Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty
Written by: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner
Chapter 28: Ginyu Force Falls
Outside of Frieza's Ship…
Captain Ginyu's newfound-Kaioken power swelled and burst out, sending miniature shockwaves across the battlefield and burning a crater beneath the captain's feet. The others all quickly took on defensive stances, and Ginyu rushed them with a snarl!
The captain went for Bardock and Vegeta first. He kneed Bardock in the chest and sent the older Saiyan tumbling back, and then he kicked Vegeta in the side as hard as he could. A massive, popping crack echoed out from Vegeta's side and the prince coughed up blood, his ribs and armor shattered. Vegeta fell to his knees and Ginyu knocked him away with a punch to the mouth. He then turned his attention to Krillin and Raditz.
Krillin panicked and tried to use a Kamehameha, but Ginyu seized him by the wrists and slammed an elbow into the monk's face. The shorter fighter fell back in a daze and Ginyu went to work on Raditz.
Raditz was able to defend himself much better than Krillin. His higher power level and recent training with Goku allowed him to fight back against his brother's body. But Ginyu's reckless use of the Kaioken was putting Raditz on the heavy defensive. Ginyu sent the elder brother flying with a punch to the chest. As Raditz went sprawling back, Ginyu leapt on top of him to secure the kill, but a punch from the outside quickly intercepted his attack.
The captain turned to face this new challenger and saw a similarly powered-up Gine. "Oh! You again?! Do you really think you can take me?!"
Gine gritted her teeth. "Kaioken x10!"
Ginyu came in for a heaving punch, but Gine blocked it and came back with a kick of her own. The two of them clashed back and forth for a moment, giving Raditz time to recover. The older brother stood and shouted. "Kaioken x6!"
The power of the Kaioken flared out from Raditz's body and he rushed at Ginyu to help his mother. The two of them gave their all to fighting the captain, meeting every strike from Ginyu with a quick guard and a strike of their own. Mother and son both reared their fists back after deflecting two blows from Ginyu and slammed them into his chest. The Captain went skidding back and Raditz and Gine landed, ready to face more.
Ginyu coughed, tapping his fist against Goku's chest and then smirking at Raditz and Gine. "Kaioken x10!"
Gine and Raditz both flinched. Gine blocked her eyes from the sheer amount of dust that was kicked up. She cried out. "How did he do that?!"
Ginyu answered. "This 'Kaioken' thing is just a power amplifier! It's nothing to ramp it up even higher after I saw you do it, fool!"
The Captain charged. He zipped between Raditz and Gine and laid into each of them. Gine took a hard kick to the face and was smashed into the ground. Raditz got it even worse. Ginyu slammed his shoulder into the older brother's stomach and took him off of his feet. And then, winding up a mighty punch, Ginyu smashed Raditz in the face and sent him flying back. Gine grunted and tried to stand up, summoning a ki blast. But Ginyu quickly whipped around towards her and pulled his leg back for a kick.
The foot fired forward, with Gine not having any time to defend. But it was quickly intercepted and blocked by Goku. The battered, purple form of the captain's former body slammed into Gine and they both went rolling.
Goku cringed as he landed flat and turned his attention to Gine. "H-Hey, Mom. Are you okay?"
Gine looked up and, flinching, immediately cried out. "Look out, Kakarot!"
Goku turned to see Ginyu was already on top of him, his arm drawn back for a slicing chop. But before Ginyu could seize the kill, an enraged Vegeta rejoined the fray. The prince slammed into Ginyu and dragged him away in high-speed flight. He stopped short, allowing the momentum to carry Ginyu away and began to spam ki blasts at the captain.
The attacks, however, had no effect. Ginyu quickly got back onto his feet and sprinted right back towards Vegeta, knocking ki bolts away until he reached the prince and began to beat the hell out of him. Fist after fist smashed into Vegeta's face and torso, injuring the prince and forcing him to the ground. Ginyu raised his fists into the air to smash Vegeta's skull, but then yet another challenger leapt in for their share of the fight.
