NOTE: I'm trying to write as much as I can before I gotta head back to school. Once college starts back up, I don't know how consistent I'll be able to be on updates. I'm glad you guys had fun with the last chapter with Makima's death. It hurt to write, but here's some Makima not getting brutally killed.
Enjoy and Review!
Intermission (12): Light of the Universe
Makima carried Goku as she, Gohan, and Krillin followed Vegeta into Freeza's ship. The prince directed them towards one of the healing chambers. "The medical machines in this room are older, but they'll be more than enough. Pity that I destroyed the newer ones." Vegeta said.
Makima carefully placed her husband into the machine, hooking him up to the breathing mask. She watched with concern as the water filled the chamber, submerging her injured husband. There was unfortunately nothing she could do to speed up the process, so they would have to wait until the machine was done. Goku slowly raised his arm, giving his family and friend a small wave to assure them that he'd be fine.
"Now then." Vegeta got straight to business. "I'll get you three some battle armor. It'll provide some protection."
"I refuse." Makima snapped her fingers, replacing the ruined outfit she was wearing with her clean uniform and trench coat.
"Then, I'll-"
"No." Makima interrupted her son. "You will be putting that armor on to ensure you have protection. I don't need it." Her tone shut down any room for arguments, with Krillin giving the kid a comforting pat on his shoulder.
"Suit yourself. Brat! Baldy! Follow me!" Vegeta ordered the other two. Gohan hesitated, but Makima told him to follow after Vegeta. She didn't trust the prince but killing them would prove more disadvantageous for him rather than them. She watched as Krillin and Gohan left with Vegeta, tracking their presence the entire time.
Makima took this time to assess their current situation. At the moment they had all 7 Dragon Balls in their possession, however they remain unusable due to their inability to speak the Namekian language. This also worked to their advantage and disadvantage. While they have the info and potential allies to call upon, Freeza could end up killing Guru and ruin everything. Everything hinged on using the Dragon Balls before Freeza could continue to prove himself incompetent.
Following, as much as she hates to admit it, Vegeta's recent boost in power currently made him their strongest asset with her husband out of commission. They'd need him when it eventually comes down to fighting Freeza as getting off this planet without engaging him will be impossible. If she wanted to stand a chance, she needed to boost her own power once more to be able to protect herself, Gohan, and Krillin. Ginyu's brief period of fear had given her a slight boost, but she needed more. Being so far from Earth was truly hindering her at this moment. Perhaps there was still a way for her to strengthen her connection to gain some more strength? Her contracts were still working even from this far away, so maybe…
"Mom!"
Makima turned around to see the two of the three returned to the medical room. She saw that her little boy was now wearing the Freeza force armor with a light blue spandex suit underneath. She had to admit that her son looked adorable even with that cursed armor on. Makima noticed the lack of a certain bald monk. "Where did Krillin go?"
"He went to Grand Elder Guru to find out the password." Gohan answered.
The Control Devil had to hand it to Krillin for his quick thinking. They had already discussed the possibility of the passcode needing to be spoken in foreign tongue, but Vegeta didn't know that possibility. All he knows is that there's a passcode needed to be chanted. As long as Krillin didn't get killed, then there's nothing wrong with him heading out.
Vegeta moved from his spot at the entrance. "I'll be getting some rest before our battle with Freeza. If you even think about betraying me, then you can kiss your asses goodbye." The prince turned towards the exit of the ship.
Once Vegeta was out of earshot, Makima looked down at her son. "Gohan, I need you to head out and keep watch for Krillin or Freeza."
"But what about, Dad?" Gohan asked.
"I'll be in here keeping watch over your Father. If Freeza is starting to come towards our direction, then warn me immediately." Makima said.
"What are you going to do here, Mom? Wouldn't you be able to sense Freeza if he was coming towards us?" Gohan understood keeping watch over his dad just in case, but his mother would still be aware of everything going on, right?
"Under normal circumstances, yes but I need to handle something that's going to require my full attention. It shouldn't take long anyway, so don't worry about it. Just stay safe, okay?" Makima softly touched his face. Gohan could feel his mother's affection and smiled softly.
"Okay, Mom! I-I just don't want Vegeta getting in our way." Gohan said.
"I understand. But at the moment we need his power, but after that we can deal with him together, okay?"
"Right!"
"Then get going and stay near the ship." Makima separated from her son. He nodded his head and took off outside of the ship to keep watch of the situation. Makima turned back to her husband, who was recovering slowly. Her husband always healed fast, but those were more minor wounds than large ones. By estimation it seemed like it would take perhaps 50 or 60 minutes for him to fully heal. About an hour as a whole. It would be better if it were faster, but this was better than nothing.
She sat in a meditative position next to the machine. Makima relaxed every part of her body for this plan to work. It wasn't a guarantee, but it was better than nothing. She delved into her established connections to those on Earth that she made sure to keep tethered to her. Similar to her contracts but only in a way that doesn't inconvenience her at all. Makima grabbed the one that would prove to be the least difficult to deal with.
Establishing this connection might take a bit. Hopefully, things are going well for Gohan to where he won't need her assistance.
Gohan was really wondering if he should call for his mother right now. After leaving her alone to keep watch outside, Krillin had returned with Dende. The three of them then proceeded to summon the Namekian's dragon named Porunga to use the wishes while Vegeta was asleep. He didn't think he needed to tell his mother about this since things would be fine as long as they got the wishes done quickly.
It was really unfortunate that after making their first two wishes to resurrect Piccolo and to bring him to Namek, Vegeta had woken up. It was even worse when they detected Freeza's power heading straight towards them.
Vegeta held Dende up by his collar. "You stupid fools! I warned you about betraying me, and yet you still had the gall to do it!"
"W-wait! We're given three wishes! We can still make one more wish!" Gohan panicked to protect his friend.
"Don't tell him that!" Krillin yelled.
Vegeta lowered the kid to the ground. "Then what are you waiting for?! Make me immortal before Freeza gets here!"
Krillin and Gohan were struggling to figure out where to proceed. Giving Vegeta his immortality would only spell doom for them if they managed to defeat Freeza, but if they don't do something then Freeza would kill them all upon arrival. Goku was out of commission, Makima was busy with something else, and Piccolo was too far away to reach them.
"D-dammit!" Krillin cursed. "I don't want Vegeta to become immortal! He killed my friends, tried to destroy my home, and yet he's still a helluva lot better than Freeza!" He swallowed the metaphorical pill and turned to Dende. "Just make the wish, Dende! It's our only shot!"
"I-if I have to…" Dende muttered.
Vegeta smiled triumphantly. "Yes…yes! Good! Hurry it up!" He ordered the Namekian boy. "You won't be able to kill me now, Freeza! I'll wear you down! And someday, I'll be the one to rule the universe!"
As Dende began to speak the words for the last wish, Porunga's eyes lost their color. In a bright flash of blinding light, the large dragon vanished from the sky. Night turned back into day, and the Namekian Dragon Balls turned to stone. Nobody was more confused by the turn of events than Vegeta.
"W-what happened?! Where's my wish?! Where's my immortality?!" Vegeta demanded to know.
Dende lowered his head. "The Grand Elder has passed away… The Dragon Balls can no longer be used."
The prince's head slowly turned around to face the Earthlings. "You…this is all your fault! You conniving little bastards cheating me out of my wish!" He slowly stomped towards them. "I'm going…going…going…" Vegeta's anger vanished as his eyes peered upwards. Gohan and Krillin were confused until they followed his line of sight.
