very limits of my patience!"

"Do you wish to speak of limitations?" replied Nail tersely. "Then let us speak of the limitations of the tolerance held by my world and our people. We've long reached the end of our tether with your kind; there will not be a tomorrow for you. Not another chance!"

"You won't be talking much longer when I've left you bleeding and broken!" Freeza snarled. He extended a hand, his finger pointing directly at Nail. It began to glow with brilliant light, expelling a thin beam of ki from his fingertip. Nail's eyes widened, the Nameccian leaning his body easily to the left, allowing the attack to pass by him easily. At this, Freeza's fadce contorted in rage. A growl ripping through his throat, he expelled a multitude of ki attacks from his fingertip, each and every one intent on piercing Nail's body — piercing anywhere, Freeza didn't care where.

Nail's body danced around each kikōha. First to the left, then to the right, ducking down, crouching low, and each blast skimmed past his body, passing over him harmlessly. Freeza gaped in terror at Nail, who returned to his full, imposing height, unperturbed by the movements he'd just undertaken.

"You're sloppy," said Nail, his arm lengthening outwards, a green and pink python which pulled Freeza in by the collar of his Combat Jacket. Nail's leg snapped upwards, the point of his toes banging into Freeza's chin. The alien overlord felt his neck rear backwards, yet to his fortune it did not dislocate. Nail brought his arm upwards furiously, fist clenched; it rocked vibrations through Freeza's body on contact, and Nail could hear the air rush out of Freeza's lungs.

Freeza fumed, frothing at the mouth with rage. He tried to counterattack; first a left hook, then a right hook, both blows easily avoided by Nail. The Nameccian Warrior deflected the next incoming strike with his glowing forearm, before jutting his arm out towards Freeza's face. A blast of yellow-white engulfed Freeza, whose body could be seen expelled from the resulting cloud of dust and smoke, knocked back towards the edge of their island arena.

Slowly, methodically, Nail walked towards Freeza, the ki drifting off of his body in waves. "Do you recognise this feeling, monster? Do you understand it? The numbness permeating through your body? You can't think, you're suffocating under feelings of anxiety and you don't know what to do. That's the feeling my children felt; that's the fear, the helplessness you instilled in the Nameccian people, creature!"

"You think I feel helpless?! You know nothing, worm! Hold your tongue before you lose it!" Freeza immersed his body in ki, a purple flare rising to life around the frosty tyrant. He launched himself into the air, hovering high above the sky. He fought with the urge to destroy the planet — it would surely end this humiliation, but he needed the Dragon Balls — settling down into the realisation that he would have to beat Nail within an inch of his life.

Freeza dove downward, a glowing, pink bird of prey attacking its chosen target. As Nail prepped himself for the strike, Freeza kicked off in the air, flying over Nail directly, before bolting downward behind Nail. All in an effort to catch the Nameccian off-guard, Freeza now rushed him full-on, racing along the ground towards Nail.

Nail was not to be fooled.

Spinning on his heel, he turned to face Freeza, his whole hand coated in a luminous yellow ki. Freeza recognised his mistake too little too late, then suddenly both his and Nail's vision was encompassed by yellow, the attack being released point-blank at Freeza. The pink tyrant was immersed in the gigantic kikōha, the ground beneath Nail and Freeza cracking and spltting, the heat of Nail's ki reducing a portion of the island to molten slag.

Freeza's body, charred and burned from Nail's onslaught, skidded across the ground, his Combat Jacket having been annihilated entirely. He staggered to his feet, the charred portions of his skin and exo-suit cracking with movement. Bright pink flame roared to life around his body, and Freeza let out a shout of fury, fresh and unrestrained from his throat. Pulling his ki back inwards, the scream of rage had done the trick, and now, a look of pure, composed pleasure crossed Freeza's face.

"What are you smiling for, creature?" inquired Nail, his face marked by confusion. "You are on your last legs. You've nothing left!"

"Ohohohohohohohohoho!" Freeza chortled, smiling in spite of the pain coursing through his body. "My last legs? You know nothing, vermin. I'll let you in on a little secret, one that only those closest to my hand know. This is not my true form. I am capable of transforming and increasing my strength; I choose to remain in this regressed state because my power when transformed is so great that I tend to...lose control of my base urges. You would have been better cooperating with me when I asked."