Bardock came in, powered by a Kaioken x2, with a pinpoint kick to the ribs of his son's body. As Ginyu stumbled back, the older Saiyan reached down and yanked Vegeta to his feet. They both charged. A few punches and kicks were fired off by the two Saiyans, but Ginyu was quick to leap into the air and stomp the both of them into the ground.
The Captain was manic and drunk on this new power of his, a stream of drool running from the corner of his stolen mouth. "Now I take my revenge tenfold! Die, you worthless bastards!"
Ginyu grabbed Vegeta and Bardock by the hair and prepared to yank up, but yet another interruption came in from the side. The captain turned his attention to this new intruder and locked his eyes onto Gohan. He turned to the trembling boy, and the just as terrified Chi-Chi standing right behind him. Ginyu's vision went red as he snarled. "You're going to regret that one, kid!"
The captain rushed at Gohan, leaving Vegeta and Bardock on the ground. He pulled his fist back and slammed it into the boy's face, sending him flying back into a massive boulder. Gohan cried out in pain, leaving a gigantic crack on the surface of the stone, and plopped onto the ground.
Seeing someone attack her son, Chi-Chi's motherly instincts took over. She roared at the top of her lungs and furiously laid kicks into her husband's snatched body. Ginyu turned to her, unaffected, and immediately seized her throat. The captain lifted Chi-Chi into the air and prepared to punch her head off, but then another blast crashed into him. Ginyu tensed up and he dropped Chi-Chi, who was immediately grabbed by the recovered Gine and carried to safety.
The captain didn't care. He turned his attention to the source of the blast and saw an angry Gohan standing there. He snapped. "A-Are you stupid?! You must not have a single, functioning brain cell in your head if you think that you have any chance against me, you little prick!"
Gohan shook his head and took a fighting stance. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't! But I will not just stand by and let you hurt my mom! I'll never forgive you!"
Ginyu roared at Gohan and charged at the boy again. Except this time, Gohan fought back with much more spirit! Ginyu had made him angry and the kid absolutely refused to back down this time. He took each punch and kick and elbow and knee from his dad's body with stride and returned with an attack of his own, actually fighting on par with the manic body-swapper. As the fight raged on, Gohan realized he needed some sort of plan. He thought hard, and then he came up with one thing he thought might work. Gohan quickly folded his left hand behind his back and began to charge energy into it, continuing to defend from the captain with his three remaining limbs. Ginyu didn't seem to notice, too blinded by rage.
Soon after dodging a kick from Ginyu, Gohan leapt into the air and the captain quickly followed.
Meanwhile, over with the others…
Chi-Chi cried out in fear as she watched her son and the enraged Captain Ginyu brawl. She trembled with terror as Gine, acting quickly, began to gather the injured and crippled together to be taken to safety. The Saiyan mother felt for Chi-Chi, but she genuinely had more important things to do at the moment than to engage in coddling her daughter-in-law.
Gine turned to Chi-Chi and shouted to get her attention. "Chi-Chi! I need your-"
The grandmother gasped in shock as Chi-Chi, blinded by her need to protect her son, started to take to the air to go and join the fight. Gine stood and cursed to herself. "Dammit!"
Before Chi-Chi could get too far, Gine reached up and grabbed her by the ankle. Quickly, and perhaps a tad brutally, she yanked her daughter-in-law from the air and tossed her to the ground. Chi-Chi looked shocked and hurt as she stood up. "G-Gine! What are you-"
Gine quickly grabbed Chi-Chi by the shoulder and shouted at her in the most serious tone she could muster. "Chi-Chi! Listen to me! I agree with you, okay?!"
Chi-Chi was confused, but then Gine clarified. "I agree with you! Was it a stupid move, as a grandfather, for Bardock to go and let Gohan fight Recoome by himself?! Yes! Absolutely!"
The daughter-in-law tried to pull away. "Then, why are you-"
Gine cut her off. "But do I think that Gohan is unable to handle himself in a fight?! Absolutely not! He's a Saiyan, Chi-Chi! A half-Saiyan, but still a Saiyan! He's a born warrior and while he might not be the most expert fighter here, he can still help where he's needed!"