Their stomachs dropped to the floor like two-ton weights.
Freeza stood at the top of the hill behind them, staring down at the four with pure undeniable disgust. Freeza has a humanoid body, a large purple cranium, two horns protruding from his head, small red eyes, and a long, pink, purple-tipped tail. The skin on his hands, feet, and face are a light shade of purple, while the skin around his cranium, as well as the flesh making up his torso, lower arms, and lower legs are white. He also sports brown plating on the white portions of his arms and legs. The skin on his upper arms and legs, in the meantime, was pink like his tail. On the sides of his head, he possesses two large openings which act as his ears. He also sports two pink stripes down the side of his face and dark-colored lips. Freeza's upper body is covered by the standard armor uniform of the Freeza Force.
"F-F-F-FREEZA!" Krillin screamed.
Contrary to the anger burning intensely inside of him, Freeza allowed himself to stay calm at the moment. Which was single handedly more terrifying than him being outwardly pissed. "My, oh my, it seems you've done me a great disservice. My dreams of immortality have been crushed. And I see there is no trace of the Ginyu Force… Did you kill them? My, you are industrious little tykes, aren't you? Even the Dragon Balls are no longer of any use to me." Freeza slowly floated down in front of them, making the group flinch back.
"Never ever has anyone made such a fool of Lord Freeza." The tyrant declared. Nobody made a move, too terrified to even take a breath around the malicious leader of the Freeza Force. "I never thought I'd face such a day…curse you all…" Freeza's mask of indifference broke instantly. "YOU DESPICABLE MAGGOTS! I'LL TORTURE YOU TO DEATH! INCH BY BLOODY INCH!"
Gohan really should've called for his mother.
Makima felt her spirit travel across the universe back towards Earth, her power returning to her in the process. However, she knew that this was only due to her spirit being on the planet without a connection. If she were to just go back to her body, then the power would dwindle back down again. She needed to find the person she could strengthen her connection to if she wished to gain even a lick of her proper strength. Which…unfortunately brought her to a spot she shouldn't be surprised about at all. Makima's eyes trailed up to the Burger King sign, more than familiar with the greasy fast-food place. She had made it a mission to not let Gohan eat too much of this stuff due to how bad it was for one's own body. However, there were two people close to her son who didn't really care.
The first is her gluttonous husband.
The second is her gluttonous little sister.
Makima's spirit walked through the walls, searching for the one who was likely eating this place out of business. She found her sister, the Famine Devil, chowing down on what was likely her 50th burger. And judging by the massive pile of unwrapped burgers, she was nowhere close to finished. Makima strolled over to her sister and took a seat next to her. Fami didn't even flinch at her sister's spirit popping up.
"Want one?" Fami held a burger towards her.
"No."
"Your loss." Fami shrugged. She unwrapped the burger and started eating it. "What do you need?"
Makima explained the entire situation on Namek up till now, detailing her gruesome killing of Recoome for what he did to Gohan. She noticed the brief flash of anger that crossed Fami after hearing about Gohan almost dying. It was no secret that the Famine Devil cared a lot about her little nephew, which was why Makima permitted her to even be near the boy more often than not. "And now we're about to do battle with Freeza, and I need all the power I can possibly get."
"So, you want to use me as a tether to connect the fear humans have for us to your spirit?"
"Exactly."
"Sure." Fami shrugged. "It'll leave me drained, but I can just eat more to fuel me back up."
"That's not how it works."
Fami shrugged and ate another burger. "Though, I'm sure you know that just me alone won't be enough, right? You're going to need to get War to cooperate as well."
Makima visibly frowned at this but conceded with Fami's point. Getting War to assist would make her even stronger. But the youngest of the four was a headache to deal with at times, and she did not have the time to deal with her entitled attitude.
Regardless, it was best to hurry up and get this over with. She needed to hurry before Freeza possibly showed up.
"KRILLIN!" Gohan screamed as he watched Freeza's horn stab through the bald monk. In a terrible turn of events, Freeza had unveiled his powerful transformation after some goading from Vegeta. Freeza is now far taller and more muscular than the rest of them, his armor had been blown off from the increase in body mass. His power and speed had reached such astronomical levels that they could barely even react to his moves.
Krillin could've moved out of the way but chose to protect Dende instead. He struggled to move as Freeza happily jolted him around to gain more cries of pain from the monk. The tyrant licked the human's blood as it trickled down his face. "I warned you, didn't I? I can't control myself in this form."
"That fool! He shouldn't have bothered with the Namekian brat!" Vegeta cursed.
Freeza tossed Krillin off of his horn, allowing the monk to fall lifelessly towards the water. Gohan attempted to chase after his friend, but Freeza flashed in front of him to stop him. The hybrid growled in anger at the evil tyrant that smiled with sadistic pleasure.
"W-what speed!" Vegeta gasped.
"Trying to save him? Don't bother, he'll be dead soon. Focus on your own life." Freeza said.
"Move…"
"Hm?" Freeza raised a brow.
"I SAID MOVE!" Gohan roared. His tiny leg struck Freeza across the face, actually making the tyrant flinch back. A powerful uppercut smashed into the monster's jaw, knocking him back. Gohan piled on relentless gut punches into Freeza, then kicked him away. A powerful ball of energy swirled in his hands before getting tossed at the tyrant, the explosion rocked the skies of the planet like an earthquake.
Vegeta grunted, stunned by the power Gohan showcased. He couldn't believe that a young half-breed could possess enough power to actually stagger Freeza.
"HYAAAAAAAA!" Gohan screamed as he unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of KI at Freeza's downed body. The boy didn't stop his barrage until he was certain that Freeza was down. His anger slowly started to subside along with his attacks. Gohan released tired breaths, his hands stinging from the power thrown out.
"U-unbelievable! He's got so much power that he doesn't even know about it until he snaps! Could he be the Super Saiyan?!" Vegeta wondered.
"Right! Krillin!" Gohan looked down to see Dende emerge from the depths with Krillin clinging onto him.
"He's alive!" Dende yelled.
"Good! Don't die on me, Krillin!" Gohan exclaimed.
"FOOL!" Vegeta's shout gained Gohan's attention. "Your attack didn't kill Freeza! Keep your eyes on the enemy!"
True to Vegeta's words, Freeza got up from the ground as if the attacks hadn't hurt him. He smiled evilly at the hybrid. "You're not just any brat…that hurt me a little. You chose the wrong opponent; you've only made me angrier." The tyrant increased his power, eliciting more fear from the two Saiyans.
Gohan trembled in fear as Freeza appeared in front of him, too scared to bother moving. The tyrant slapped him down as if he were nothing more than a fly. Vegeta tried to land a sneak attack, but Freeza didn't even feel it. "Wait your turn, Vegeta. I'll play with you shortly."
"T-this is the end…" Vegeta trembled.
Gohan did his best to fight back, but Freeza was easily avoiding his attacks. His hair was grabbed and Freeza brought him down to strike his small ribs with his knee. Gohan coughed blood and spit, tears leaking from his eyes. When Freeza released him, the boy tried to escape but it was a futile effort. Freeza just kicked him back down into the ground, then stomped on his head. He slowly increased the pressure, making sure to take his sweet time in killing the boy.
Freeza looked up at Vegeta. "What's wrong, Vegeta? Are you not going to try and save him?"
"As if I care if that brat dies!" Vegeta exclaimed.
