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DRAGON BALL HARDCORE

THE FRIEZA SAGA, part 1

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It was sitting on that hospital bed with broken legs, broken arms, shattered ribs that Yamcha, Tien and Goku realized that they take Senzu Beans for granted. Every once in a while they would put up some image training in their minds or a little game to keep themselves entertained, and Gohan was fed books for breakfast. But on a random day, Blond Launch kicked down the door and exclaimed that Piccolo kidnapped Bulma. That got them thrilled up, but suddenly Bulma appeared flying on the window, being dragged by Piccolo. They had some important findings.

After the government took Nappa's ship for their own research, thinking it to be what caused the city's destruction, the dragon team was left without means to travel in space. But some of Piccolo's oldest memories brought him back to his old ship, hidden from the entire world for centuries. He took Bulma to go over there and see how it works, and soon enough, they managed to make it fly. Piccolo was going in a week towards this strange planet called Namek, where he thinks is his home planet.

He was going there to check it out and maybe kill Vegeta if he ever dared to show up. Weirdly enough, Krillin wanted to go as well. He wanted to see these Namekian dragon balls with his own eyes, but to himself he wanted to see if they could bring back the dead, unlike the ones here on Earth. He wanted to at least try to bring back Chiaotzu, and if the time allowed, possibly even old Master Roshi who died more than ten years ago. And Gohan was pretty much being peer-pressured into coming along. He was excited by the prospect of going to another planet, and besides he didn't want Piccolo to go alone. For the first time, he had to argue with Chi-chi to get his way. With only five years of age, Gohan had matured greatly, and that got Chi-chi to let him slip this one time, but now he had to convince his father. Goku wasn't worried, Piccolo could take care of Vegeta on his own with this new power Kami gave him, and with Krillin and Gohan there, Vegeta would probably run away with his tail between his legs. Yamcha remarked, "didn't we cut it off?"

…

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Nearly a week and a hospital discharge later, Piccolo and Bulma arrived at kame house to pick up Krillin with their ship, and not too long after, Gohan arrived with Chi-chi, all dressed up and with a new bowl cut. Together they entered the ship, and with a press of a few buttons they shot up faster than light itself, and were already out of the solar system in a minute. This ship sure was peak technology, they were sure to arrive first.

Piccolo stood most of the trip in the ship's corner, drinking a glass of water once a day for the next month and meditating to increase his power. Krillin took the time to teach Gohan to do image training they learned from Kami, and together they maintained each other sharp and warmed up for whatever was to come.

…

After being in coma for a long time, Vegeta woke up in Frieza Planet 79#, stuck to a healing pod and without a tail. His travel pod automatically tracked back and crashed into the landing zone while he was unconscious. He lost, but at least he had a plan of revenge. However, as soon as he was released he got the news that Frieza went to planet Namek himself; after hearing the reports from spying on Vegeta's scouter. Some deal about a forgotten race that is still alive, with magic orbs that can grant any wish. Frieza was very interested.

Vegeta was pissed. He went to the nearest pod available and shot towards Namek, and Cui followed right after like the idiot he was. Vegeta used his opportunity to test that sensing ability he found out on Earth. He closed his eyes and tried to sense Cui behind him through the entire trip. He got good at it, to the point he could even tell his slight movements Cui was making.

…

Soon enough, something of three weeks later, he arrived on Namek with Cui, not more than five minutes after Piccolo's crew. In fact they all saw the two pods going down from the sky not too far away. Piccolo thought to be Vegeta and that other Saiyan, Raditz; who they had wished away from Earth. He told Gohan and Krillin to stay here; he wanted to cap Vegeta himself, and so he flew straight after the pods.

Bulma wondered what they were supposed to do now, and Krillin suggested going after and helping him anyway; who knows what Vegeta might have under his sleeve. But things got really sinister, really fast. Gohan and Krillin suddenly caught a menacingly powerful ki not too far from where they were. They thought to be just the Namekians, but they were caught by surprise when a roaming blast came from above and hit the ship square on; destroying the wall, the control panels made a bunch of smoke.

Gohan and Krillin looked up to see two people, wearing the same armor as Vegeta and Nappa did but with a lot more protection and things that looked like weapons on their forearms. In the name of lord Frieza they had received orders to track down any Namekians and their ships and not let any single one of them escape the planet. Since what they saw wasn't Namekians, they might as well kill them since they have such a low power. But quick and easy, Krillin and Gohan revealed their true power and defeated both of them. They realized the type of situation they were in right now. They needed to get the hell out of there, so they fled and ended up finding a nearby cave.

