Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Written by: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Chapter 33: The Demon Namekian's Wrath

On the other side of the ridge…

Bardock groaned as he sat up. He felt like shit. But to his relief, that shitty feeling was quickly fading away. The older Saiyan cracked his eyes open and looked down to see his various wounds quickly closing up and repairing. His strength and vitality were both swelling under a familiar, warm light.

Bardock looked over and saw Dende standing next to him. The little Namekian looked determined as he used his gift from Grand Elder Guru to heal up one of Namek's last defenders. Bardock smirked. "Keeping busy like always, eh kid?"

Dende silently nodded. Bardock glanced over at Dende and saw the sadness in the boy's eyes. He sighed. "I'm a pretty shitty savior, huh? The old guy put a lot of faith in me, and yet there are less than twenty of you left now..."

The young Namekian spoke quietly. "You're doing your best."

Bardock glanced over at Dende. Dende nodded. "That thing that you and your friends are fighting is a monster. He's so strong, but you keep fighting. I do not think you are a bad savior. I think highly of you because you refuse to give up..."

Bardock chuckled. "Well... thanks for stroking my ego, kid."

Dende spoke again. "Also, Nail is not dead."

Bardock flinched. "Really?!"

Dende nodded and pointed to a far-off island. "While you all were fighting Frieza, I picked up Nail and took him away from the battle. I healed him, but he has yet to wake up. I... honestly think that might be for the better..."

Bardock took a deep breath and sighed in relief. Good. Nail didn't get himself killed. That was a victory. Bardock flinched and then thought about what he just felt. Was he... really letting sentimentality just happen like that?

The older Saiyan shook his head and stood up, his healing finished. Dende nodded and his eyes hit the ground. Bardock started to walk away, but then he looked back at the kid again. He really was letting it get to him, wasn't he? It looked like... yeah.

Bardock walked over to Dende and placed his hand on top of the kid's head. "Attaboy."

Dende looked up and Bardock shot him a confident smirk. "I'm proud of ya, green-bean. You've been a really great help throughout all of this. Shouldn't have your eyes stuck to the ground like that. Hold your head high! Be proud, dammit!"

A small smile spread on Dende's face. Bardock sighed. "Now, get outta here. You did your part and I'm much stronger now. So leave the rest of it to us, okay?"

Dende paused. But then, he shook his head. "No! Absolutely not!"

Bardock flinched. Dende gripped his fists tight. "I can still contribute! I don't plan to stop now! If I run away, I might not make it in time if you get too hurt again! So I'll stay here and watch over all of you until Frieza is defeated!"

Bardock chuckled and patted the child on the head. He was impressed by this boy's gusto. "Ballsy attitude. I like-"

A sudden rush ran up Dende and Bardock's spines and Bardock whipped around in the direction of the fight. "Holy friggin' hell..."

Over with the fight, moments earlier…

Frieza and Piccolo stood mere feet from one another. The winds swept across the Namekian plains. Piccolo's cape whipped around in the wind as he stared daggers at the emperor. Frieza chuckled. "I must say, your kind are quite resilient. I thought that I had slaughtered all of the best warriors this wretched planet had to offer, and yet another burrows his way from beneath the muck with a much bigger stride to them. Here to 'avenge your race and make me pay', I suppose?"

He pointed his finger at Piccolo. "No matter. One more kill shant take too long."

Frieza fired a Death Beam right at Piccolo's chest, but the Namekian slapped it away. Frieza flinched and Piccolo smirked. "Can't really say I care to be an avenger. I've never been on this planet before. Also can't honestly say I plan to stay or ever come back. And... in the past... mass slaughters have never been that much of a bother to me..."

Piccolo smiled wide, baring his fangs. "But I gotta admit, something about stepping foot on this planet makes me want to annihilate you for everything you've done to it!"

In the background, Gohan was practically dancing in place. He watched as Piccolo fearlessly faced down Frieza and he knew that, at the moment, that monster had no idea what he was in for! Raditz and Krillin both stood to the side. Raditz swallowed a massive lump in his throat as he thought back to how tenacious Piccolo could be. Krillin shivered as he remembered Piccolo's fighting prowess from his own, first hand experience.