Back inside of the healing chamber, Goku could feel his son's energy dropping to dangerous levels. His body wasn't close to being fully healed, but at this rate Gohan was going to end up dead. Makima's body hadn't moved an inch, and he had no way of getting her attention. "Dammit…! I have to do something or Gohan's going to die!"
Luckily, he didn't have to as he felt Krillin's power suddenly return into the battle. He didn't know how that had happened, but thankfully it seems his best friend managed to save his son. Even better was that he felt Gohan's power increase even more a few seconds afterwards. Goku really didn't know what was going on, but it looks like he can stay in the tank just a bit longer. Hopefully Makima will wake up soon-wait is that Piccolo?!
After stabilizing her connection to Fami, Makima spent several minutes searching for her other little sister. Eventually, she managed to find the War Devil overseeing a warehouse, where multiple trucks could be seen being unloaded. Makima noticed that the crates were clearly filled with weapons and drugs. Whatever was going on had clear importance to the War Devil, but not to the Control one at this moment.
"War."
"What? Can't you see I'm busy?" War didn't turn to face her. "This entire weapons and drug transaction is about to escalate into a full on gang war. Even minor wars like these can give me a good boost."
"Then it seems I'm here at a good time." Makima stood next to her, folding in her arms. War raised a brow at her. Makima was seemingly struggling with some which was evident by the twitching of her left eyebrow.
"I… I need your help."
War blinked. "Me?"
"Yes."
"My help?"
"Yes."
"The almighty Control Devil needs my-"
Makima grabbed her by the collar, pulling War in close to stare directly into her eyes. "My son and husband are in threat of getting killed on an alien planet by the universal equivalent of Hitler. I do not have time for your ignorant routine of superiority. Either give me your power, so that I can protect them, or I'll take it by force. Be grateful that I'm giving you a choice."
War buckled under the weight of her sister's aura, even in Spirit form Control managed to turn her into a sniveling mess. It was insulting to her pride, but she really wasn't given a choice regardless of what her sister just said. War relented her powers to Makima, allowing the Control Devil to have access back to her full strength.
Makima released her sister, feeling the fear of the three Horsemen filling her spirit. As soon as she rejoined her physical body, then the combination from the gravity training with Goku and the rejuvenated spirit should be more than enough power. Her spirit ascended away from her home planet, racing back towards Namek.
She would be lying if she said that it didn't concern her that she wasn't contacted by Gohan even once. Most would think that was a good thing, but things never go according to plan when it comes to their lives. Worst case scenario was Freeza showing up right as she disconnected from her physical body, but Gohan should've still been near the ship to warn her.
Something went wrong, and it's very likely Gohan went against her order to stay near the ship.
Freeza's enormous energy was felt the moment she reconnected with her body. Makima's eyes snapped open with lightning-fast speed. She spared no glance towards her husband this time, knowing he was still healing in the tank. Freeza was far too close to their son for her liking, which demanded her immediate attention. She could feel Vegeta, Krillin, a smaller energy, and…Piccolo?! Just his presence alone explained what possibly had transpired while she was busy, slightly infuriating her. Krillin and Gohan had to go and use the Dragon Balls without telling her, probably under an assumption that nothing would go wrong.
It was very fortunate that nobody had been killed yet.
Piccolo, after fusing with a dying Namekian named Nail, had gained a massive boost in power. His confidence skyrocketed just as high as his abilities, making him self-assured that he could defeat Freeza. The tyrant had proven a challenge, but they stood at a stalemate that could easily be tipped in the other's favor. All he needed to do was hit him with his Special Beam Cannon, which would likely-
"Impressive. To think that there was someone who could match this level of power. Too bad this is nothing more than a fraction of my true power." Freeza declared.
"What?!" Piccolo gasped.
"Were you aware that I'd already transformed once before you arrived? I shall grant you the same feeling of terror that I gave Vegeta and the others." Freeza explained.
"Transformed?" Piccolo questioned.
"But first, allow me to tell you something that will fill you with despair. Each time I, Freeza, transform, my power increases substantially. I have two more transformations still remaining. Do you know what that means?" Freeza enjoyed the look of terror on Piccolo's face.
"W-what did he just say…?!" Krillin asked the other two. It seems that Vegeta and Gohan's more advanced hearing had caught some of the conversation. The two were shaking like leaves just from the thoughts of Freeza's power.
"F-Freeza can still transform two more times?!" Gohan exclaimed.
"NOW LET ME SHOW YOU! I HOPE YOU FEEL HONORED, YOU ARE THE FIRST ONES TO EVER SEE THIS! THE MIGHTY SECOND TRANSFORMATION OF THE MIGHTY FREEZA!" With a loud shout, Freeza's body underwent another drastic change. He retains his immense stature from his first transformation, and his skull elongates, making him appear even taller; additionally, his horns multiply, and become white, growing out of the side of his skull. Out of his back erupt two large spikes, and the armor on his shoulders jut outwards. His facial features are the most different in this form compared to any other; he loses his nose, as it has melded into his mouth instead causing it to resemble a beak. "Thank you for waiting. Now, if you're ready, let's begin round two, shall we?"
"Y-you monster…" Piccolo grunted.
"H-he hasn't changed that much." Krillin said.
"Fool! Can't you feel his power?! It's nothing like it was before!" Vegeta corrects. "Not only that, but it seems he's able to exercise a far greater degree of control."
"And the damage he took in his fight with Piccolo has healed too!" Gohan added.
Freeza chuckled lightly. "You removed that weighted clothing to improve your speed, yes? You seemed quite confident. Let's see it."
Piccolo had a millisecond to avoid Freeza's lunge, taking to the skies. "You may have the power, but I have the speed! You'll never catch me-" Piccolo stopped on a dime as he stared horrified at Freeza. "N-no way…!"
"Well, well… Did you miss me?" Freeza smirked. He struck quickly, sniping Piccolo's left thigh with a death beam. The tyrant licked his lips and continued his rapid-fire wave of death beams. Each one was much too quick for Piccolo to react to, leaving him to suffer a brutal beatdown.
"STOP IT!" Gohan roared, charging in to save his teacher.
"That idiot-" A flash of red and black caused Krillin to stop. His eyes widened as the blur struck Freeza, knocking him down into a plateau below. Makima held Piccolo by his arm, keeping him up in the air. "M-Makima?!"
"Mom?!" Gohan cried.
Piccolo craned his neck upwards, trying to recover from the onslaught. "T-took your t-time…"
"Shut up. You look pathetic." Makima released the Namekian, allowing Gohan to catch him. "Don't get yourself killed and waste our efforts coming all the way here."
"Mom, you can't-"
"We'll discuss why you disobeyed me later." Makima interrupted him. She narrowed her eyes at Freeza, who had easily recovered from her attack. The tyrant ascended back up towards them, scanning over Makima's form. He took notice of her eyes, the woman's strangest feature compared to everything else. Something about it unsettled him in a way he didn't like. As if everything around her was beneath her, even himself.
"Hm? So, there was another one of you worms hiding from me." Freeza said.
"So, you're Freeza? I have to say, you're far more disappointing than what I was expecting." Makima's comment wiped the smile from his face.
"Excuse me?" Freeza frowned.
"You heard me. Only a pathetic excuse of a lifeform would chase after something like immortality. Your plan was doomed to fail the moment you even considered it a viable strategy."
"I see…to think there would be a fool daring enough to talk so ignorantly to the mighty Freeza." The tyrant's smile covered his blooming rage. He fired a death beam, but the attack never reached Makima. An invisible force prevented it from touching her, surprising everyone. He continued firing on her like a torrent, but the beams kept stopping just an inch short.