He can transform?! Nail's brain worked quickly. Being merged with the former Grand Elder, he knew the legends and tales of species who could transform to increase their power in times of need. Was this creature one such species? It had to be a bluff. But what if he isn't?

Freeza clenched both fists at his sides, grinding his teeth as his ki began to spike. Nail could sense it — the increase in quantity, the soaring of its tainted, evil nature — and a chill passed through his body. His aura spiked again, making the land beneath him quake with his ki.

"YOU WON'T GET THE CHANCE!" Nail roared. The Nameccian's palms snapped, crackled, and popped with bio-electricity. Light pulsated from them, covering his hands and wrists in the glow of ki. Nail pooled as much of his power as he could into this surging sphere of ki, desperate now to kill Freeza before the latter had a chance to prove what Nail desperately hoped was a bluff to instead be true. Withall of his might, Nail hurled the kikōha towards Freeza.

The last thing Nail saw before the explosion his technique triggered was Freeza's torso massively enlarge in size. And then, everything was obscured in flames, light, and smoke. His kikōha detonated at it hit Freeza's body — Nail could feel it connect — yet he did not sense a drop in Freeza's ki. Staring in horror, Nail saw an enlarged monster emerging from the clearing smoke: Freeza had successfully transformed.

Freeza stood tall, his transformation towering over his previous form by a wide margin. It did resemble his previous form, only massively enlarged; he'd gained a huge increase in muscle mass, and his horns, formerly jutting outward, not curved upward. More frighteningly, his wounds had healed entirely; the transformed Freeza stood before Nail, pristine and untouched.

"You're quite a fighter, Nameccian, to have forced me to undergo my transformation," Freeza spoke in a deeper timbre, his voice having dropped several octaves. "Not many have seen this form, and even fewer have survived the battle to tell another about it. I warned you — I won't be as gentle as I was before."

His ki...it's suffocating...how strong has he become?! Nail eyed Freeza's transformed state in complete horror. That technique, had he released it only a moment earlier, would have killed Freeza. He knew it would have. I was a fool! Nail thought furiously. I wanted to exact vengeance for my people...for my sons...and now where has righteous anger led me to? My own death?! He clenched his fists, a snarled erupting from his throat as the Nameccian stood his ground. "Speak all you want, monster: I will not lay down and die for you! Namek will not let you do with it as you wish!"

Nail was beginning to power up, drawing even more ki from the depths of his body. His merger with the Grand Elder had finally synced properly, and not a second too soon: white light oscillating around his body in a furious aura, the Nameccian's ki began to rise rapidly.

"Oho?" Freeza's Scouter began to ping, numbers flashing violently across the interface. Seeing the Nameccian pull so much last-ditch power out at the last second was truly intriguing; the Scouter kept pinging, before suddenly, it exploded over Freeza's face, the remaining fragments falling to the ground in a smoking heap. The tyrant hadn't managed to get a good look at the Nameccian's combat strength, only that the number had surpassed 750,000 before his Scouter had given out. "Such spirit! I admire your courage, but let me tell you something else: if there was a device in this cosmos which could measure my power as it is now, it would clock well over 1,000,000. You didn't have a chance to begin with."

High off the end of this boast, Freeza charged headlong towards Nail. The Nameccian backstepped, boosting himself with ki in an effort to gain some ground...only to collide with something that felt distinctly flesh-like. He turned, realising only too late that Freeza had left his immediate field of vision the moment he'd taken a step back, and he was now staring upwards at the much taller alien.

"Were you going somewhere?" Freeza inquired, his arms folded, smirking lightly. Swiftly, Freeza brought his knee upwards, crashing it into Nail's torso. The blow was heavy, coupled by the crushing, blinding pain which caused Nail to feel his entire world reel. Staggering, barely able to keep himself aloft, Nail was unable to counter when Freeza gripped both of his hands above himself, bringing them down into a painful sledgehammer. The blow collided with Nail's skull, forcing him into the grassy dirt, his body indenting its shape into the land.

"Try to keep yourself alive, won't you?" asked Freeza mockingly. "I'll need to get my precious information out of you. Then, I can send you to the rest of your kin." Freeza raised a hand towards Nail's fallen form, a pink sphere forming just out of its reach. "I'll beat you within an inch of your life...and then, perhaps you'll be ready to comply."