They looked at the dragon radar, and saw four of the dragon balls together in one place, and they were approaching them really fast. Gohan and Krillin also felt that same powerful ki approaching, and so they had to hide. They saw a couple dozen soldiers fly by at fast speed, carrying four dragon balls with them. And at the front, a little one in some sort of flying egg that was terrifyingly powerful; they couldn't breath next to him.

That was Frieza.

Everything just got millions of times harder in just a minute. They needed to find out what was going on, so Krillin told Bulma to wait in the cave and try to contact Earth, and ask for someone to pick them up immediately. After that he and Gohan concealed their powers to the absolute minimum and went after those soldiers.

…

Piccolo was on his way to fight Vegeta when he felt the energy coming from Frieza; Vegeta was small fry compared to what he just felt. But he was stopped when someone who called himself Nail established a telepathic connection with him, the same way Kami used to do. Nail asked why he was exerting so much energy; they were given orders to stay hidden while these intruders searched the planet. But Nail was quick to realize that Piccolo wasn't from here; his power was unusually high for even the warrior clan; Nail would've known him. He told Piccolo to stay where he is; he will be there shortly.

Piccolo didn't have time for this, he came here to kill Vegeta and that's what he'll do; he can worry for the others afterwards. He continued until he was close enough to see him. He hid away and kept his power short, and he got to witness Vegeta's scuffle with Cui. The name Frieza gets thrown around by Cui, and apparently Vegeta was plotting to find the dragon balls, wish for immortality, and then kill this Frieza guy. He had no trouble telling this to Cui, as just as he finished it, he revealed his true power that he has been concealing. Cui reads 24.000 on his Scouter, and Vegeta explains that Saiyans are the ultimate warrior race, not only because they are born strong, but because the battles and the near-death experiences that come from it help their power grow immensely. And believe it, Vegeta got his ass kicked back on Earth.

Vegeta then killed Cui and set flight to wherever he could feel energy. Piccolo was too shocked to jump in and attack; Vegeta's power now surpassed his, and he just uncovered a new crisis. He didn't have time to figure out what to do, as suddenly a Namekian in white appears behind him and knocks him unconscious with a precise blow to the neck. It was Nail, who immediately noticed by Piccolo's unusual purple gi that he wasn't from any village he knew. He decided to take Piccolo along to his master, and figure stuff out from there.

Meanwhile, Vegeta was free to do whatever he wanted. He managed to sense the Namekians hiding nearby, and to his luck they were guarding a dragon ball, a sphere bigger than his head. Killing all the adults and children was no problem for Vegeta, and he made a plan to hide the dragon ball in a nearby lake where only he would know where it is. And so he flies away where he can sense the nearest ki signature, and repeat the process.

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Gohan and Krillin finally caught up to the soldiers they had spotted, observing them from afar. Using their scouters, the soldiers managed to track down some sort of hideout place where a bunch of Namekians were, and they had another dragon ball. The fighters that opposed them were coldly murdered by commander Zarbon and Dodoria. The elder of the village, Moria, bargained their lives in exchange for the dragon ball they protected. They gave it away, but Frieza would never keep a promise like this. In fact, it was especially fun to him seeing the fear on their faces as they realized he doesn't care.

Frieza took a bit of time to explain his plan of becoming immortal and ruling the galaxy forever, and that he would honor the Namekians for their favor; once they were all killed that is. Moria managed to pull one last move before he was a goner; he served as a distraction, destroying all of the soldier's scouters while the two younglings flee for their lives. Moria was quickly dispatched by Dodoria, who set out to murder the last remaining children. He got one with a mouth blast, but never managed to get the second one.

Gohan, absolutely livid by both the fear and adrenaline of the moment, had an impulse to jump in and save the last Namekian child, and he did so by kicking Dodoria across his ugly face. Krillin quickly swooped in to grab the kid and they both flew away as fast as possible, as an angry Dodoria gave chase. Frieza was now without scouters, and he had no choice but to grab his remaining soldiers and gather back at his ship.

Dodoria was fat and ugly but he was a powerhouse to them, and he was almost catching up. Krillin had a genius idea and used the Solar Flare to distract him, as Gohan uses another rage boost to kick him into the waters below, and they fly away while he gets his bearings. By a pinch they survived the encounter, and saved at least one of the people.