Makima flashed from sight and reappeared behind Freeza. She struck him in the back to knock him down towards the waters. Her finger gun unleashed repeated bullets against his body, pushing him into the waters. She pushed downwards to find him, but stopped herself suddenly to avoid a lightning-fast kick that would've taken her head off. Makima saw that Freeza had recovered before she even realized it. His hand swiped for her face, but she blocked the attack with her arm.
An invisible bullet struck his face, knocking Freeza away from her. Makima clapped her hands, squishing two invisible barriers against Freeza in an attempt to crush him. The tyrant's struggle was brief, but it was long enough for a second Makima to appear next to the original. The clone clapped her hands as well to double the pressure on Freeza, crushing into a more compact shape.
When it seemed like Freeza was about to break free from the pressure, a third clone appeared to increase the gravity in the tyrant's body.
"S-she's pressuring Freeza!" Krillin gasped. "She might actually be able to do it!"
"You got it, Mom!" Gohan yelled.
"W-what?! Even that damn demon can contend with Freeza…?! She's not even a Saiyan!" Vegeta growled.
Freeza's eyes shined for a second, causing the three Makima's to flinch back. With a yell, the overlord broke free from her attack. "To think that there's a being out there that can even pressure my second transformation. I suppose the universe is filled with surprises, after all." A purple beat of energy illuminated his fingertips. Makima's eyes widened when his fingers quickly dragged diagonally across the air.
She boosted herself into the air as a purple slash wave sliced her clones to ribbons. Makima looked over to see Freeza's tail impacting across her face, knocking her across the green waters. He flashed behind her and wrapped his tail around her neck to hold her in place. "Tell me…what exactly are you? An Earthling?" Freeza asked.
She raised her fingers, mimicking Freeza's move prior, and slicing it across his tail. The appendage severed once again, much to the tyrant's displeasure. Makima held the severed tail in her hands and reached into her connection with War to temporarily use her abilities. She wouldn't be able to use it in the same capacity as War, but this would suffice. Freeza's severed tail morphed into a large bomb. "Not an Earthing! I'm the Devil!" Makima hurled the bomb at Freeza, who refused to let it reach him and shot a death beam.
BOOM!
"GYAAAH!" Freeza screamed, holding onto his eyes. When the bomb exploded, a toxic gas was allowed to spread into the air. The fumes stung his eyes, blinding him from seeing the enemies that lie before him.
Piccolo huffed. "To think a human made weapon would actually prove useful here…"
Seeing that her foe was blind, and unable to sense energy, Makima decided to try out a new move for the first time. "I'll be taking a page out of your book, darling!" She cupped her hands to her side, building up KI between her palms. "Ka! Me! Ha! Me!"
"ENOUGH!" Freeza pushed out his palm, expelling a huge wave of energy from his body. Makima was forced to abandon her attack plan to evade out of the way. She gasped loudly when she took in the damage Freeza's blast had done to the planet. The large chasm was split far across the planet's ground. She couldn't even make out the bottom of it, even before water started flooding back in.
This moment of distraction cost her as a beam pierced through her shoulder, causing her to cry out. She turned to see that Freeza was starting to regain his eyesight, and the tyrant did not look pleased in the slightest. "To humiliate Freeza like this shall be paid with painful retribution!" He moved before her wound could finish regenerating, smashing his fist into her gut. Blood exploded from her mouth and Makima was blown away through the air. Freeza chased after her with blazing speed. She ducked under a swipe just to get Freeza's knee striking her spine to knock her upwards. Then Freeza brought down both his hands to crush her stomach.
"MOM!" Gohan let go of his teacher in favor of flying down to help his mother.
"Gohan!" Piccolo and Krillin yelled.
"DYAAAAH!" Freeza heard the brat coming and avoided the kick at the last second. Gohan took off above, preparing a strong energy blast. "TAKE THIS! FULL POWER!" He shouted and unleashed his massive energy blast at Freeza.
Makima was tackled out of the way by Piccolo. She was led over to a plateau that was far away enough to not get caught up in Gohan's attack. Both mother and teacher were blown away by the amount of power showcased by the young hybrid. Krillin and Vegeta were equally as stunned by the attack.
Freeza hadn't expected the child to hit him with another attack that could actually make one of his stronger forms feel a lick of pain. He briefly struggled against the beam before kicking it away like a soccer ball. Gohan gasped as his own attack was bounced right back at him. Thankfully, a chain wrapped around his little waist and yanked him out of the way. Makima pulled her son in close, glaring at Freeza, who was still too stunned to speak.
Freeza stared at the three as his thoughts were running at light speed. "This is strange. The little one shouldn't have that kind of power after being so close to death before. It's like he's a different person… That's it! He's a Saiyan!" Freeza realized. "But whose child could he be…? Twenty years ago, the Saiyans were wiped out except for Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz."
As Freeza tried to solve his little dilemma, Piccolo and Makima were tending to Gohan. The Namekian mentor looked proud. "He may have bounced back your attack, but you've grown stronger, Gohan. I'm proud of you."
"T-thanks, but not even that or my Mom were able to stop him. Nothing we do is able to stop Freeza…" Gohan muttered.
"I'm just glad you're still alive, Gohan." Makima softly pats his head.
"Are you mad that I didn't call you?"
"Extremely so, but you've survived. That's all I can ask for." Makima responded. She didn't want to admit that she was scared when she didn't sense him at first upon waking up, but her son managed to hold out against Freeza. He really was his father's child.
Freeza's eyes narrowed in thought. "He doesn't take after Vegeta or Nappa, so he's Raditz's son? Something about him seems familiar. He also refers to that demon woman as his mother, but she didn't act familiar with Vegeta. Is there another?" He tightened his fist as his bloodlust burned. "Regardless I cannot allow even a single Saiyan to live. I must eliminate every last drop of Saiyan blood from the universe. I do not believe in the ridiculous Super Saiyan legend, but I always choose to err on the side of caution. Vegeta and the boy are growing stronger right before my eyes." Freeza came to a decision. "Alright, then…it would be a relatively simple matter for me to blast you to pieces the way I am now…but before I do that, allow me to show you the ultimate power more fearsome than death itself!"
Everyone stared in shock at hearing Freeza's declaration.
"FEAST YOUR EYES WHILE YOU CAN ON MY FINAL TRANSFORMATION! MY TRUE FORM!" Freeza announced to his audience. The tyrant began transforming once more, taking much longer with this one than his last two. The planet started to tremble in fear of the overwhelming power building up from him.
"D-dammit…! What do we-"
BLAST!
The three looked up to see Krillin had blown a hole through Vegeta's body. The Saiyan fell down onto a landmass below, which happened to be where Dende had been hiding. All of them were confused by Krillin's actions. "W-why did Krillin do that?!" Gohan stuttered.
"I can figure out why, but it doesn't matter right now! We need to move!" Makima ordered. Her companions agreed, and the three flew off further away to avoid being too close to Freeza's transformation. Makima and Piccolo struggled to move, but they managed to get far enough away from Freeza.
Krillin hurried to follow after them, landing next to the group. He examined the injuries that the strongest of the group had suffered. "D-don't worry, guys! A little Namekian named Dende will heal you up quickly."
"My wounds are healing, it's Piccolo who needs it." Makima replied.
"Ladies first." Piccolo spat back. Their little argument earned them sweat drops from Gohan and Krillin.
Thankfully, Dende flew over to them. He quickly got to work in healing Piccolo and Makima's injuries, getting them both back to full strength. If they were Saiyans, then perhaps they could've earned boosts from it.