A burst of light flared from the ground, Nail rocketing into the sky by propelling himself with ki. The Nameccian was instantly airborne, soaring high above the island on which he and Freeza were doing battle. It was only for a second, but Nail had successfully evaded Freeza.

The tyrant let out an exasperated sigh, his muscular shoulders heaving. Freeza pursued Nail with immense speed, closing the distance between the two of them in mere moments...

...and felt his vision obscured instantly with a blinding flash. Nail's eyes widened, having emitted a dynamic flash of ki, turned into light energy, from his eyes. The glow, enhanced by the sun behind him, blinded Freeza instantly. The Emperor of the Universe held his arms over his eyes, roaring in pain at the sudden shock. Nail discharged a sphere of ki from his palm, winding around Freeza in every direction, emitting multiple other spheres until Freeza was surrounded by what appeared to several floating lanterns.

From above Freeza, Nail raise his arms high, exuding ki which coalesced into a larger sphere above his head.

"DIE, MONSTER!"

Thrusting his arms downward, Nail released the sphere towards the planet, an admittedly reckless move. It rained down towards his home, collided with Freeza and, in a chain reaction, set off the spheres around him. The sphere that had struck Freeza detonated along with the others, lighting up the Nameccian sky in an explosion of ki.

The smoke cleared with a gust of wind, revealing to Nail the futility of his efforts. Freeza floated in the sky, virtually unharmed. It finally sunk into Nail: he could not defeat Freeza as he was. A sinister snicker was followed by a blur of movement. Freeza's fist crushed into an exhausted Nail's stomach, followed immediately by the strike of an elbow into the Nameccian's jaw. Nail staggered backwards, barely held aloft by his ki.

It didn't matter.

Freeza held a hand in front of his face, grinning wide. Instantly, he discharged a point blank wave of ki from his palm. The blast ignited the above their island battlefield, expanding into a sphere of ki which barely avoided grazing the isle above which they floated. Nail's body fell from the sky as the attack dissipated, charred and smoking. He hit the ground and fell limp. Freeza descended to his side, kneeling on a single knee as he smirked.

"Three attacks. And even that was excessive playtime," he jeered. "You should be alive, my friend, if barely. Now why don't you start by telling me how to activate the Dragon Balls?"

Blackness. Utterly instant, darkness swallowed the light of Namek's twin suns. Freeza's head jolted upwards peering into the stretching abyss of endless black, his mind working furiously. What's happening?! This planet has no night! And this...this isn't a night sky at all! Whatever it is, it isn't normal!

"Heh...heh...heh..." Nail laughed, the sound hoarse and weak. "You've lost...creature...I was not able to best you...but my son has made it to our unlikely allies hiding on this planet..." His shoulders shook with the laughter, even if he was unable to move properly. His black eyes glared at Freeza, staring as well as they could from their odd angle. "With him...he held the secret of our Dragon Balls...and now...you will never get your wish..."

"I...you..." Freeza's teeth began to grind against each other, the Emperor clutching his gigantic fists. "This...this was all a diversion! You wasted my time here...with you...believing you held the secret...!" Then he remembered, the young Nameccian child he passed by on his way towards the hut on the rock. "It was him...! I made a mistake...! When the two of you split up...I SHOULD HAVE GONE AFTER HIM!"

Nail laughed again. If he died here...he'd died protecting Dende. He'd died protecting Namek and giving it a second chance. He could face oblivion without regret.

Freeza was torn between the mad desire to kill Nail for the transgression of wasting him time and making his way towards his ship, desperately hoping he was not too late. His decision was made for him, however, when he began to see a literal light in the darkness; coming from the horizon, a pillar of golden light stood out against the background of infinite darkness. That had to be the Dragon Balls. It was so unnatural, so out of the ordinary, Freeza knew it was part of those damnable wish orbs.

His decision had been made. His aura flaring to life, the Emperor of the Universe made for the pillar of light at breakneck speeds, heading in what he did not yet realise was the direction of his ship.

"YOU WILL NOT HAVE IT!" screamed Freeza, tearing across the dark seas of the Nameccian ocean. "THE WISH OF THE DRAGON BALLS IS MINE BY RIGHT! I WILL NOT BE DENIED MY IMMORTALITY BY A BUNCH OF CRETINS!"