Vegeta, meanwhile, was incredibly underwhelmed by this faceoff in front of him. "Quit that foolish toddling, boy! Wishing back this green fool was as pointless as I thought it would be! His power is only equal to that of Frieza's as it currently stands! Useless!"

Raditz shot Vegeta with a side-eyed glare. "He's still way stronger than you are."

Vegeta snarled. "My strength doesn't matter! Frieza's does! We would have been better off giving me immortality than bringing this dreg back!"

Frieza opened his mouth to make a sarcastic quip, but Piccolo suddenly cut him off. The Namekian's temper seemed thoroughly riled and he snapped at Vegeta. "Don't stand back there and run your mouth as if I've forgotten Earth! The moment all of this is over and I have a free minute, I'm going to pay you back in blood for all the trouble you caused me, runt!"

The emperor smiled as Piccolo turned to face him again. The Namekian began to step forward and Frieza chuckled. "I am pleased to see that I am not the only one who tires of Vegeta's voice."

Piccolo spoke bluntly. "He talks out of his ass without a keen understanding of the facts."

Frieza nodded. "We definitely agree on that. Quite the shame we don't agree in other areas."

The emperor held up his hand. "I would be willing to believe you outrank Vegeta in terms of strength. You look strong. However, it doesn't matter either way. I stand firm in my opinion that an insect like you could never match me. In this form, my power level is just over 1 million!"

Piccolo scoffed. "Do I look like I care about stats?"

Frieza scowled at Piccolo. "You pitiful Namekians truly-"

Piccolo interrupted the tyrant to make something clear. "Demon."

Frieza cocked his head. "Pardon me?"

Piccolo spoke again. "Physically, I might be a Namekian. However, at the same time, I am far more of a demon. The Demon King, to be specific. And while yes, I have settled down just a bit recently... that does not at all mean that I am a mere pacifist like the rest of this race. I told Vegeta and I will tell you now, underestimating the power I have attained will be your death."

Frieza sneered. "You expect me to cower in front of a being so small?! You cannot be serious!"

Piccolo smirked. "You can't sense energy signatures, can you?"

Frieza didn't respond. Piccolo chuckled. "Fine then. How about this? You watch Vegeta's face when I show what I'm really capable of. And then, you use that to decide how seriously you should take this."

Frieza snarled at Piccolo and, with a massive shout, Piccolo began to power-up. The sheer power that erupted from Piccolo's body was baffling. Krillin and Raditz both flinched back in shock and awe.

Gohan merely smiled. He called out. "You can do it, Mr. Piccolo! You can win!"

Frieza narrowed his eyes. "So, you are bursting with power? So what? Anyone can puff themselves up..."

Piccolo shouted again and even more power exploded from him. A vein bulged from Piccolo's forehead and he growled to himself. Piccolo's snarl quickly turned into a devilish smile and he ceased shouting. The Namekian warrior stood in front of Frieza, visibly glowing.

Frieza rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You're nothing more than a-"

The emperor's glance went past Piccolo for just a moment and fell on Vegeta. The emperor was taken aback. Vegeta's face was white and his pupils were the size of pinpricks. Frieza still wasn't convinced, he glared back at Piccolo. "Why should I be scared that you-"

Piccolo didn't let him finish. In a flash, the Namekian pulled his fist back and slammed it right into the purple center of Frieza's torso. This hit was unlike any that the emperor had felt since he had struck out on his own. It rocked Frieza to his very core and made him double over in pain. Frieza's eyes bulged from his skull as he slumped over onto Piccolo's fist, a jet of blood shooting from his mouth.

Piccolo smirked. "Now do you see why, bastard?"

Frieza regained himself. His eyes were bloodshot and he quickly bolted back into a standing position. Frieza pulled his tree-trunk sized arm high into the air and screamed. "Don't get cocky, insect!"