Chi-Chi's lower jaw began to tremble. "B-But... I don't want my baby to have to-"
Gine teared up and shook her head. "I know how you feel! I felt the same way with Raditz, but... we all have to help where we're needed! Right now, Gohan is the one here with the best chance at holding Ginyu off! We need to let him serve his role while we serve ours! We have to get the injured out of harm's way, cuz if they die then there is no way in hell we'll be able to beat Frieza! Understand?!"
Chi-Chi pointed to her baby, who was currently fighting for his life. "But what will we do about that?! Even after we save the others... Gohan can't beat that monster by himself! Even if he's strong, that freak has Goku's body!"
Gine nodded. "I know he does! And once the others are out of the way, you don't have to worry! I'll go and protect Gohan with my life if I have to! But we have to focus on the greater good right now, Chi-Chi! Can you please do that?!"
After a bit of silent thought, Chi-Chi nodded. "Y-Yes..."
Gine nodded back. "Good. Then let's get to it!"
Up in the air…
The fight raged on in the sky. Gohan and Ginyu were going back and forth with all of the ferocity they could muster. Gohan was just barely avoiding being seriously hurt, dodging and occasionally getting in a hit of his own. But that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. The boy was wise beyond his years and he remembered everything Piccolo taught him about seeking out weak points and was working his hardest to do just that.
And in Gohan's observations, one thing was becoming very clear: just because his dad had gotten stronger, that didn't make the Kaioken any less dangerous to use. Goku's stronger body could handle a larger increase of power from it, but only for just so long.
Ginyu was too inexperienced and enraged to realize the truth. Too reckless in his efforts to avoid excessive moments. Too focused on his bloodlusted rampage to regulate his Ki. With each passing second, the Kaioken x10 was taking its toll on Goku's body. Slowly but surely, the body's reflexes were slowing. Reaction times were going down. Ginyu was taking all of the damage from Gohan like a tank, but the damage he was doing to himself was taking effect.
Gohan continued his fight with a clear goal in mind. He just had to damage his father's body enough to spring his secret move and take Ginyu out!
Back on the ground…
Gine and Chi-Chi had finished their first saving run. Krillin and Bardock had been moved underneath Frieza's ship and now it was time to take two more to safety. Chi-Chi bent over and began to shake Ginyu's body, trying to wake up her unconscious husband. "Goku! Get up! Please, I need to know that you're still alive in that husk!"
Meanwhile, Gine turned her attention to her injured eldest son. "Raditz..."
Raditz turned his attention to his mother, semi-conscious. "H-Hey, Mom..."
Gine dug her hand under her son's shoulder. "Can you stand?"
Raditz seemed to ignore her, chuckling and staring back up into the sky. "C-Can you believe it, Mom? I kidnapped that boy a little over a year ago. He was a screaming, crying mess... and now..."
Gine nodded. "Yes, Raditz. Gohan is quite impressive. Now, I need you to help me here. Come on..."
Gine began to lift her son over her shoulder and Raditz continued to talk to himself. "I'm glad I got brought back to life after that Namekian killed me. It's nice to be able... to see..."
Raditz quickly locked onto a familiar feeling as he watched Gohan fight. He scanned his way through the fight between the captain and his nephew looking for just what that was... and eventually he found it! Gohan was holding his left hand back and Raditz could sense a very familiar type of power within it. That technique... HE WAS GOING TO USE THAT TECHNIQUE?!
The uncle scanned the situation and instantly found a fault. Ginyu was damaging Kakarot's body with Kaioken-overuse, that much was clear, but he was still too fast! At the rate things were going, Gohan would run out of stamina before Ginyu damaged himself enough! He would dodge it, just as Raditz once had, and that would leave Gohan open for a devastating blow. Raditz gritted his teeth. He couldn't let that happen!
As Gine threw her daydreaming eldest son over her shoulder, Raditz suddenly got his feet under him. And then, with all of his strength, the older brother leapt into the air and towards Gohan and Ginyu!