Pan was confused.

For awhile, things made sense even when they were at their most intense. The Saiyans were bad, with Raditz being an exception. They trained to fight them and beat their common enemy by any means necessary. Together, at great cost they were victorious.

Now, the stakes were much higher but things were a lot more strange to the young daughter of Bulma and Gokū. Vegeta and his two cronies were now their allies, though they certainly didn't act like it. Even scary people like Piccolo and Raditz at least *acted* like friends, even if they didn't want to admit it; but she sensed no such thing from those three, they were still evil through and through.

What's more, this man claiming to be her papa's uncle didn't seem trustworthy and she had nothing to go off of other than a strange look he had in his eyes whenever he smiled; like he really wasn't believing what he was saying. What hurt her the most was seeing Chi-Chi seemingly on his side...she thought she knew her, but now she wasn't sure what to believe now.

Sitting outside, she stood guard due to being too wound up. Unlike her mother - who wanted to stay near Gokū's pod like a good spouse - she didn't want to be cooped up inside the bizarre doughnut that was the enemy's ship. She also didn't feel like being close to any of her new 'friends'. And with Kuririn gone, the only other person standing outside was Raditz, and her uncle wasn't in a chatty mood.

This left her sitting alone on the opposite end of the vessel while her papa's brother was watching the other end himself. All was quiet before the storm, with minutes passing by listfully as they stood by and waited for the dwarven monk's return.

And then, the world beneath her shifted.

"W-What?!" Pan jolted upright, finding herself aghast as she looked up and all around. There was nothing there. But, she felt something.

She realized her mind had wandered and her senses were dulled because of it. Closing her eyes she forced herself to shut the outside world of the nearby terrain the dreadnought was parked on top of. She felt the wind brushing the blue grass and trees, gracing across the lakes surrounding the island she stood upon. And then, she could see it.

A man so much like her guardian and mentor, Piccolo, stood firm with a baleful cry unleashed from the deepest part of his lungs. The frosty tyrant's ocean of power was currently drowning in a sky of righteous fury. Even now she could make out his frustration as if he was standing in front of her face, just as much as she could see not just the man known as Nail but also the spiritual outline of the Grand Elder himself; no longer decrepit and full of girth, but massive with muscles upon muscles with a deep set of black eyes and fangs bared forth like a wrathful beast.

"That's Nail...and Grand Elder...?" She thought aloud, her eyes twitching with them being closed. "And that's Freeza. He's so strong, but...Nail is stronger!"

"What's going on?"

A voice appeared from behind her, causing the child whirl around. Her tension lessened upon sight of the taller Saiyan, his mane whipping down onto his back as he dropped to the ground - having leaped from one side of the pineapple-enamored ship to the other.

"U-Uncle Raditz!" Pan exclaimed, her fists balled up and raised to her face as she stated the obvious. "Someone's powered up to fight that Freezer guy!"

"I can feel that," Raditz intoned, his eyes squinting at the horizon, making his already fearsome visage more imposing to the child. "Hm. It seems Namek has one powerful warrior. I wonder if we'll be necessary to defeat Freeza after all."

Pan couldn't help but feel wholly relieved. While she appreciated a challenge, this Freezer person was real scary. The energy he gave off was the stuff of nightmares. Not even Vegeta and his henchmen - or Ginyū and his troupe for that matter - were anywhere close to as frightening as he was.

After they stared into the distance, focusing on the energy of warrior Pan knew as Nail, they had lost track of time. The seconds ticked by and they had no sense of anything else that was transpiring. Just the horizon's fated battle of Namek's champion against the evil tyrant.

So without warning, a pair of feet dropped by at their flank, bringing their attention to them in a jerking turn.

"Hey guys!" Kuririn exclaimed joyfully, jerking his thumb over at the green-skinned child at his left. "I got our ace in the hole!"

"Dende! Kuririn!" She cried out, happy to see the two back safely. As she rushed up to them, she looked back and forth, her eyes blinking curiously. "Where's the Grand Elder? I thought I sensed him before, when Nail was powering up, but-"

"He's passed on," Dende interrupted, being far more forthright than any of them expected. The emerald skinned youth looked down, morosely explaining. "Nail has become one with the Grand Elder. Their power combined is what is holding our common enemy in Freeza at bay. I don't know if it'll be an assured victory or not, but for now, we have limited time before something interrupts us."