It was very unfortunate that Freeza had been watching them the entire time.
The Control Devil had to give props when it was due. Her automatic healing paled in comparison to Dende's power. It was as if they hadn't been battling at all up till now. "It seems your race does have some use outside of the Dragon Balls."
"Tch…!" Piccolo gave her a small glare. He looked back at Dende. "Do I possess this power as well?"
"No, you belong to the warrior class." Dende answered.
"In other words, useless…" Makima's comment earned a growl from the Namekian.
"Mom…" Gohan whined.
Krillin focused on the bigger picture. "Dende, you have to heal Vegeta! I understand that you hate him, but he's our best shot here!"
"He's the same as Freeza! He's killed my people too!" Dende yelled.
"Then, do it for me." Piccolo said. "I can handle Vegeta, but Freeza is a different matter."
BOOM!
Everyone braced themselves as Freeza's power literally exploded, kicking up the winds around them. "He's finished transforming!" Piccolo yelled.
"Dammit! Why didn't we just mask our KI and hide somewhere?!" Krillin questioned.
"It wouldn't matter! He'd just blow up the planet like a crying toddler!" Makima responded. She really hated to keep banking on Vegeta, but until her darling was done healing, he really was their only shot. Freeza's power was far more than she could've imagined, not even the strongest Devils she's faced compared to the tyrant.
"Dende, you have to heal Vegeta!" Gohan pleaded.
Swallowing the disgusting pill, Dende took off towards Vegeta to heal him. Gohan nodded at his new friend, feeling terrible for making him do that. "Thanks, Dende."
"He's coming into view."
Once the dust settled, Freeza's final form was bare for the world to see. It is lizard-like, the same as his previous form, but it lacks the outer aggressiveness that Freeza's second form showcased. His body is a pure white, though he retains the purple sections of his body from his previous form, which are located at the cranium, torso, legs, and arms.
"T-that's his form?! It looks smaller and more slender." Krillin said.
"How many times are you going to keep judging a book by its cover? Feel his power, not his appearance." Makima advised.
"Sorry. After all the trouble you went to bring me back, I'm not going to be any help against him." Piccolo said, tensely.
The moment Freeza moved, Makima pushed her son behind her to protect him. She didn't know what kind of attack he was going to throw out, but she needed to prepare herself for whatever he threw at them-
BOOM!
What?
Everyone looked back to see Dende's smoking corpse on the ground behind Vegeta.
"D-DENDE!" Gohan screamed.
"I didn't even see him fire it. What kind of speed…?!" Makima's body shivered for a moment. The others were in similar positions of fear as they came to the realization of what they were truly dealing with now.
Freeza lowered his hand. "Now none of you can be revived, yes?"
"H-he killed Dende!" Gohan cried.
"D-dammit! He realized he was healing us!" Piccolo cursed.
Freeza suddenly appeared in front of the group, forcing them to jump back. Freeza smiled at their reactions. "I promised you, didn't I? That I'd show you a nightmare beyond the horrors of Hell."
"I've been to Hell. Trust me, the thing down there is more annoying than you." Makima responded.
"I doubt that." Freeza replied.
Piccolo attacked first, his attack whiffing completely. Krillin tried his luck next with Makima and Gohan coming in from the rear. The four did their best to land even a hit against Freeza, but the tyrant effortlessly dodged their assaults. Beams and invisible bullets were fired on the evil space tyrant simultaneously, but they proved futile.
Vegeta was luckily watching the fight. "He's behind you!"
Two beams were fired right at Gohan, too fast for Makima to react. A dark pit formed in her chest as the realization that her son was about to die in front of her set in. Makima reached forward, but her hand would never make it in time.
Again, luckily, Vegeta acted first and smacked Gohan out of the way. The beams collided with the ocean behind them, lighting up the area like fireworks. Makima rushed towards her son, holding him close to her chest, reaching beneath his armor to confirm for herself that his heart was still beating.
She would never thank Vegeta for this.
Gohan would. "T-thank you…for saving me…"
"I didn't do it for you. I just wanted to show off what I can do." Vegeta smirked.
THAT is why Makima would never thank him.
"You won't win." Makima said. Even if Vegeta was able to react in time to Freeza's attacks, she doubts there was hardly any effort put into those beams.
"Shut it! You lot don't have the guts! Step out of my way!" Vegeta positioned himself right in front of Freeza.
"Vegeta, you sure are full of confidence. Has the helplessness of your situation made you delusional?" Freeza questioned.
"Go ahead and smirk while you still can! What stands before you is the thing you fear the most! A SUPER SAIYAN!" Vegeta declared proudly.
Freeza blinked at him, then chuckled. "Heh! I never knew you had such a sense of humor."
"HRAH!" Vegeta shot forward with everything he had. "KAKAROT WON'T EVEN GET A TURN!"
Kakarot would get a turn.
Goku, who had been trying to keep track of the battle, was proud to see how strong his wife and son had become. It was unfortunate that their power meant nothing in the face of Freeza, even the Earthly Saiyan questioned if his power would be enough. Then there was Vegeta's spike in power that impressed him next, but even that didn't last long against Freeza's newly shown capabilities. If things continued on like this…then everyone would be in trouble!
BIII! BIII!
"I'M HEALED!" Goku declared, smashing his way out of the tank. He didn't waste time and burst through the ceiling to stand on the roof of the ship. Goku shook all of the water off his body, then examined his newly gained strength. "Wow, I'm a lot stronger now…! It feels like the power is gushing out of me! I thought I'd gotten as strong as I could, but this is amazing! I'm almost scaring myself!" He tilts his head back with a small smile. "It feels so good… I wish I had time to enjoy it." Goku faces towards the battle, his face grown serious. "I'M COMING, YOU GUYS! JUST HANG IN THERE!"
Vegeta's 'fight' with Freeza couldn't even be called a fight. It looked more like an adult playing along with a child's fantasies. The prince, who had been drunk on his own hype, had been toyed around with by Freeza. Where the prince was putting maximum effort into every attack, Freeza barely retaliated. It was as if he settled on letting Vegeta defeat himself rather than do it himself. The moment Vegeta accepted the monumental difference between them, tears started falling from his eyes.
On any other day, such a sight would've brought her joy, however the moment Freeza grew bored with Vegeta they were next on his list.
All they could do was watch as Freeza slowly tortured the prince to death as penance for all of the trouble he's caused since arriving on Namek.
"What a shame. It seems all the fight really has gone out of you. It's sooner than I'd have liked, but I think it's time to finish you off." Freeza grabbed Vegeta by his armor strap, lifting him up, ready to deal the final blow.
FWIP!
Everyone felt the newest addition to the battle, even Freeza's lack of KI sense had felt the air shift when Son Goku arrived on the scene. Makima usually would've jumped into his arms, but she was just blown away by how different her husband felt. The air around him screamed 'POWER' much more than it ever had before.
Goku casually walked forward, addressing them all. "So, that huge KI was you, Piccolo. The Dragon Balls brought you back, right?" He walked past his family and best friend. "Thanks to you guys, I've recovered from all that damage earlier. Let me handle it from here."
"G-Goku…"
"Darling…"
"Mom… Dad feels different." Gohan speaks for everyone. His mother just nodded her head, still trying to wrap her head around it. Even after becoming aware of the boosts Saiyans receive after recovering fully from near-death, she still hadn't expected this large of a jump.
"You must be Freeza. You're a lot smaller than I thought you'd be." Goku comments.
