DBZ
With Dende escorting Krillin to the elder Namek and Gohan tracking down an isolated dragon ball—not to mention Goku's upcoming arrival—Bulma wondered if their luck might finally turn around. So far, this expedition had been one crisis after another.
Between the fake Namek, the scouts who blasted a hole in their spaceship—stranding them on this forsaken planet—Frieza, and now Vegeta, they could not afford another setback. They were simply in too deep, outnumbered and outmatched.
Against such odds, it would have been easy to give up, but Bulma had a promise to keep. Chi-Chi was depending on her to protect Gohan. Besides, if they failed, Bulma would have to contend with the finality of death. She would never see Yamcha, Tien, or Chiaotzu again.
Such a prospect chilled her to the bone, and it was all she could do not to think about it. Eager for a distraction, she withdrew to their hideout—a spacious cavern where Bulma had set up a capsule house—in search of a book to read. Perhaps something romantic… to help her endure the extreme loneliness of her predicament.
As she riffled through the books on her bedroom shelf, she realized she was homesick. The familiarity of her portable house, combined with the isolation of the Namekian cave, left an ache in her heart. She had been on countless adventures throughout her life. She was accustomed to danger and uncertainty. But space travel…
She wasn't prepared for how cut off she felt from everyone and everything she cared about.
Needless to say, when the handheld comlink sitting on her nightstand signaled an incoming transmission, Bulma rushed to answer. "Hello? Dad, is that you?"
"Bulma!" Dr. Brief's voice, normally calm and laid-back, wavered anxiously. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. Are the boys with you?"
Bulma grimaced. The last thing they needed was more bad news. "No, it's just me. What's going on?"
"I waited as long as I could to make this call," Dr. Brief said apologetically. "I wanted to be sure. I was hoping he might turn up again. I thought I might be able to find him. But you deserve to know. You'll need to start making some contingency plans."
Fear and anger churned deep in Bulma's gut. "Out with it, Dad!" she snapped irritably. "What happened?"
"I'm afraid an asteroid knocked Goku's ship off course, sending him into the path of a star. Alpha H-Z. Long story short, he used a Kamehameha wave to escape a collision. Now, the ship is undetectable. I don't know if it was destroyed or if Goku launched himself out too far for me to track. Either way, you can no longer rely on him for aid. You're on your own out there."
"What!?" Bulma shook her head in disbelief. How could this have happened? What were they going to do now? "Are you serious?"
"I'm so sorry, my girl…"
Bulma could hear the affection and anguish brimming in her father's voice. It was so out of character. For a moment, she wondered if it was really him or some kind of fraud. Another shapeshifting alien like Raiti and Zaacro.
But why would anyone pretend to be Dr. Brief? What would be the point?
Besides, he knew about Goku and the Kamehameha wave. How many shapeshifters could say the same?
No. It had to be her father, and he was scared.
Considering how difficult it was to faze Dr. Brief, his fear should have heightened Bulma's. She was on a doomed expedition with no hope of salvation. And Goku was… Goku was missing. Possibly dead. Her best friend…
Panic threatened to engulf her, but somehow, Bulma doused it with sheer determination. Faced with a catastrophe, her only options were fight or flight, and since she had no means of escape, she had to go down swinging. After all, Krillin didn't stand a chance against Vegeta—not to mention Frieza—and Gohan, despite all his potential, lacked confidence.
Lacking confidence would get him killed.
So if they couldn't rely on their own strength to save them, they would have to rely on Bulma's ingenuity.
She took a deep, calming breath. "All right, listen to me, Dad. I refuse to die out here. We're getting off this planet, even if it means stealing Vegeta's space pod and stuffing ourselves inside."
Much to her relief, Dr. Brief chuckled at the notion. "The three of you will never fit."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe if it was the other guy's pod… Nappa? Anyway, the point is, we're going to figure this out. Maybe we can steal something useful from this Frieza character. I'm in my capsule house, and it's got every capsule I could fit in storage. Step one, we'll find something to use for a surveillance mission. We'll take stock of Frieza's operation, pinpoint his assets, and improvise from there. Chances are he'll be too preoccupied with the dragon balls to notice."
"That's a big gamble," Dr. Brief cautioned. "Where are the boys? You can't go without them. It's too dangerous."
"Tell me something I don't know," Bulma muttered. If only they were up against the Red Ribbon Army. She had the experience to handle them. As for Frieza? She had never felt more vulnerable. "Don't worry, Dad. I won't do anything reckless." At least not if she could help it. "The boys will be back soon. I better go make sure I'm ready for them."
DBZ
Clutching an oversized dragon ball in his arms, Krillin soared gleefully through the Namekian sky, making his way back to their hideout. He had never felt so exhilarated. On top of entrusting him with the precious dragon ball, Guru—the elder Namek—had also awakened his sleeping powers. In the span of a minute, Krillin's strength had skyrocketed to a level he could barely comprehend. It was the most incredible sensation of his life, and he didn't even try containing his excitement.
Laughing, he wondered what Gohan would say.