"Yeah, like the little green guy said," The dwarf concurred, raising a thumb up to his grinning face. "Let's use the Dragon Balls, now, while everyone else is distracted."

"And you think Vegeta and my uncle are going to sit idly by as this happens?" Raditz intoned with incredulity.

"Its not like they could stop us with you on our side," The ex-orin monk pointed out. "And we don't have much time. When will we get an opportunity like now to summon the dragon? Dende says he knows how to summon it, and I doubt we'll be able to do it even with Freeza out of the way. Vegeta, that Tullece guy, and even Chi-Chi...I don't think its wise for us to sit on our hands and wait for a better time than we have right now."

"Fine-Fine," Raditz sighed, shaking his head as he looked over his shoulder, seemingly boring his eyes at an unseen spectator by the entry of the dreadnought. "You heard that, you nosy bug-eyed freak?"

Jaco made a squeaking sound and Pan felt herself yet again off balance. His energy was always small, but for him to be noticed by even her uncle? She looked over at her uncle and then at the creeping head of the Galactic Patrolman, in awe of how superb Raditz's ki sense really was.

"Keep the women out of jeopardy. It won't do us any good if they get taken hostage or worse come over to us when something inevitably bad happens."

"R-Roger that," Jaco gulped, slinking back inside of the ship out of sight of the rest.

"Alright then, let's get to it," The long-maned Saiyan ordered the others around him. "If we're doing this, we're doing it now."

Exchanging some nervous grins, the three shorter members of the now assembled four man squad rushed to the lying spheres of orange and red coloration that were left outside from Vegeta's earlier tryst. Gathering them in each other's hands, with Raditz holding four under arms and the others carrying one each, they swiftly floated to a safe distance away from the ship so as to not be within immediate eye sight of the others.

Once they found a sizable island, they placed them in an ornate distance from each other, and stepped back from Dende as he splayed his hands out towards the orbs.

"I can't help but feel nervous," Kuririn admitted, looking to Pan and then over to Raditz's arm-crossed figure. "What if this doesn't work?"

"A little late to be thinking that, dwarf."

"I-I'm just worried we won't be able to make it in time or-"

"It'll be fine, Kuririn," Pan reassured him, smiling big and raising a hand up to bump. "We're a team, and you helped get Dende here. That's why it'll work."

Chuckling, the midget raised his own fist to bump into the girl's, watching her cheekily giggle at the affirmation.

"Takkaraput pop polunga pupiritt paro!" Dende finally chanted aloud, his language channeling through the knowledge he had obtained from the Grand Elder.

Through this action, the spheres lit up into a translucent golden luminous glow. A howling roar thrummed out as a spiraling light took shape straight up into the sky. The once Sun-less sky of Namek was now shrouded in darkness and an immense figure transmuted from the magical energies before their eyes. As Raditz had never seen Shenlong himself, seeing this beast was something he found himself dropping his jaw at.

A massive spiral of a tail that was tethered to the balls came to a humanoid shaped torso, with muscles entwined with scales of pale white to deep green. But to showcase the heritage of its progeny, a pair of antenna rested by its hairless brow, pupiless red eyes glowing perpetually with a more gator-like snout protruded from its face while a massive fin stretched from the neck down its elongated serpentine back.

"H-He's enormous!" Kuririn cried out.

"I-Is he bigger than Shenlong?!" Pan shouted, she herself having only heard of Earth's dragon but never seeing it herself.'

"Way bigger, Pan! Way bigger!"

"Enough gawking!" Raditz yelled out, his face now stern and looking over at the two. "Let us revive the fools from Earth and be done with this before anyone else catches notice."

The massive dragon, with muscular arms clawing at the air anxiously, began to speak in a bellowing tone of a tongue none but Dende understood. The child himself began to speak back, as if to reassure him. Glowering, the being looked left and right, as if observing the planet for the first time. With a sigh, it spoke lowly to him while the summoner proper back to them.

"Polunga says he can grant three wishes," He explained. "But you have to be specific. You can't wish for all of your friends back to life with just one."

"R-Really?" Pan asked, feeling her heart skip and her stomach fall.