"Once again, I've overlooked a few bits of garbage." Freeza scoffs, not taking the Saiyan seriously.
"Vegeta promised me a fight. If you want him, then wait your turn." Goku said.
Upon closer look, Freeza noticed something about him. "Have I seen this man before?"
Vegeta awoke from his blackout. "K-Kakarot…you…"
"Kakarot?! That's a Saiyan name!" Freeza gasped. The name triggered a memory he had long forgotten, back to the day he had destroyed Planet Vegeta. "That's it! He looks just like the Saiyan who rebelled against me before I destroyed the Saiyan planet!"
Neither Goku or Freeza were aware that the Saiyan who defied Freeza was Goku's father, Bardock.
"K-Kakarot isn't the same as he was before…has he truly done it…? Has he become a Super Saiyan?!" Vegeta wondered.
"I can't permit even a single Saiyan to live. No point in resisting…you could save yourself the trouble and kneel before me now."
Makima blushed a bit, remembering a time when she spoke to her darling the same way before he ravaged her into the ground. A soft moan escaped her lips, confusing her son, Krillin, and Piccolo.
Ignorant to the horny images going on in his wife's head, Goku avoided an attack from Freeza, then struck the tyrant across the face. The lizard-like alien jumped back, touched his stinging cheek, and smiled. Freeza pointed his finger at Goku, which snapped Makima out of her daze.
She pulled her son out of the way, while Piccolo and Krillin jumped in a different direction. Freeza shot multiple beams at Goku and each was easily deflected. "It can't be… He deflected them all, and with a single hand." Freeza gasped.
"Ha…ha…ha…" Vegeta weakly laughed. "D-don't underestimate him, F-Freeza. H-he is the one you fear the most… He is the Legendary Super Saiyan-" A beam pierced right through his heart right as he finished.
"Vegeta!" Goku and the others gasped.
Piccolo and Makima stared indifferently at the prince's death. He had brought it on himself, after all.
"Did you already forget? I despise unfunny jokes." Freeza spat.
Goku growled at the ruthless tyrant. "Hey! Vegeta could barely even move, let alone defend himself! There was no need to finish him off!"
"It serves him right for prattling on about that nonsensical Super Saiyan legend. I detest those who blather on incessantly." Freeza said.
The prince coughed out blood, barely clinging onto life. Before he descended into Hell, he needed to give these last words to the last remaining full-blooded Saiyan. "K-Kakarot, you fool…! Don't tell me y-you're still preaching that m-mercy nonsense… That means y-you're not truly a Super Saiyan…" He coughed again. "Y-you fool…you have to harden your heart. If only you had put aside your mercy…then you'd surely…become a Super Saiyan…"
"I don't care what you say, I could never act as cold-blooded as you do. And besides, I don't even know what this Super Saiyan is supposed to be!" Goku responded.
"A S-Super Saiyan is…GUH!"
"Don't speak anymore! You're just gonna quicken your death!"
"L-Listen to me, Kakarot… The reason why Planet Vegeta, the world where both you and I were born, is gone…i-is not because it collided with a giant meteor…"
"I've run through his heart and everything, yet he's still running his mouth." Freeza comments, but nobody was paying him any attention.
"It was Freeza! He's the one who destroyed it! We Saiyans served him loyally, and followed every last one of his commands…"
Makima wasn't surprised to hear that. With how much Freeza kept talking about wanting to wipe out the Saiyan race (Which included her husband and son), the more obvious it became that he had a hand in its destruction. She had no pity for them, since the Saiyans weren't a race of saints. They were a race of battle hungry mercenaries running around the universe fighting whoever they wanted. The fact that her husband, who shined the brightest in this universe, came from them still baffled her slightly.
"...But he murdered every one of them, except for us…including your parents, and my Father the king. Freeza feared that as the Saiyans grew stronger, a Super Saiyan would one day show himself." Vegeta started crying again as his final breath drew near. "P-please, Kakarot… I beg of you… Freeza… H-he must…die… By the hands of a Saiyan…"
The proud prince of the Saiyan race has finally died.
"Vegeta…"
"Finally finished, is he? Now that he's done, shall we resume this horror show?" Freeza clearly didn't care for Vegeta's last words.
Goku continued ignoring him. "For you to cry…for you to beg me for help. That must've been hard for you to do." He flexed his eyes, exerting a bit of energy to dig a hole in the ground. Goku picked up Vegeta's corpse and placed him inside the hole. "I get it, now. You weren't just upset that your Saiyan friends were killed…you despised being his puppet, didn't you? I may have hated you, but you had the pride of a Saiyan. Now… I'm going to share a part of that pride."
Once Vegeta was buried, Goku stared down Freeza once more. His spirit burned strongly as he carried the hope of several on his back. "I'm a Saiyan raised on planet Earth! For all of the Saiyans and Namekians that you've killed… I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU DOWN!"
"What a load of nonsense…" Freeza scoffed.
Makima grabbed Gohan, pulling him back. "We need to leave."
"What?" Krillin asked.
"She's right! We'll just be in Goku's way!" Piccolo added. He took off into the skies with Krillin following after him. Though he wasn't watching, Goku could feel the eyes of his wife and child staring into his back.
"Darling…"
"Dad…"
"Let him have it!" The two encouraged him, filling the man with even more strength. Mother and son took off away from the battle to avoid getting in the way.
Makima looked back to see Freeza and Goku clash, creating an air-shaking shockwave. A part of her wondered that if she never met her darling, would the two of them have clashed like this as enemies. Would he be carrying the fate of the world on his back in an effort to defeat her? Perhaps…she couldn't deny it. She and Freeza were similar in a lot of ways, ones that disgusted her too much. But there was no point in thinking about what could've been, since they live in the here and now. All she could do was pray that her husband would come out victorious. "Win…darling."
Then another thought entered her head.
"Hm… I wonder how Bulma's doing."
"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Bulma was currently submerged in the depths of Namek's ocean, riding around in a mechanized deepsea suit. She grunted as a giant crab and whale attempted to tear her suit apart. She activated the defense mechanisms, burning the two with lasers. When she managed to get some space, Bulma fired off missiles that managed to blow the crab's claws off.
"Why the hell did I come to this stupid planet anyway?! I should've just let Gohan and Krillin come by themselves! I'm not even needed here! Goku and Makima are here, and I'm pretty sure the Dragon Balls got used earlier, so hopefully that means everything went well." She was taken from her thoughts when the whale attempted to eat her. Bulma activated the boosters to widen the gap between them. "I swear…they better not have forgotten about me!"
This was not good at all.
Everything was fine at first, seemingly her husband was fighting Freeza on even terms. Their battle was almost untraceable for her to keep track of. A glimmer of hope bloomed in her chest as she was blown away by her husband's growth in power to handle Freeza.
Then the tyrant crushed that hope immediately.
As Freeza started using more and more of his power, the more it became clear that the gap between him and the rest of them was too huge. Her darling could barely even keep up, even with Kaioken to assist him. Freeza managed to tank a full power Kaioken x20 Kamehameha, which pretty much left her husband stumped.
Not even all the way back to their battle against King Piccolo felt this hopeless. Their fight with Vegeta on Earth still wasn't this desperate of a struggle.
Piccolo chuckled humorlessly. "It's over. It seems King Kai was right, after all. We never should have crossed paths with Freeza."
"Darling…" Makima muttered.