If anyone had sleeping powers, it was the boy. On multiple occasions—against Garlic Jr., Raditz, and Vegeta himself—Gohan had tapped into some kind of berserk super strength that defied all logic. Unfortunately, he couldn't control or maintain it for more than a few moments, which made it notoriously unreliable, but with Guru's help, that might finally change.
Gohan could reach his full potential!
The poor kid deserved it. At five years old, he had already endured a lifetime's worth of trauma. Kidnapped three times. Forced to survive alone in the wilderness. Forced to fight sadistic murderers. Forced to watch countless people suffer and die—including his dad and Piccolo.
Somehow, despite everything, Gohan remained gentle and compassionate. He had Goku's resilience with an extra dose of nonviolence.
Compared to Piccolo, Krillin barely knew Gohan, but still, he would give his life for the boy. He would stop at nothing to protect and empower his best friend's son, so no one could ever threaten him again—which made Guru's awakening technique a dream come true.
Forget the dragon balls. Until Krillin could bring Gohan to Guru, nothing else mattered. The others would understand. Gohan needed this.
They all needed it, to be honest. Wouldn't it be a refreshing change if Goku arrived on Namek only to find the bad guys already defeated? Gohan could do it!
Feeling hopeful and relishing his newfound strength, Krillin pushed himself to fly faster than ever before. What a rush! Like riding a roller coaster for the very first time, only so much better.
He wanted to test himself, to learn his limits, to see what all he could do… but there wasn't much time. He was quickly approaching their hideout. At this speed, would he be able to land without crashing?
He made his descent so quickly, he barely registered Bulma's presence until he was practically on top of her. She shrieked, reeling away from him and ducking behind a large, grassy mound for cover.
Krillin blinked in bewilderment. "Bulma?"
Not only had she left the safety of their cavernous hideout, she had also produced a large desk with a computer tablet that seemed to display four quadrants with aerial footage of the planet. Useful, to be sure, but also risky. Four quadrants meant four flying cameras. What if someone intercepted them?
As Krillin processed the situation, Bulma peered over the top of the mound. Recognizing her friend, she angrily jumped to her feet and shouted, "How many times have I told you!? Don't do that!"
Krillin flinched. She acted like he was intentionally trying to scare her. "Bu-but Bulma, you and I both know that it's far too dangerous to be out in the open." If he could catch her off guard like that, so could Vegeta and countless others. "They'll spot us for sure."
She crossed her arms and fumed at him. "Well, for your information, that's now a risk we'll have to take!"
"What? Why? What are you talking about?"
She clenched her eyes shut, anger abruptly converting to dread. "I spoke to my dad again. Krillin… Goku's missing. An asteroid knocked his ship off course, and now there's no trace of him. We don't know if he's alive or dead."
Krillin's breath caught in his throat, and he stared at Bulma in shock. Goku was the best friend he ever had, and the strongest person he knew. They couldn't lose him to an asteroid. They just couldn't!
Hell… They just got him back…
"Krillin…" Bulma softened her voice. "I know it's hard, but we don't have time to grieve. We need to focus on our own survival. And… look! You found a dragon ball. That's good. We can wish him back with the others."
Krillin numbly shook his head. "Not if he's still alive. Not if he's lost out there with no way of getting home."
"In that case, we'll find him," Bulma promised. "That's why I sent out multiple drones to map out the planet. We need to learn more about Frieza's base of operations. Where it's located. Whether or not he brought a fleet with him. Maybe we can commandeer a ship without him noticing. If Goku's lost out there, we can search for him."
When did Bulma get so optimistic?
Goku…
How many times would Krillin have to mourn his best friend? "Does Gohan know? Where is he, anyway? The cave?"
"No," Bulma replied somberly. Breaking the news to the poor kid would be an ordeal. "The little squirt went off to find another dragon ball. After you left, we saw another one on the radar near the village Vegeta destroyed."
By himself!?
Krillin whipped his head around in the direction of the village. "Bu-but do you think he's safe?" Just because Piccolo was comfortable enough to abandon Gohan in the wilderness didn't mean Krillin shared his teaching style. They were supposed to protect the kid! Not send him out on his own.
Frantic, Krillin reached out to sense Gohan's location… but instead, he immediately perceived something else. Something powerful and malicious enough to petrify him. "Oh no! A huge power level! Coming right for us!"
Bulma glanced up at the sky. "Don't worry. It's just Gohan."
"No!" Krillin objected. The approaching ki was far too hostile. "It's not Gohan!" He turned to face it, panic welling up inside him. There! A brilliant ray of ki darted towards them like a demonic arrow. By now, even Bulma could see it.
With a final flash, the energy dispersed as a familiar figure descended upon them. Short, lean, and extremely dangerous, no one could mistake his identity.
"It's Vegeta!" Krillin and Bulma both trembled in terror as the Saiyan prince landed in front of them, his expression relentless and cruel.
DBZ
Author's Note: I love revisiting the Namek Saga. It was my first experience with DBZ, and it truly captured my imagination.