Up in the air…
Gohan was becoming desperate as the battle wore on. His stamina was wavering as he and Ginyu continued their fight. Having to focus on both dodging for his life and maintaining the focus necessary to charge his secret attack was taking more out of the poor child than he expected it to. "Now or never" was coming towards him with the unyielding speed of a comet hurtling through space.
The boy gritted his teeth and began to observe his situation, looking for the best spot to fire off his attack. He and Ginyu continued to exchange blows, the Kaioken still slowly breaking Ginyu down. But as the brawl continued, Gohan realized something utterly horrifying: he wouldn't last until Ginyu was slowed enough to actually hit! At this rate, his special attack would definitely miss!
Ginyu was foaming at the mouth as he levied attack after attack towards Gohan. This brat thought he could stand up to the great captain. And to his credit, the boy was hanging as best as a child could be expected to. But Ginyu was still the senior warrior here. And no runt would be defeating him today!
Gohan continued to analyze the situation in his head. He played out what would happen. He would fire his attack, Ginyu would instantly react and dodge, and then Gohan would be...
Tears appeared in Gohan's eyes and he squeezed them shut. "D-Dammit..."
He knew that Ginyu was probably about to kill him. But Gohan didn't despair. He bought his friends and family on the ground enough time to save themselves, so hopefully they'd wish him back with the Dragon Balls soon. So with a heavy heart, Gohan thrusted his hand forward. As the boy did that, Ginyu instantly knew what was up. Whatever attack that was, the captain did not plan to let it defeat him! He quickly traced a solid path to both dodge the attack and finish the brat off in one shot. Ginyu smiled wide. "You lose, punk!"
But as Ginyu began to move, something suddenly grabbed him from behind and kept him held in place. The captain cried out. "WHAT?!"
This new assailant chuckled and tightened the full-nelson he had grabbed the captain into. "Not today, Ginyu! Sorry, but I can't let you kill my nephew!"
Ginyu turned, enraged, to see that Raditz was hanging from his back like some kind of goddamned parasite. Ginyu began to resist and fight against the Saiyan's grip. "Get the hell off me! You dirty, Saiyan bastard! Get your filthy hands off me!"
Raditz held on tight, unable to be removed given his awkward positioning on the captain's back. "You don't get to talk about me like that! Not in that body!"
Ginyu snarled and slammed his elbow into Raditz's ribs. The older brother coughed in pain, but didn't let go of his hold.
On the ground…
Gine and Chi-Chi both watched from the ground as Raditz leapt into the fray to help Gohan out. In spite of Ginyu using all of Goku's power on top of such a high-level Kaioken, Raditz was somehow able to hold on tightly and securely. The captain screamed in frustration as Raditz managed to restrain him.
Chi-Chi was still nervous, she remained knelt next to her husband and kept her eyes trained onto Gohan. Gine watched intently, ready to jump in if she was needed. The two women were both so focused on the fight above that neither seemed to notice that Vegeta was waking up.
Up in the air…
Raditz secured his grip onto Ginyu even tighter, eventually managing to grip the captain's arms and prevent them from moving. Raditz folded his legs over Ginyu's legs and then wrapped his tail around Ginyu's waist. Now the Captain was rendered totally helpless, floating in the air with Raditz hanging onto him like an irritating backpack.
Gohan hovered above this scene, confused and watching as his uncle restrained Ginyu tightly. He didn't know what to do. But he was quickly given his answer when Raditz started shouting at him. "GOHAN! FIRE THE DAMNED ATTACK!"
Gohan flinched back, his eyes wide. "B-But... I don't want to hurt you..."
Raditz shouted back. "It doesn't matter! We have those Dragon Balls! If I die, I can be brought back! We just have to focus on defeating Ginyu right now!"
Raditz clenched his eyes shut. "SO, FIRE ALREADY!"
Gohan closed his mouth, swallowing a lump in his throat and clenching his teeth. Needing to focus up, he extended his two fingers and pressed them to his forehead. Soon, energy began to crackle from his fingertips and he started to scan for the best spot to hit. "Just gotta be pragmatic... just like Grandpa Bardock. Gotta do this for the greater good..."