The emperor chopped down at Piccolo, but was stunned when his blow was caught. For a split second, Frieza's shocked expression locked with Piccolo's look of wicked glee. And then, Piccolo shot his foot into the air and knocked Frieza sky high.

Frieza tumbled through the air, knocked for a loop, and Piccolo didn't let up. He raced high above Frieza and cracked his fist against the emperor's face. Frieza was stopped mid-flight and then immediately swarmed from what seemed like multiple directions at once. Punches and kicks and claw swipes came from every angle, bruising Frieza's skin and cracking his carapace and gashing him like a defenseless child.

The emperor let loose a furious shout and drove Piccolo away for a moment, but no advantage was able to be gained as Piccolo came in with a quickly slung a ki blast into the tyrant's face. Frieza clenched his slightly burnt-over eye and, in an instantaneous flash, Piccolo appeared over him.

Frieza gasped and Piccolo delivered a massive overhead smash to the tyrant. He began to tumble back to the ground, but Piccolo refused to let him have such an easy journey. The Namekian fell from the air like a missile, jamming his feet both into the center of Frieza's back and grinding the monster deep into the ground.

The Namekian leapt back up with a satisfied smile as Frieza shakily began to push himself up. The emperor flipped himself over and fired a Death Beam, but Piccolo slapped the attack away once more. He then shot down from the sky again and landed feet first right onto Frieza's face.

Standing to the sidelines, Gohan couldn't help but cheer and praise his friend and mentor. Meanwhile, behind him, Raditz and Krillin and Vegeta were all stunned silent.

Within Frieza's ship…

Gine stood in front of Goku's healing chamber, totally shocked by what she was feeling. She genuinely could not believe how strong Piccolo had gotten in such a short amount of time. Just... Just what in the world had he done in that interval to become so overwhelmingly strong like this?! She squeezed her eyes shut and began to mentally shout. 'King Kai! Hey! King Kai!'

As Gine tried to contact the sagely deity, the remaining populace of Namek cheered as they felt what was going on. This new person was an unfamiliar Ki, but it was clearly a Namekian Ki signature! A Namekian was finally showing that monster what for!

Bulma and Chi-Chi both seemed quite relieved as well. Chi-Chi was still basic in the art of sensing Ki, but she got the gist of what was happening. Piccolo had arrived and, in spite of Chi-Chi's feelings about him, she had to admit he was getting the job done! Chi-Chi was kind enough to relay her barebones sensing of events to Bulma and Bulma let loose a massive sigh of relief. Maybe that monster wouldn't kill them after all...

But while all of the others murmured and discussed to themselves, Gine's eyes cracked open a tad. Even with this current advantage, the Saiyan mother still felt pretty darn uneasy.

Back on the battlefield…

Piccolo smirked as he literally held Frieza under his foot. "So, how's it feel to be under the foot of a real lord?"

Frieza's eye twitched and he ripped his arm from the ground. He shoved his open palm into Piccolo's face, but Piccolo was quick to react. He sped into the air faster than Frieza's Ki attack could follow.

Piccolo chuckled and then held out his own, wide-open palm. He gripped his wrist and then shouted. "GOHAN! RETREAT!"

Raditz, Krillin, and Vegeta flinched, but Gohan was quick to comply. He turned and quickly pushed all three of his allies back. The four of them retreated over to the nearby ridge just as Bardock was coming over it.

Bardock reacted with shock. "What the hell is going on?!"

Bardock was answered by a shout.

"DESTRUCTIVE WAVE!"

A truly massive Ki blast erupted from Piccolo's hand and completely swallowed up Frieza's attack. The emperor's eyes widened and he quickly realized he could not evade. Instead, Frieza threw his arms in front of his face, trying to form some kind of defense.

The Destructive Wave crashed into the ground and shredded the terrain. The force of the attack blew Bardock and the rest away and made the very planet itself quake. Once the dust had settled, the five of them sat up. Bardock flinched back. "D-Damn..."

The entirety of the battlefield was wasted. Sheer rubble and scorched soil were all that remained of the once lush environment of this island.