Dodoria wasn't given enough time to think what to do next, as he was unfortunate to encounter Vegeta. He tortured Dodoria as revenge for many years of humiliation, finishing up his life with a powerful blast that erased him from existence. But that was not before Dodoria revealed to him that planet Vegeta wasn't destroyed by any meteor, but actually blown up by lord Frieza.

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The little kid was terrified and crying of what had just happened, but after meditating a little while they were hiding, praying for his fallen brothers, he recomposed himself. That little green one was called Dende. Since the earthlings were here to help, then he knows where to go. He needs to tell lord Guru what he found out about the enemy. Krillin told Gohan to go update Bulma on the situation, while he would go with Dende to this Guru guy and see if they can do anything to stop Frieza from having his wish. They both hoped that Piccolo is fairing well in this whole situation.

…

While that whole thing happened, Bulma managed to contact planet Earth through the thinnest satellite connection known to man, and warn that they need another ship. Dr. Briefs, her father, had been working on a similar model to the ones that Saiyans use, although he didn't manage to make it quite so small. At the request of Goku, he managed to upgrade the gravity system to increase the gravity many times than normal, way more than they had on King Kai's planet. Tien and Yamcha heard all about what was happening in Namek and they decided to go with Goku on the ship. They departed immediately, and according to dr. Briefs it would take something of six days for them to arrive since he programmed the ship to go as fast as possible without conserving energy.

Yamcha was knowledgeable enough to pilot the thing, while Goku got around thinking. Things sure look bad from what they heard, and they would need to train the most they possibly could until arriving. They had a whole bag of about twenty senzu beans, so they wouldn't need to rest all that much. Goku turned up the gravity up to ten times and started to give Tien and Yamcha a little test drive on this type of training. Although training was nice, they wanted to know what he learned back in King Kai's place, and Goku proceeded to tell them the concept of the Kaioken and the Spirit Bomb.

The Kaioken was a fairly simple technique; instead of releasing the energy like they do with the Kamehameha, Goku focused the energy within his own body, more specifically, his heart. By focusing his ki on his heart, his body will be strengthened according to the amount of his own energy that he used for a short period, but that would also cause grave fatigue to his whole body once it was finished. Yamcha was really interested in that concept, although Goku couldn't do much as to teach him how to do it in just six days, he would have to figure out what to do from that explanation.

Tien meanwhile was more interested in his explanation of the Spirit Bomb. Different from the Kaioken, which focuses energy on the inside of the body, the Spirit Bomb works by gathering the energy from the living things that surround you, without using your own at all. Gathering said energy requires a lot of focus, but once it was done, the energy would be powerful, and wouldn't waste any of your own energy on the process. Tien liked that, maybe by using the natural energy of the environment he wouldn't use all his energy into one attack and lose the battle if he missed.

Yamcha and Tien got very shallow knowledge of how to develop in King Kai's training, but since they are both better at ki control than Goku, they'll probably figure something out of it. For the next five days they would have to train, fighting together against Goku without holding back. Even if Goku was on the ground, they had to continue attacking, as he felt that his near-death experiences always made him more powerful. And all the while they would have to endure gravity going up by 10 times every twelve hours. Most would consider that some form of torture, but it they had no choice. King Kai eventually spoke with them using his godly powers, ordering Goku and the others to keep Frieza in mind since he was probably the most terrifying opponent they could ever face.

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For a good hour or so Piccolo had been knocked out by Nail, and now he had been awakened in some sort of temple on top of a tall peak. He got to meet Nail. He kept his power low but Piccolo knew that he was probably a hundred times stronger than him. Nail took him to meet the oldest Namekian still alive, and leader of their people, Lord Guru. Piccolo explained why he and his friends were there, and also warned about these invaders under someone called Lord Frieza, and their siege for the dragon balls. Understanding how dangerous the situation is, Piccolo wanted to go back and find Gohan, but he didn't need to worry. Soon enough Krillin and Dende arrived at Guru's temple, and recounted everything they knew. Most villages were already destroyed, their brothers killed in cold blood, and there's nothing they can do about it because Frieza is just too strong. Their best bet is to just take one of the dragon balls away and hide it, so then no one can have their wish.