"But, there are four people that died," Kuririn grimly acknowledged, looking over at the child and then down to his feet. "No matter who we pick, someone will have to stay in the Afterlife."

A heavy feeling weighed on the two while Raditz furrowed his brow, wondering what advantage could be gained in having more than one wish. What could they use it for that isn't involving just resurrection? Could immortality be afforded at this stage of their predicament, or was there more restrictions?

"Hello? Is this thing on? Can anyone hear my melodic voice?"

Interrupting the dread and mixture of thoughts, all four of the crew suddenly heard the voice of a squat deity enter their minds. Even without seeing him, they could tell the nature of his thoughts, while jovial, was utmost in importance.

"W-We can hear you!" Kuririn spoke out, if not a bit startled. "Are you Gokū's teacher, Kaiō?"

"Among other things, yes. But enough about me! We already have come up with a compromise that doesn't need more than one person revived anyways."

"A compromise...?" Pan asked, blinking with bewilderment. What on Namek was going on now?

"And you didn't think to chime in earlier?" Raditz inquired dryly.

"Stuff a rag in it, Raditz and listen!"

The voice of Piccolo interrupted, making Pan smile with amazement at hearing her other mentor's voice from beyond the veil of life to the afterlife. Kuririn was happy to hear his voice, strangely enough, and Raditz could only narrow his eyes with a petulant sense of annoyance.

"Right, as I was saying. Just use the Dragon Balls to resurrect Piccolo. Because his life force was tied to Earth's God, that means he'll be revived along with him. And with their Dragon Balls, they can resurrect the rest of your friends."

"T-That's fantastic!" Kuririn exclaimed, looking over at the ecstatic Pan with balled up fists that mirrored his own. "And with two extra wishes, we could even wish him here, if he wants to see his home planet!"

"That'd be great!" Pan shouted with glee, anxious to see her old friend again after so long.

"One thing at a time. Just resurrect Piccolo and then we'll see what we should do afterwards."

"Not that I care to see a world I've never known, I'm not sure how much help I'd be. I've been watching your progress thanks to Kaiō and quite frankly, no matter what kind of training I've been doing here, I'll likely just get in the way. Sorry but I'm going to have to postpone our reunion."

"Glad to see death hasn't addled your common sense, Nameccian," Raditz retorted with a smirk.

"Just for that remark, I'll make sure to close the gap in no time so I can make you see how much worth I still have, Saiyan."

"As much as I'd love to keep this collect call online there's something you all should know - Freeza has just transformed and is likely heading your way!"

At that prompt, everyone froze. The once overwhelming fervor of Nail was eclipsed by an even more frightening sea of blackness that smothered his significant life force. And, just as they had been taking note, they could feel it taking aim and rushing in their direction.

"D-Dende-!"

"-make the wish now!" Raditz cut off Pan, his voice bleeting out his own brand of panic.

Dende nodded and, with a slew of specifically phrased words in his own tongue, he communicated the wish.

Polunga, nodding sagely, spoke back as its eyes glowed - a telltale sign its mystical power was being utilized - and, within seconds, had finished it.

"Alright," Kuririn swallowed nervously. "That's the first wish. Maybe we should use the next one for-"

"Me!"

In a revolving whiplash, Kuririn felt himself jerk around to see a sudden group of feet land just behind the four. There, in full attendance, was Vegeta standing at the front, flanked by Nappa and Aspara on either side. Standing not far to their right was Tullece and Chi-Chi, dropping in less than perfect sync with the prince and only seeming to appear to check on why they had left so swiftly.

"Back off, prince," Raditz warned, his eyes fixing coolly at the shorter man. "You're in no position to muscle your way into this-"

"I beg to differ," The prince replied, grinning as veins sprouted across his sizable forehead. "I overheard the part of several wishes. You've already used one. Its only fair we get the remaining two."

"On what grounds?"

"That I don't kill everyone you value here," He promised, his smile deepening, seemingly enhanced at the twitch made across Raditz's eyes. "Between us three, it'd be impossible to protect everyone. I'm confident that even with most recent grace of near death I've become even stronger; perhaps even stronger than you."

Gritting his teeth, he held a hand out, urging Pan and Kuririn to stand behind him. He already felt wary of his uncle being nearby, but with Vegeta at the head the other two of his cronies were going to be a problem.