Piccolo quickly landed and glared towards one rather large pile of rocks. "Hey! Cut the act! I know you're still alive!"

The rubble shifted and the top of Frieza's head emerged. The horn stubs were visibly chipped down into almost nothing. Piccolo chuckled to himself and then sighed. "Let me guess. I missed all of your vital organs, right?"

The Namekian pulled off his cape and turban, casting them away. "... Guess I'll get serious, now!"

Frieza stood from his burial plot. The emperor was fuming, visibly trembling with rage. Piccolo rolled his eyes and took a fighting stance. "Well... come on! I don't have all day! It has to turn to nighttime at some point on this dull little planet, right?"

Frieza wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth and chuckled. "Joke and rollick about while you can, fool. You seem to be unaware of how this all ends..."

Piccolo cocked his head, his antennae bobbing up and down. "Really now...?"

Frieza cackled and held up two fingers. "You might think that this is all fun and games, but I assure you that you have seen nothing so far. You see, this is only my first transformation! I have two more, even more powerful than the last!"

Piccolo growled. "Well then, why don't you quit wasting my damned time and summon up your final form already? I want this pathetic farce to be over with!"

Frieza nodded. "I completely agree! But I refuse to waste my final form on you, you bug! I don't want you to think you ever really stood a chance against me. My third form alone shall be where you meet your demise!"

Frieza shouted in rage and he began to transform once more.

A foul-smelling, blood red mist began to erupt from Frieza's body as his energy surged. The emperor's muscles began to expand and contort, bulging to unnatural levels and forcing Frieza's body to squat as a result. The emperor's outer carapace began to strain and expand until parts of it began to warp outward. Spikes emerged from Frieza's back and grew to unnatural lengths, protruding from behind him like hideous spires. And then, most disturbingly of all, Frieza's head began to expand and warp. The emperor's skull stretched to an abnormally massive length, hanging over his back like some twisted piece of headwear. His broken horns retreated into his head and were covered by yet more white shell. And finally, Frieza's face warped. Gone were the almost-charming, devilish features. Instead, these were replaced by a protruding, fleshy beak.

Frieza's power settled and he let loose a low, fiendish chuckle. "Now, take a good look at this form, Namekian. Get a taste of a real demon in battle. I wish for you to describe it to people when you descend to the pits of Hell!"

Piccolo shot forward without a word and slammed his fist into Frieza's undefended cheek. The loose skin of this new, monstrous face rippled under the might of Piccolo's blow. Frieza glared down at Piccolo and Piccolo scoffed. "Is this meant to make you seem more intimidating?!"

The Namekian pulled his fist back and then jumped into the air. He spun around as fast as he could and slammed the heel of his boot into Frieza's side. Frieza slid, but he managed to stop himself. He gripped his side and glared at Piccolo. Piccolo glared right back. And then the two charged at each other! Piccolo and Frieza locked up tight. They gripped their hands onto each other's and began to try shoving one another back. Piccolo was the first to gain ground, putting his back into pushing and making Frieza slide. But Frieza caught himself and returned the favor, shoving Piccolo right back in turn. The two of them roared in each other's faces and then they began to brawl.

Punches and kicks were thrown back and forth at high speeds, creating sonic booms as they landed that made the very ground beneath Piccolo and Frieza quake. Piccolo smashed Frieza in the face with his fist, but Frieza responded with a punch of his own. The attack slammed into Piccolo's chest and sent him sailing backwards. Frieza snarled and jabbed both of his index fingers at Piccolo. Thrusting his arms back and forth like pistons, Frieza shots multiple, extremely fast beams at his foe. Piccolo sneered and blocked the attacks, grunting in pain at the stinging energy smashed into him and caused his skin to break.

Piccolo turned and began to speed off as Frieza continued to fire. The emperor landed several hits, blasting holes in Piccolo and ripping his clothes. But Piccolo didn't mind. He had a plan. The Namekian flew high into the air and tented his fingers. After a quick charging of energy, he turned and shouted. "Light Grenade!"