Gohan stared at his uncle struggling to restrain his father's body and he began to falter. He didn't want to kill them. He... he couldn't bring himself to kill them. So, rather than aim at the center mass of his target, Gohan aimed slightly to the side. He focused all of the energy to a point, and then Gohan fired his secret attack.
"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"
The drilling beam burst from Gohan's fingers, sending the boy recoiling back. The attack smashed into the side of Goku's body and shredded through the ribcage before doing the same to Raditz. Ginyu and Raditz both screamed in pain as the attack rocked them hard. Once it was over, both of the warriors immediately began to plummet, blood bursting from them both and leaving twin trails of red in the air as they fell.
On the ground…
Chi-Chi and Gine were both in shock. As Ginyu and Raditz both fell from the sky, the two women questioned how little Gohan was even capable of such a ferocious attack. As the two watched on, Raditz and Ginyu both splattered against the ground.
Raditz yelped and gurgled while flat on his back. This time, he was down for the count. Ginyu immediately landed next to him, but didn't make a sound. The captain laid there, completely still. Everything fell quiet on the battlefield as no one knew how to react.
And then Vegeta finally came to, he stood and took stock of the situation. Everyone was down, Ginyu included. This was his chance! Vegeta leapt to his feet and rushed over to Raditz and Goku's body. The prince summoned a massive energy blast and levied it above his head. Gine cried out. "Vegeta! What are you doing?!"
The Prince snarled. "We have the Dragon Balls to restore Kakarot's body if we need it! We have to kill Ginyu while he's-"
Ginyu immediately slammed his foot into Vegeta's knee, breaking the prince's leg. Vegeta roared in pain and buckled over and Ginyu met him with a solid punch to the center of the face. Vegeta was sent rolling back and Ginyu stood up. He didn't even bother to clench his wound, he just glared up into the sky at Gohan. "Cool moves, kid. But... you should've gone for the kill!"
Gohan cried out in fear and raised his hands above his head, preparing a Masenko. Ginyu, however, made a shocking declaration. The captain roared and began to build his power-up more and more. "KAIOKEN x20! NO... x50! NO! x100!"
The sheer, overwhelming explosion of power scared Gohan senseless. His arms fell to his sides and he stared down at Ginyu in terror. At that moment, Ginyu's stolen body underwent quite the change. The skin turned red. Every muscle became massively engorged. Every visible vein protruded and pulsed. The mighty aura became like a massive, raging inferno. And the sheer power Ginyu gave off was just as monstrous. He was much, much stronger than Frieza. At this moment, he might've been the most powerful person in the universe.
This sudden surge of power caused all of the unconscious fighters to perk up and stir. Goku, still trapped in Ginyu's body, looked on in sheer horror as Kaioken power ripped from his body. Krillin was shaking next to the still unmoving Bardock at this miserable feeling. The total force of the power pushed Vegeta and Raditz away, sending both Saiyans flying off like paper.
Goku and Chi-Chi's gaze both went from the surging Ginyu and up to their son. Goku was the first to cry out. "GOHAN! RUN!"
Chi-Chi had tears streaming down her face. "GET OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW!"
But as the two of them screamed, Ginyu crouched down and leapt into the air with a mighty shout. "FOR THE GLORY OF LORD FRIEZA!"
Everyone panicked as Ginyu rocketed upwards, instantly being on top of Gohan with a killing blow ready to be delivered. Everyone, except for the oddly calm Bardock. The older Saiyan laid under the shade of Frieza's ship, next to Krillin, and let loose a slightly pained chuckle. "Purple dumbass..."
Up in the air…
Gohan was flinching in fear. He was waiting for it, for the mother-of-all hits to come and finish him off. The boy was trembling in place, waiting for it and waiting for it... but it never came. After such a long, pregnant pause of nothing happening, Gohan opened his eyes and gasped.
He came onto the sight of his father's body, doubled over in total agony. Ginyu couldn't even formulate the sounds in his throat to scream in pain as his skin and muscles visibly writhed. The Kaioken had taken its toll and Ginyu was left totally crippled as a result. The captain's eyes rolled back a bit and he glared at Gohan with an odd combination of hate and warrior-to-warrior respect. Then he fell from the sky like a weight.