"Um, guys..." Chi-Chi cleared her throat, reminding the two sides of Saiyans that she was the odd woman out. "No need to draw all of your attention on me, but I have to say, can't we just claw at each other's throats after we deal with Freeza? Like, say, use a wish to send him off planet, and then we can worry about him later?"

"Polunga can't move people without their permission. So a wish like that won't have any effect," Dende explained matter-of-fact.

"Oh..." The Frypan Princess felt her face fall, having once thought of a convenient loophole only for it to not be plausible.

"This is all very entertaining, watching you kids squabble," Tullece remarked, his hands on his hips as he looked at the angry looks Raditz and Vegeta gave him. "But I wonder, would you even use this mystical dragon to its full potential? Why not let me make a wish?"

"Not on your life, Tullece!" Nappa bellowed, his meaty hand pointing at him. "You don't get squat, you toadie! Stay back and watch us use the wishes or you'll regret opening that mouth of yours."

Tullece exchanged a look with Aspara, as if indicating something unsaid between the pair. The long-haired Saiyan looked away, her left hand twitching and crackling with energy. A smile stretched on his face, eyes closing as he felt that things will fall into place as he anticipates; even if this wasn't part of the plan, this opportunity was too good to pass up!

"Now stand aside-"

"I told you it's not happening!" Raditz barked back at Vegeta, sweeping a hand around and releasing a gale of ki that forced the three back. Earth was rended upwards, dust flying back as if a hurricane swept the land. And while the prince had caught the sudden discharge of invisible energy with one hand, Aspara and Nappa were sent somersaulting backwards, skidding on their hands and knees.

"I told you," Vegeta remarked with a malicious smirk. "I'm a lot stronger than I was from the last time we crossed paths, traitor."

"I guess you really do need a...a..." Raditz trailed off, his eyes veering away to see something emerge on the ridge a few dozen meters away resting on top of the island.

Everyone's hearts skipped a few beats.

There, standing on top of a hill on this larger than average island was Freeza. Though he looked significantly different. Bereft of his Battle Jacket he now shown his muscular torso of white with several shades of scarlet intertwined with the rest of his reptilian-humanoid physique. But that wasn't the most significant change - no, that was his sheer size. His face formerly impish was now angular, with a strong chin and jawline that enhanced his already crooked eyes. With nary a scratch on his person from his previous scuffle, the long tail of Freeza snapped on the ground as he laughed, his voice now a booming timbre compared to the eloquent lisp it once retained.

"No, please, do tell me what Vegeta needs," Freeza intoned with a toothy smile, full of malice and eyes glowing with a black promise. "I'll make sure to give it to him in spades."

Tullece's eyes shrunk into dots, his mouth agape at seeing his boss in this state, a form he had never seen before; a towering demon of giant proportions and oozing a presence so tangible he felt as if the warm climate of Namek had turned to ice.

Chi-Chi's breath became shaky, sweat sloughing off her scalp and her hands trembling at her hips. Kuririn's face paled and Pan felt her legs become rooted in place. Dende felt his knees buckle and give way to falling down. Aspara felt like screaming and Nappa gulped audibly in fright. Even Vegeta, proud as he was, felt himself rear around and look up with horror in his eyes to seeing this gargantuan representation of his life's torment in physical form.

"H-How?!" Kuririn croaked out, his hands opening up and looking balkingly at Freeza. "You were on the ropes. I felt it, that Nail guy was beating you up!"

"Oh him? Ah yes he did give me quite a tussle from before," Freeza remarked, dismissively waving a hand while the other gripped his chin as he looked up at the dragon's immense form that lit up the otherwise blackened sky. "I take it that this is the Dragon of Namek myth? He's certainly larger than life, as you'd put it. Do I simply ask for immortality now, or do I still need an infernal password?"

"W-What happened to Nail?" Pan asked, her voice almost never heard until Freeza looked from on high down at her petite frame. Eyes watered and her face shook with fear mixed with outrage, the conflict of emotions overwhelming the child. "Where is he?!"

"Oh. Nail, was it?" Freeza sideglanced, remembering the miserable bloodied state he was last left before he flew with haste here. "He's not...doing well."