The high-speed energy ball launched forward and zoomed through the air. Frieza's Death Shooting was doing nothing. The attack knocked Frieza's blasts out of the way like mere annoyances and crashed into the tyrant. Frieza was struggling as he held on to the blast. He kept it squeezed between his hands and dug his toes into the ground to keep from sliding back. Frieza roared out loud and gave the attack a massive squeeze, crushing it between his hands. But to the emperor's surprise, crushing the attack didn't dissipate it. It made it explode!

The smoke cleared and Frieza was trembling with rage. One of his shoulder protectors had been shattered away and he was covered with burns. Piccolo landed and he tossed a punch, nailing Frieza in the face. Frieza punched him right back. And thus, the brawl continued.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines…

Gohan and Krillin were both cheering. The two of them were excited to see Piccolo fighting so effectively. For the first time, it seemed as if Frieza was actually beatable. Behind those two, Raditz watched on as well. He was grateful that Piccolo had shown up when he did. He knew that they would have been no match for Frieza if the fight had worn on. Even if he had busted out a Kaioken x6, all he would have done was slow down Frieza's torturing while crippling himself, ultimately reducing his survival chances even lower.

As those three all watched Piccolo fight, however, Bardock and Vegeta were both becoming painfully aware of something: this battle was plateauing again. Piccolo was managing to match Frieza, but he was only matching. They wouldn't win at this rate.

Vegeta turned to Bardock. "What are we going to do? That Namekian can't keep this up forever."

Bardock narrowed his eyes as he watched. He remembered what Frieza had said to Piccolo, there was still one more form beyond this. Bardock closed his eyes to think. By their estimation, this transformation had added about 100,000 to Frieza's power level, leaving him sitting at 1.1 million, more or less. Such a small increase compared to the first time around. Perhaps... the next power increase would be even lower? If Bardock and Vegeta could make their power grow even higher, they could join forces with Piccolo and overwhelm that little bastard...

The older Saiyan opened his eyes. "We have to get stronger, Vegeta. And fast. We can win this. We just need a little more."

Vegeta scoffed. "And how do we do that? Do you really think we have any time to train?"

Bardock shook his head. "No. But we have time to abuse the Zenkai boost."

Vegeta flinched. "Wh-What are you suggesting?!"

Bardock was blunt, pointing to Krillin and Raditz. "I'm suggesting that we get wounded again. More wounded than ever before. Wounded to within an inch of our lives, then fetch Dende over here to heal us up. That'll give us a massive boost and we can join up with Piccolo. And then, we can work together and finally kill Frieza!"

The older Saiyan clenched his fist. Vegeta looked annoyed. He stared at Bardock, truly incredulous of this plan. But then, he began to weigh the situation. Bardock was right, they did need this. But Vegeta wasn't sure he really wanted to allow himself to be damaged like that. Bardock could see those doubts, and he quickly thought of a solution. With a smile, he played to Vegeta's ego. "Earlier, you told Frieza you were just about to become a Super Saiyan, right?"

Vegeta gasped and glanced up at Bardock. Bardock smirked. "Who knows, Vegeta... maybe you really are! You're way stronger than any Saiyan ever born on Planet Vegeta, right? So, maybe you just need a bit more power to fully realize it..."

In his head, Bardock was cringing. He was really trying to win over a grown-ass man with a fairytale. And yet, the older Saiyan could instantly see that it had worked. The inhibition melted away from Vegeta like ice under a boiling hot sun. The Saiyan prince smiled wide. "Yesssss... a Super Saiyan! I... I can finally become a Super Saiyan! And then..."

As Vegeta began to murmur to himself, Bardock turned to the rest of his confused allies. He glared down to Gohan first and the boy immediately nodded in understanding. Bardock motioned with his thumb. "Go get Dende."

Gohan nodded. "Right!"

And then he ran off. Bardock looked up at Raditz and Krillin. "Well, come on! We don't have all day here! Destructo-Disc! Double Sunday or whatever! Hurry up!"

Both of them seemed very uncomfortable with this idea. Krillin was quick to protest. "Y-You want us to just try and kill you like that?! After everything we've been through and all of the struggles?!"