Ginyu snarled to himself, realizing that the tables had turned on him once again. He had to find a way out of this fast! The captain managed to ignore the white-hot pain that was rushing over him and scanned over the field. He needed a new vessel! His first choice was obviously Vegeta. But while the prince was easily the strongest and least damaged person present, somehow, he wasn't within a clear enough line of sight to use the Body Change on. He snarled as his vision began to blur. He had to be fast!
The Captain looked around for a solution to this. And then he realized, his old body was nearly dead... but it was in line of sight with Vegeta! He didn't have to worry about that other Saiyan fighting back, because this body was destroyed! The perfect plan! Ginyu chuckled and smiled to himself, glaring down at his old body.
"CHANGE NOW!"
Back on the ground…
Chi-Chi was shocked by a golden beam suddenly crashing down from the sky and hitting her nearly-dead husband. The human woman screamed at the top of her lungs. "Wh-What now?!"
Her question was answered by a surprise jab to the face! Gine turned in shock to see Chi-Chi tumbling away, blood gushing from her nose and mouth, and Ginyu's body struggling to stand up.
The Saiyan mother, quickly realizing that Ginyu was back in his previous body, shouted and fired a Ki blast, but Ginyu deflected it back at her. As Gine fell, Ginyu smiled with malice and glared at the disoriented Vegeta.
Once Goku thudded against the ground, Ginyu laughed out loud and shouted. "CHANGE NOW!"
Ginyu's body began to glow gold and everything slowed down. Gine was still stunned on the ground, struggling to push herself up. Gohan was rushing down from his position up in the air and Krillin was meagerly limping towards Ginyu. No one else was able to move. If Ginyu managed to switch bodies with Vegeta... then it was all well and truly over.
On the ground, Chi-Chi wiped her face, cringing at the sight of her blood staining her hand. She looked up at the miserable purple bastard that had been terrorizing her family and saw him glowing golden again. She knew he was about to go for another switch, even if she didn't know with whom. What should she do?! What could she do?!
Suddenly, Chi-Chi felt something slimy on her hand. She looked down and, to her shock, what appeared to be the Namekian version of a frog was right there. She reacted immediately. Chi-Chi grabbed the frog tightly, steeled her gaze, and then she activated her newly-acquired ability to fly. She rocketed from the ground and toward Ginyu, frog in hand, and then got right in the captain's face. Ginyu stared in horror as the Body Change beam began to exit his mouth, and Chi-Chi simply smirked at him.
A mighty flash covered the whole battlefield, blinding everyone watching on.
After a few moments, everyone's vision cleared and they all stared over at Ginyu and Chi-Chi. The captain's eyes were glazed over and white while Chi-Chi's face was obscured. No one could tell what had happened. And then, to everyone's horror, Chi-Chi whipped her head back. Her eyes were filled with malicious intent and the woman began to cackle triumphantly.
Vegeta, having regained his senses, quickly prepared a blast to kill who he thought was now Ginyu. But then, something happened that truly caught Vegeta off guard. Ginyu's old body fell to its hands and feet, and then it began to croak. "Ribbit. Ribbit. Ribbit."
"Ginyu" awkwardly frog-hopped away as Chi-Chi continued her laugh. The human woman held her arm out, showing that she was holding a Namekian frog by one of its hind legs. Chi-Chi looked both smug and angry as she spat utter venom to her amphibian captive. "Do you really think that, after all you've done to my husband and son and the rest of my family, I would just sit there and let you have your way?!"
Chi-Chi spat a bit of blood from her mouth. "You must be joking!"
The frog began to ribbit in terror and Chi-Chi, rather cruelly, began to spin it around like a toy. Vegeta and Gine were both staring, totally dumbfounded as she did, neither able to really process what had just happened. Chi-Chi didn't seem to regard them; she was too focused on the reduced Captain Ginyu.
Chi-Chi summoned a Ki blast in her hand and sneered at Ginyu. "Now I'm gonna show you why you don't mess with my family."