Freeza stared at his scorched hand, seething at the pain. "I actually felt that… You filthy Saiyan!" He descended onto Goku with a rageful scream. "THAT HURT!" He smashed his large dome against Goku's face, knocking him further back. As Goku tried climbing back to his feet, Freeza kicked him into the air, then smacked him aside painfully. "What happened to all of that energy you had just a moment ago? Don't tell me you've gone and used up all your power."
Gohan's anger continued to bubble as he watched Freeza beat down on his father. "That's it, I'm going in!" His mother's hand clamped around his collar faster than he could blink.
"No. There's no need for that." Makima wasn't going to let her son charge into his death like that, but there was also something else. She saw the way Goku was raising his hands into the air, slightly confused until it clicked. Makima remembered Goku explaining the training he had undergone with King Kai back on their trip here. "The Spirit Bomb…"
"That's right! The Spirit Bomb is the only thing left that could kill Freeza!" Krillin exclaimed.
Piccolo was confused. "What even is that?"
"It's a move that gathers energy from all of the plants, animals, people, and even microscopic organisms. He learned it on King Kai's planet." Krillin explained.
Piccolo clicked his tongue. "That damn Kai…he never taught me something like that."
"But will it even work?! Namek doesn't have as much life as Earth!" Gohan said.
"Darling knows that. But he's not going to gather just the energy from Namek." Makima explains. She points upwards, garnering their attention to the sky. The three gasped loudly at the huge ball of blue energy building in the sky. "He's taking energy from the surrounding planets as well."
"I-it's huge! Way bigger than on Earth!" Krillin exclaims.
"How big was the last one?" Piccolo asked.
"About the size of a beach ball." Gohan holds out his hands to show Piccolo.
Makima hums. "Darling did mention that the one used against Vegeta did lose some of its power, which is why it didn't kill him. The same goes for this one as well. It's going to need to get even bigger if it's going to kill Freeza."
"As long as Freeza hasn't noticed, then Dad can do it." Gohan said.
"It won't matter if Freeza notices or not if he kills Goku first." Piccolo grumbles. Makima took a step forward and met Piccolo's gaze. "Yeah, I know."
"Huh?" Gohan questions.
Piccolo holds his hands out to Gohan and Krillin. "I need you two to give me your remaining energy! NOW!" Makima already took off towards the fight in order to buy her husband time. She wasn't going to risk waiting for Piccolo to catch up.
Goku crawled out of the water after getting blasted back by Freeza. He was getting desperate here, and Freeza was growing impatient. It was only a matter of time before Freeza starts looking up and notices the Spirit Bomb. He gasped as Freeza's finger pointed right at the middle of his temple, prepared to fire off a death beam.
"Let it be known that after you die, I shall kill the other Saiyan brat as well. The Saiyan race shall be wiped out and there will never be any 'Super Saiyans'." Freeza smirked.
"Once again you prove yourself incompetent."
"What-"
"Bang."
Freeza's head was rocked to the side, his body following soon after. He flipped through the air and landed on his feet. He glared angrily at Makima, who still had her finger gun aimed at him. "The meddling monkey whore!"
"Bang."
Freeza crossed his arms to block the next rounds of shots, then dashed towards Makima. He smacked her arm away before she could shoot again and buried his fist into her chest. She rocketed backwards with Freeza giving chase. Goku stared at his wife in surprise before realizing she was buying him time. He quickly crawled out of the water and continued charging his ultimate attack.
Makima released a chain, wrapping it around Freeza's wrist. The tyrant was confused, having not seen the ability before. It was only when he felt an intrusion in his mind did his anger grow even hotter. There was a brief struggle where he had to fight back against her control which allowed Makima to place another chain around his other wrist. "Submit!"
"Lord…Freeza…submits to NO ONE!" Freeza roared, his aura shattered the chains easily. Makima jumped back to avoid getting blown away, but Freeza flashed behind her to smash her back into the ground. As he came down towards her, she reacted quickly and smashed her heel into his chin. With his head knocked upwards, Freeza noticed the huge blue ball in the sky. "W-what is that?!" Then his eyes turned to Goku. "I-is that what he was doing all this time?! Charging that thing?!"
Freeza aimed a death beam at Goku. "I won't allow it-"
"Too bad!" Piccolo declared. He smashed his leg into Freeza's head, knocking him away.
"Took you long enough…" Makima climbed back to her feet.
"Tch…! Look at you, looking all pathetic." Piccolo smirked.
"Shut up." Makima hated having her words thrown back at her.
Freeza balanced himself in the air, growling fiercely at the duo before him. "The Namekian too?! You gnats refuse to stay away!" He met the two head on as they charged right at him. Freeza's aura overpowered theirs easily, blasting them down towards Goku.
The Earthly Saiyan saw his old rival and wife skid across the ground. "Are you guys, okay?!"
"Don't worry about us!" Piccolo yelled.
"Just finish charging the Spirit Bomb, darling!" Makima added.
"Okay! I just need a little more energy!" Goku informed them.
Freeza was coming towards them with hot sizzling energy. "You damn little pests!" But he was forced to stop when two KI blasts were fired at him. Freeza swiped them both away and glared at the two shorties on the cliff. "Insignificant worms! THIS IS IT! I'LL DESTROY THIS PLANET ALONG WITH THE REST OF YOU!" With a single finger raised, a black sizzling ball of death whirled to life.
"DARLING/GOKU!" Makima and Piccolo cried.
DING!
"IT'S READY!" Goku roared. He brought his hands down, directing the Spirit Bomb to descend on Freeza. It was too late for the emperor to move when he finally noticed the giant ball was coming right towards him.
"W-WHAT?!" Freeza screamed.
"GET DOWN!" Makima grabbed onto her husband, noticing that he was pretty exhausted. They, along with Piccolo, took whatever cover they could to avoid getting caught in the explosion.
Freeza struggled to hold back the Spirit Bomb, using whatever strength he could to fight back. "T-this is nothing…! T-this is…! THIS IS…!" He couldn't stop it. "NOOOOOOOOO!"
BOOM!
On King Kai's planet, the Kai of the North had been watching the battle the entire time. He had been relaying it all to Goku's dead friends as well. "T-they did it! They defeated Freeza!"
"Alright!" Yamcha cheered.
"I can't believe it…" Tien muttered.
"Woah…" Chiaotzu whispered.
"BWAH!" Krillin huffed as he climbed out of the water. He noticed Gohan climbing out right next to him, glad that the boy hadn't gotten caught in the explosion. He took in the aftermath of the explosion, noticing that most of the islands had been utterly blown apart. "Glad to see you're alive, Gohan."
"You too, Krillin!" Gohan helped him out of the water. "Do you think my parents and Piccolo are okay? I can't feel their energy."
"Those three are way too tough to die. I wouldn't worry." Krillin reassured him.
Gohan looked further ahead, noticing something moving. His eyes widened when he saw Piccolo climbing out of the water first. Then his mother a second after with his father being carried on her back. "There they are! They're alive!"
"Whoo-hoo! Ha ha! What did I tell ya?!" Krillin laughed.
"MOM! DAD!" Gohan took off first with the monk following close behind. It took them a bit due to the lack of energy, but they eventually made it over to the three.
Gohan embraced his parents, who were more than happy to return the love. Piccolo ruffled the boy's hair affectionately, earning a bright smile from Gohan. Krillin gave Goku a good smack on the back, causing him to wince slightly. The monk then cowered when Makima glared at him, causing the monk to apologize quickly, to everyone's amusement.
Makima and Krillin helped Goku back to his feet. The Saiyan from Earth felt good about their victory, smiling happily. "Alright, guys, let's head home. We can get back to Earth in ten days with my spaceship."