Raditz nodded in agreement. "I... I can't just hurt you like that, Dad!"

Krillin gripped his fists. "Even Vegeta... I mean... he's a bastard! But we've fought so many enemies together! I still hate him, but..."

Bardock sighed. He knew this was going to be the hard part. He looked at his eldest son, and then to the fire-forged friend that he had made while stuck here on Namek. He shook his head. "I know it's hard! And I know you wouldn't want to hurt an ally like that! But it's for the greater good! Just like what Talus did! And how Gohan fought back against Kakarot's body when it was controlled by Ginyu! Frieza isn't going to sit around while you wrestle with your conscience! We need this power boost now, guys!"

Krillin flinched. The little monk glanced behind him at the ever-waging war between Frieza and Piccolo. He saw Piccolo take a shattering blow to the face. Their Namekian comrade was fighting to his fullest, but Frieza was slowly taking the upper hand. The monk clenched his teeth tight and squeezed his eyes shut. Bardock called out again. "I need you to do this, Krillin! Right n-"

A Destructo-Disc slammed into Bardock's front, diagonally, and quickly ripped through the older Saiyan's entire upper body from the right shoulder to his abdomen. Bardock fell to the ground, not quite cleaved in two, but already coasting in front of death's door. Krillin looked down at what he had done and immediately felt miserable.

He looked up from Bardock's quivering form and saw Gohan and Dende sprinting from the distance. He called out. "Faster! Come on! Fly damn it! We don't have time to waste!"

Krillin glanced over to Raditz and saw the chilled, sickened look on the Saiyan's face. Krillin felt bad for Raditz and shook his head. "D-Do you think that you can do that for Vegeta... or do you need me to?"

Raditz trembled. "I... I..."

Vegeta ran up to Raditz like a bolt. He shoved Krillin out of his way and grabbed Raditz by his armor chestplate. The two of them glared into each other's eyes and all fell silent for a moment. Raditz didn't speak. Eventually, Vegeta did. "Will you man up and act like a Saiyan already? You've always been like this! Always! That's why I told Nappa that we shouldn't bother with wishing you back!"

Raditz clenched his fist. Vegeta continued. "You act like you're a warrior! Like you're strong! But when push comes you shove, you run and cower! You claim that Nappa and I were just bullies towards you and that we didn't accept you into the fold, but this is all you ever do, Raditz! You didn't earn your way into being No. 3 in our group, you just waited for Quassh and Cucuo to d-"

Raditz shouted. "Vacation Delete!"

A massive, purple blast ripped a massive hole through Vegeta's chest and out his back, sending him to the ground in a twitching mess. Several seconds, but what felt like hours of agony, passed as Bardock and Vegeta struggled to maintain consciousness, their sight blurring and began choking on their own blood. Finally, Gohan returned rocketing to his fallen allies while carrying Dende. Already explained the situation, Dende quickly went to work on Bardock first.

Raditz thought that managing this would make him happy, maybe bring him some closure over his years of abuse at the hands of his "comrades"... but as Raditz stared down at the slowly dying Vegeta, all he felt was guilt over what he had just done.

1 minute ago, over with Piccolo and Frieza…

The battle raged on between Piccolo and Frieza, with Piccolo slowly becoming more and more worse for wear as they continued to trade blows. Frieza looked over just in time to see the Destructo-Disc slicing through Bardock and he snarled to himself. "What the hell...?"

Piccolo didn't seem to notice or care what his allies were doing. He punched Frieza in the throat and then uppercut kicked the tyrant under the chin. Frieza flipped back and did a handstand before getting back to his feet. He slung a Ki blast at Piccolo, but the Namekian slapped it away.

Frieza charged at him with purpose, but then another event from the sidelines caught his attention. An explosion rang out and Frieza turned to see Raditz standing over Vegeta's mangled body. Frieza growled. "What are those stupid monkeys doing?!"