With all of the force she could muster, Chi-Chi spun the frog Captain around and whipped him high into the air. Then she shouted. "GO TO HELL, YOU BODY-SNATCHING BASTARD!"
Chi-Chi whipped her Ki blast into the air and it hit Ginyu-Frog dead on. The smoking body of the frog fell from the air like a stone, arcing to the nearby water and splashing in. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Gine, smiling and shooting a victory sign. "I found a way to make myself useful!"
Gine was slightly taken aback by the Saiyan-level of sadistic cruelty that her daughter-in-law had just shown, but she managed a nervous smile and a weak thumbs up at Chi-Chi's chipper attitude.
The levity was short-lived as Chi-Chi quickly ran over to her critically injured husband. "GOKU!"
She knelt next to her husband and began to fret and worry over his injuries. Gohan soon joined her in checking on his dad and they both worried over Goku as he painfully, but gently, reassured them. "G-Guys... it's alright... I-I'll be... f-fine..."
Vegeta, still unable to process what had just happened, stepped up to the family. "Y-You... Earth woman... you... you just... you..."
Chi-Chi turned and snapped at Vegeta. "What?!"
Vegeta shook his head. "You killed Captain Ginyu!"
Chi-Chi shrugged, looking flustered. "So what?! That's in the past! It's over! We have more important things to worry about!"
She jabbed her finger at the prince. "You said there were healing pods on that ship, right?!"
Vegeta quickly and silently nodded. Chi-Chi stood. "Good!"
She motioned for Gohan to help her gently lift Goku from the ground and then she snapped at Vegeta again. "Well?! What are you waiting for?! Lead the way! We need those healing pods now!"
Vegeta, exhausted as he was, was just slightly intimidated. He easily agreed with Chi-Chi on that regard. They needed to get Kakarot into a Healing Chamber so that he could help in the fight against Frieza. Quickly, Vegeta led the way to show Chi-Chi and Gohan where the pod was.
Shakily, Raditz stood up and coughed. He nearly buckled over, but was caught mid-fall by Krillin. The Saiyan and the monk both shared a look before Krillin chuckled. "Hey, you came to help me, right? Might as well return the favor."
Raditz chuckled and allowed himself to rest on Krillin's shoulder. "F-For sure..."
And finally, Gine walked over to her husband, who was still lying on the ground, and gently shook him. "Bardock! Are you okay?"
Bardock groaned as he pushed himself up, he felt slow and slightly sick. But he managed to get to his feet. "Eh... it took Frieza to kill me before. It'll at least take Frieza to kill me again..."
Gine shot him a worried and annoyed look. "I'd prefer that you not be killed again at all. I mean seriously... I'd like to at least have a small taste of a peaceful life together before you kick off..."
Bardock chuckled and gently rubbed his wife's shoulder, pulling her close. "Oh, come on... you know you ain't gonna be rid of me that easily..."
Gine looked up at her husband and shot him a cheery smile. Bardock smirked back and then surprised Gine with a quick peck on the lips. The two of them stared at each other for a moment and then Gine laughed. "Chi-Chi is probably going to chew you out... and I can't blame her... but I just wanna say that I think you did a good job of keeping everyone alive, honey."
Bardock groaned and nodded. "Yeah... no one's dead so far... I mean, other than most of the Namekian people, but I didn't know any of them so I don't really care..."
Gine sighed and sadly glanced over to Ginyu's old body. It had stopped hopping around and was just lying there. Slowly, the eyes closed and then it went still. "That poor frog didn't deserve that..."
Bardock shrugged. "Necessary sacrifices. Whatcha gonna do? Now... let's get inside so that we can try to get things together. We have the Dragon Balls, so it's about time we start making wishes and shit..."
Over on the nearby shore…
The water calmly rippled in the Namekian sea as Bardock and his group retreated into Frieza's Ship. For just a moment, it seemed as if all of the threats to their cause had been neutralized. But, unbeknownst to them, a pair of sinister Namekian frog antennae popped out from beneath the waves. The Ginyu Force wasn't quite dead yet!