Guru was rejoiced by these warriors and their noble cause; they came to this planet in order to protect them from a powerful warrior, and try to bring back their fallen friends. Guru revealed that even so, their mighty dragon couldn't bring back the dead, as it was something that even the most powerful gods are incapable of providing without sacrifice. Trust him, he tried. He explained for the first time where they come from, what they can do, and that every dragon is different depending on the Namekian who made it, and that their dragon balls have the power to make three wishes instead of just one. But even so, he couldn't bring back those who have fallen, and that counts for all the Namekian brothers that they lost today.

Krillin wasn't sad from hearing that, maybe it was too optimistic of him to think it would work, but now they know the truth and are knee deep into the situation. If Vegeta wants to rumble with Frieza then good for him; he might die but it's not their problem. They'll hide the dragon ball where it is safe. Once their new ship arrives they'll get the hell out of there. As long as Guru, Nail and Dende survive this crisis, there is still hope. So Guru gave them the one-star dragon ball that he owns and let Krillin and Piccolo go. However, Guru had another gift; a secret technique that he discovered over the course of five hundred years. By placing his hand on them, he used his magic to unlock their hidden potential, instantly making them stronger by a huge margin. And so he sends them away to do their own plans, while the last three residents of Namek stay there.

…

Vegeta was off doing his own adventures. After killing Dodoria, Frieza got skeptical. It was reported by Cui that Vegeta had arrived in Namek, and by the looks of it Cui was dead. Vegeta didn't have the power to defeat Dodoria, but just to make sure he sent Zarbon to find him. And what he found instead was Vegeta, with a power of 24.000. Zarbon didn't worry about the fight though, as he transformed and overpowered Vegeta, leaving him half dead and drowning.

After finding a village with a bunch of corpses and no dragon balls, Frieza was led to believe Vegeta took it and was hiding it. So he sent Zarbon to go pick up his leftovers; it turned out Vegeta was still alive. They put him in a healing pod, but Vegeta was just faking being unconscious. As soon as his injuries were healed he broke free, took the five dragon balls that Frieza had in his possession and fled completely unnoticed. He was having a win streak if anything. He hid them and went straight for his other dragon ball he hid in the lake. Zarbon was left searching for Vegeta, but what happened is that both of them spotted Krillin and Piccolo flying towards their hideout with a dragon ball in their possession.

Zarbon gave chase until they arrived in the hideout cave. Gohan was missing, but Bulma explained that he went after a lone dragon ball on the radar. Soon enough Zarbon showed himself and demanded the dragon ball. Piccolo disagreed and they both engaged in battle. He punched Zarbon away so then Krillin and Bulma don't get killed in the fight, and prepared to cap Zarbon. Even after transforming Zarbon was no match, as Piccolo was now at the power of 30.000, a power that perfectly matched Vegeta, and would probably not end well if they fought one another. But with that fight came an opportunity. Krillin was left alone with Bulma, and while Piccolo was busy killing Zarbon with a quick Makankosappo, Vegeta threatened their lives in exchange for the dragon ball. Krillin saw no option other than to give it away, and Vegeta left without killing them as doing so would probably alert Piccolo of his location. And so he flew away, now in near possession of all seven dragon balls.

…

Gohan had found Vegeta's dragon ball in the lake and was heading back to their hideout when he felt Vegeta's ki approaching fast. Through quick thinking he managed to hide the dragon ball as Vegeta found him, and got away with just a knee to the chest. Of course it was mere minutes before Vegeta realized what he had done, so he had to be quick. He got together with the others and they fled back to Guru's place so then they could unlock Gohan's hidden potential and prepare for anything.

They thought that Vegeta wouldn't be able to follow them without a scouter, but little did they knew that Vegeta had the ability to sense energy now, and so he followed them all the way to Guru's temple where Piccolo, Krillin, Nail and now a full-potential Gohan were ready to fight him. Nail himself could do the deed and kill him with his overwhelming power, but their fight was interrupted when Guru announced that he felt the arrival of more powerful warriors on the planet; five strong powers, all at the same time. All of them felt their energy, and were shocked. Vegeta was the only one who knew what the heck they were about to face.

You see, Frieza just lost his two best henchmen and he was getting a little worried that Vegeta might have won and made his wish, so he decided to call in his best unit to the planet; luckily they were nearby. Their pods fell from above, and they flew out to present themselves to Frieza.

Ginyu, Jeice, Burter, Guldo and Recoome; and together they are the Ginyu Force.