"OH!" Krillin suddenly exclaimed, surprising everyone.
"W-what's wrong, Krillin?!" Goku asked.
"We totally forgot Bulma! We still have to go pick her up!" Krillin explained.
"I'm sure she's fine." Makima shrugged.
"Yeah, don't scare me like that, man! I thought Freeza was still alive for a second!" Goku laughed.
"In the wrong mood she's scarier than Freeza!"
"Ha ha ha! True!" Goku agreed.
Makima hummed slightly, a small smile on her lips. "I'll be sure to inform her you two said that, then."
"EH?!" Goku and Krillin cried. "D-don't do that, Makima! I don't want to die!"
"Then you're going to have to pay me a nice fee, darling~!" Makima giggled.
Shaking his head at his parents, Gohan turned to Piccolo. "Is everything alright, Mr. Piccolo?"
"Yeah, kid. It's just that Namek has suffered greatly. I'm sure the Grand Elder and the rest of the Namekians can rest in peace now." Piccolo said.
Krillin blinked at that. "Wait, how do you know the Grand Elder…?" He stopped himself from continuing. Krillin blinked once more to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. When it turned out to not be a hallucination, he started stuttering again. "I-i-i-i-"
"What's wrong, Krillin?" Goku asked.
Krillin pointed at the cliff above, which caused them to turn their heads to see the same terrible sight. "IT'S FREEZA!"
True to the shout, the emperor of the universe had survived the Spirit Bomb somehow. And he was in no mood to waste time. He shot a beam right through Piccolo's chest, causing him to fall into the others. Makima fell to the ground, dropping Goku in the process.
Gohan stood over Piccolo's still body. "M-M-MR. PICCOLO!"
Before she could do anything, Freeza's telekinesis pulled Makima into his grasp. He held her by the throat, slowly squeezing it to choke her. She cried out in pain, bringing fear into the hearts of the ones below.
"MOM/MAKIMA!" Goku and Gohan shouted.
"Even I thought I was dead…! I nearly was!" Freeza was seething with rage. He pushed a finger into Makima's back and blew a small hole through her torso with a death beam. She screamed once more, which increased Goku's anger.
He turned to Gohan and Krillin. "You two need to leave, now! Grab Bulma, get in my spaceship and leave!"
"B-but what about you and-"
"GO NOW! YOU'RE BOTH IN THE WAY, DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!" Goku screamed at them.
Freeza grinned sadistically. "Do you think I'll allow you to leave? Not one of you will leave here alive! I AM MORE THAN A MATCH FOR ALL OF YOU!" With his free hand, Freeza extended it at Krillin. With his telekinesis, the monk was thrown high into the sky.
"S-STOP IT, FREEZA!"
"Heh."
"GOKUUUUUU!"
BOOM!
Goku, Makima, and Gohan watched in pure silence as Krillin's remains scattered all over. The Control Devil would never claim to be close to the monk, and more often than not his actions would irritate her. However, she held some respect for him for watching over her son the best he could. He was her husband's best friend, who fought tooth and nail against foes stronger than him, because he knew that he had to do it. She remembered his first death and the anger it drove her darling too.
And now, with his second death, he would never have hope of being brought back again.
Freeza chuckled evilly, disgustingly close to her ear. "I think the brat should go next." Her own anger burned at that thought, knowing the bastard wanted herself and her darling to watch their son die a painful death.
"Y-you…!"
All eyes turned to Goku, who was shaking with pure unyielding rage. Makima's eyes could see something glowing from within him, that light that she had always been able to see.
"You ruthless…! Heartless…! Bastard…!" Goku cursed.
That light started to change shape, turning from a perfect circle into a building flame.
Lightning started cracking down from the skies, the ground beneath them shook alongside his fury, and the ocean rippled and raged. "I WILL… MAKE YOU… SUFFER!"
That flame started getting bigger, encompassing Goku's entire body. His hair turned upwards, waving like flames in the wind. His eyes shifted from pure black to bright teal. Goku's head shot up, a beastly roar erupted from his mouth. "HRAAAAAAAAH!"
Makima felt every fiber of her body tingle as the flame wrapped around her husband's body, transforming him into something else entirely. His hair now stood straight up in a bright blonde color. Golden flames licked his skin, scorched the ground beneath his feet, and wrapped safely around them all.
"WHAT?!" Freeza cried.
Goku turned around, his eyes burned with anger and hatred, all aimed right at Freeza. Before the tyrant could even realize it, Makima had been taken from his grasp. Goku now held his wife in his arms before setting her down next to Gohan. He looked his son in the eyes, barely keeping his anger in check. "Go! Take Piccolo and your Mother and get out of here! Find Bulma, get back to the ship, and head back to Earth!"
Gohan didn't respond, still blown away by his father's transformation.
"DO AS I TELL YOU, RIGHT NOW! BEFORE I LOSE WHAT LITTLE SENSE OF REASON, I HAVE LEFT!" Goku roared.
"R-right…!" Gohan snapped out of his stupor. He grabbed Piccolo, putting him on his small back. He reached for his mother, but Makima picked herself up off the ground. Her eyes never left her husband's golden form.
"W-what is this?!" Freeza questioned. "I thought Saiyans only turned into giant apes!"
"Makima!" Goku got her attention. "Don't worry about me, I'll be right behind you guys!"
"I understand, darling. You have to fight this battle." Makima turned away from him. "Go, Gohan!"
"Y-yeah!" He took off into the sky with Piccolo.
Makima gave one more glance to her husband. "Darling, do not let him live." With her piece said, she took off after her son.
Freeza pointed at them both. "Do you really think I'll let you live-"
Goku phased in front of him immediately, his hand crushed Freeza's easily. The tyrant struggled to pull his hand out, crying out from the pressure applied. "You're the scum of the universe, and I'm getting sick of it!"
Freeza continued to scream.
"How many innocent people-my friends-have to die before you're satisfied?!" Freeza tried to budge away, but nothing was working. "You killed Krillin! YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!" Goku released Freeza, allowing the emperor to step back a bit.
"H-how?! How did you possibly obtain such power…?!" Then he started to realize. "No…no…! Anything but that!"
Goku's power exploded like a volcano. "NOW, I'M TRULY ANGRY! FREEZAAAAA!"
"...Mom, I think I finally got it." Gohan spoke up. "It's just like Vegeta has been saying this whole time…!"
Makima smiled at her son. "Yes, yes, you're right. The light inside of your Father has finally exploded from his righteous fury. He's become a…"
"W-what are you…?!" Freeza demanded.
"I think you already know." Goku smirked. "I'm the Saiyan that's come all the way from Earth to defeat you! The legendary warrior with a pure heart awoken by fury! I AM THE SUPER SAIYAN! SON GOKU!"
Chapter End
NOTE: Okay, this took a bit! I really had to think of when I wanted to throw Makima into the fight. It had to be before Goku joins. So, I chose when he goes into his third form. This chapter is as long as it is, because this is the last Namek related one. Everything after this doesn't need to be shown. Honestly, this might be the last intermission as a whole. I really feel like I don't have to show the Saiyan Invasion. I've already shown the important bits from the Androids/Cell, so anything else from those might be a flashback during the beginning of a chapter. So yeah, likely the last intermission.
There will be three bonus chapters when this story ends. The first will be Goku and Makima's wedding. The second will be Gohan's birth. And the last will be Makima meeting Goku's dead family members.
Next chapter is the follow up to Makima's...death. Look forward to it.