Frieza was answered by a harsh elbow to the face. Piccolo roared and kicked Frieza again, slamming his foot into the emperor's chest and sending him flying high. Frieza sailed into the air, but he eventually stopped his ascent. He glared back towards the ground to look for Piccolo, but saw no sign of his foe. Instead, he saw something much more interesting.

Frieza's glare fell onto Dende and he watched, to his surprise and amusement, as the Namekian brat began showering the downed Saiyans with a yellow glow. Then Bardock sat up, no worse for wear, and the boy ran over to Vegeta, Frieza knew that he had finally figured out their secret. He smiled and wickedly chuckled. "The game is up..."

The emperor turned and grabbed Piccolo's ankle, mid-kick. "So sorry, my friend. But I am afraid that I have grown weary of this brawl between the two of us! I will need you to disappear for a moment while I prepare for the finale!"

Frieza raised a finger and summoned another Supernova. But rather than just chuck it, the emperor compressed the blast. It became a dense, red ball of Frieza's power. The emperor slammed it into Piccolo's chest. "HYPERNOVA!"

The force of the attack slammed into Piccolo's stomach and the Namekian roared in pain. The attack expanded around him and carried him high into the air. As the blast got smaller and smaller Frieza smirked. And then he snapped his fingers. The attack blew up high in the air, filling the sky with burning red light. Frieza cackled and then sped his way towards the ground. The emperor's power surged again, and he began to scream as his final transformation commenced!

Over with Bardock and the others…

Bardock and Vegeta were both fully healed. As the two of them got their bearings and adjusted to their newly-acquired power, Vegeta turned his attention to Raditz. The Prince coated his hand in Ki and slammed it through Raditz's Raditz stared in horror at his predicament, Vegeta glared at him indifferently. "You're welcome."

Vegeta removed his fist, and Raditz fell to the ground face-first. Quickly, Dende rushed over to the older brother and went to work healing him. After a few seconds Raditz gasped, coughing hard to clear blood from his newly repaired lungs. Sitting up, he inspected himself.The shock of near-death faded and Raditz took in his new level of power. He turned his attention to Vegeta and scowled. "You could have at least warned me."

Vegeta scoffed at his fellow Saiyan. "Consider it a punishment for hesitating. Besides, you should be grateful. That might actually help you become a Super Saiyan as well."

Raditz got back to his feet. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

Vegeta smirked. "No, but at least you're not as useless."

Bardock focused on Raditz and Vegeta's respective new power levels and compared them to his own. He estimated Vegeta was now at 1,180,000, Raditz was at 1,150,000, and he was about 1,160,000. Before Raditz could make a retort at Vegeta, Gohan spoke up. "Okay, me next!"

Everyone turned to Gohan in shock. Bardock was not liking what he heard. "W-What?!"

Gohan held his fist up firmly. "We need all the strength we can to stop Frieza. Attack me so Dende can heal me and boost my power!"

Bardock gritted his teeth, conflicted on how to act. "Kiddo, I promised your mother I wouldn't let any harm come your way if I could stop it…"

Raditz scratched his head. "Much as I hate to admit it, Gohan easily has the most potential of any Saiyan here. It's not a bad idea…in theory."

Vegeta scoffed. "Like we really need a half-breed brat to fight Frieza now that there is a Super Saiyan ready to finish the job."

Before a decision could be made, the five of them felt a sudden power spike. They all looked over and saw Frieza standing in the distance. The third form of the tyrant emperor was pulsating with even more power. Bardock narrowed his eyes and prepared himself. "Looks like shit is ramping up again..."

It didn't take long after that for a familiar face to rejoin the group. Piccolo landed next to the others with an infuriated look on his face. He was moderately damaged and his clothes were in tatters.

Gohan ran up to him. "Mr. Piccolo! Are you okay?!"

Piccolo growled. "I can't believe I allowed myself to be baited in like that! Stupid!"

The Namekian glanced over towards the adult Saiyans. It quickly dawned on him that they all had managed to overtake him in power, even if only a tiny bit, and that made Piccolo even more upset. "Cheating Saiyan bastards!"