"Milord," Tullece attempted to approach, half-bowing as he gestured to the others with an air of thematic grace. "I've delivered the traitors and the Dragon Balls to you. If you wish I can assist in-"

"That's enough, Tullece," The demonic boss proclaimed, leaving Tullece stunned and looking up with surprise. "I've known of your slippery nature for quite some time. I've tolerated your presence simply because you've outdone my other employees. But now, seeing you here without even an attempt to stop these turncoats paints you with your true colors at last. I'll take special care in punishing you, my faithful servant."

"You don't get it, Freeza," Vegeta remarked, gesturing to the Dragon, smiling crookedly up at his former superior without showing the fear he was drenched in. "I'm one step away from obtaining my life's ambition: immortality. I know you want it as badly as I do. Once I have it, there's nothing you can do to threaten me. And with my powers of Saiyan biology, I'll only become that much stronger every time you try to slay me. And soon, no matter how much power you have, you won't be so haughty now, will you?"

"Are you testing me, Vegeta?" Freeza inquired, narrowing his eyes and his smile lessening. "Do you wish to die now instead of later? I can make that arrangement if you so desire."

"I won't die here," Vegeta turned to look at the frightened Nameccian, nodding to him. "Just say the word, boy, if you want all of us to make it out of here. Tell the Dragon my wish."

"Belay that order, child!" Freeza hollered, pointing his finger straight at him, a light of scarlet emitting from his index finger. "Give me my immortality, right this instant, or I'll begin killing everyone here, one by one. Do you understand?!"

"I-I...but...um," Dende stammered, tears forming in his eyes as he looked at everyone staring at him from all angles. The pressure was weighing upon him and he was beginning to weigh his options. Which was the lesser evil...no, which one was going to cause the least amount of death?

Both were malicious, prideful and couldn't care less what happened to everyone around them.

Which should he choose?

A sudden halo of sparking, rosy light dominated his periphery and engulfed everyone's field of vision. Everyone saw in a split second that Raditz twisted on his heels and made the decision no one had considered. Before the eyes of the icy tyrant and the prodigal prince, a beam of piercing light thrust through the chest of the towering colossus of serpentine shape. A loud gasp followed by a dimming of red eyes till they were as vacant as the lack of stars in Namek's sky.

And then, an explosion. Blasting outward with an elliptical shower of light, seven now gray stones slammed into the island in varying spots surrounding them. The three Suns returned overhead, and a steaming hand lowered down as Raditz turned to stare at both Vegeta and Freeza with a a rare stony glare.

"Whatever happens, from this point on, I'll know that I've robbed you both of your dream," Raditz grinned, chuckling a bit despite the bead of sweat dripping down the side of his brow over his cheek. "Immortality is forever out of your reach, and you have nothing to hold us hostage with. You've lost."

"You fool!" Vegeta croaked out, looking horrendously infuriated. "Do you know what you've done?!"

"And what, let you run loose as the new emperor? I'd sooner die."

"Raditz," Freeza sneered, his feet cracking the ridge and his face twisting in fury. "Allow me to assist your new endeavor!"

A/N:

Demod20:

And this was a blast to write. I won't say too much that I haven't already covered but I'm happy we gave Nail a much more proper outing. And I know some of you are disappointed that Piccolo won't show up here. But, to be honest, apart from him doing the predictable (absorbing Nail) he'll just be padding as far as we're concerned in this Arc. You'll see, we've got more than enough to help handle Freeza, at least for now. I've very much enjoyed writing in the dynamic of Pan's simpleminded approach along with Raditz's stony disposition and then, the sheer scope of dread Freeza lays out to the whole crowd. And with Raditz slaying the dragon, the gloves will now be coming off; from here on out, its any man's game!

LastationLover5000: This was a very fun chapter to do. I haven't written a proper battle in Heart in a long-time. I've been burnt out on battles, so I leave it to my counterpart, who writes them fantastically. But I did have quite a bit of fun writing my section, it's been awhile, and as someone who likes Nail and thinks he was terribly underused, I like to think this is a battle that did Nail more justice than what he got in the original series. To anyone disappointed in Piccolo not coming to Namek, don't be. We've plenty of future plans for Piccolo but right now, we've got more than enough of a cast of characters, and honestly, Piccolo's strange and sudden patriotism for Namek made no sense in the original manga. Besides, you all will love what we have in store. We'll see you all in the next chapter, which I hope to be soon!