Vegeta scoffed at him. "Don't be upset. You can't help that you were born to an inferior race!"

Bardock snapped at them both. "That's enough! Quit bickering and focus up! We all need to be together on this!"

Vegeta and Piccolo both glanced over to Bardock, and then saw what the older Saiyan was staring at. In spite of how much the two detested one another, they both silently agreed. And then they joined Bardock's side as Frieza continued to transform.

The three of them each took a fighting stance. Behind them, Raditz, Gohan, and Krillin did the same. And behind them, Dende sat on the ground in shock. The little Namekian was too frozen with fear to move. Frieza's body was swelling. His skin and the hardened outer shell of his body were blowing up like sickening balloons. And yet, they were cracking as well under the sheer force of Frieza's power. It was as if the true being within the emperor had finally awakened and was ready to hatch.

Frieza let loose a ghastly wail, and then his body exploded with pure power!

Within Frieza's ship…

The remaining Namekians were panicking and shifting around in terror. Somehow, that devil was emanating even more power than before! As they truly didn't know what to do, a lack of hope was beginning to set in. The Namekian people were quickly coming to the realization that their entire race might just be doomed.

As their green-skinned allies panicked, the ladies all reacted to this new development as well. Bulma caught Chi-Chi as the poor housewife tumbled over to the ground. Her newly-developed Ki sense was going wild and Chi-Chi, totally overwhelmed by the sensation, began to vomit.

Next to her, Gine felt as if she wanted to do the same. Her hands trembled in fear as Frieza's wicked power swelled more and more. As she sat there, wondering what she should do, a familiar voice sounded out in her head. 'Gine! What in the world is going on?!'

Gine's gaze shot up into the air. "King Kai!"

She was trembling. "I... I can't even..."

Meanwhile, as his mother spoke to King Kai, and his oldest friend cared for his wife, within the healing chamber, Goku was beginning to stir once more.

Back on the battlefield…

The storm of Frieza's power finally passed. All of that exploding energy slowly settled, focusing into one point. The dust was still hiding whatever Frieza had become in there. His power had gone up significantly, but not nearly as drastically as Bardock thought it might.

And yet, something in Bardock's gut told him there was more going on than it seemed. Something far worse was waiting for them, obfuscated by the smoke. He turned to see Piccolo, a grim look frozen on his face as he prepared to fight. He saw Gohan and Krillin, both trembling in terror, and Raditz, maintaining his fighting stance but visibly quivering in his boots. Meanwhile, Vegeta looked eager as ever to face Frieza. By Bardock's estimation, it was only another 100,000. Frieza's power had been boosted to a mere 1.2 million. Still stronger than any single fighter, but entirely possible to overwhelm.

Bardock let loose a sigh. If nothing else, they still had all six of themselves refreshed, stronger than ever, especially three of them, and ready to fight. He seemed content, or at least resigned, to this situation. And then, his gaze went from Raditz to Dende. Bardock gasped and quickly shouted. "Dende! Get the hell out-"

An explosion rocked the ground beneath everyone's feet. While the others were confused, Bardock stared back past them in shock and horror. The other five warriors turned to see what had happened, and Krillin and Gohan both screamed. Laying on the ground, in a burnt and blasted heap, was an easily recognizable sight.

Gohan cried out. "Dende!"

No response. In a fraction of an instant, Dende was dead. With a mixture of rage, sadness, and a dash of indifference to this loss, the six warriors turned to face the source of the attack. The dust had cleared and their foe was visible once more. Bardock reacted with immediate, silent horror.

The sleek, silvery-white form that Bardock had seen in his most recent vision was in front of them all, it was Frieza in his final, and true form. All previous harm, even his severed tail, fully healed like it never happened. Bardock was now wishing he listened to Gohan and let the boy take harm for another Zenkai boost of his own. It looked like they were going to need all the help they could get.

Frieza lowered his arm to his side, its purpose having been fulfilled for the time being. The emperor was facing his hated enemies and just killed their only way to quickly recover from damage. Frieza stared at the lot of them, completely silent.

And then a small smile spread across his lips.