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Chapter 28
Shattered Pride

Kakarot could feel his leg was feeling a bit better, because of this Kakarot gave the ground a good kick, launching himself at Zarbon. Kakarot pulled back his right fist in order to deliver a right hook but right when he reached Zarbon he was hit with a swipe from Zarbon's fist sending him flying to his right. Kakarot immediately recovered from the strike to his right cheek. He quickly rubbed the area the blow landed before he did a backflip before landing back onto the ground. He was about to charge toward Zarbon but stopped when he saw he wasn't in sight anymore. Kakarot's eyes couldn't keep track of him, so Kakarot focused on Zarbon's Ki. Kakarot exclaimed, "Behind me!"

Kakarot twisted behind him and threw a kick only for it to be caught by Zarbon who was now directly to his right, still holding his leg. Zarbon said with a smile, "Those are some sharp senses, unfortunately they won't save you."

Kakarot threw an elbow behind him only for Zarbon to catch it with his free hand. He then delivered a strong knee to the middle of Kakarot's back which cracked the back of his battle jacket. Kakarot could feel his body get launched forward by the force of the blow, but Zarbon kept a grip on his leg stopping his launch with a tug of his leg. Zarbon immediately began to spin him around with only one hand and then deliver a punch to the back of Kakarot's head while smashing him into the ground.

Kakarot was motionless for a moment before launching himself toward Zarbon, aiming a right elbow to Zarbon's face. Zarbon easily dodged the blow, by ducking and then counter attacking with a punch to Kakarot's chest only this time he let go of Kakarot's leg allowing him to be thrown into the stadium burying him in debris. Kakarot thought to himself as he let out a pained groan, "It's like I thought, he hits a lot harder than Vegeta. Even still he's holdin' back, I can feel it. If he had put his all into that last blow, I'd already be dead."

Freeza smiled at the sight, Zarbon slightly raised his voice, "Are we done already?!"

Suddenly Kakarot burst out of the pile and flew at Zarbon while yelling, "Not even close!"

Kakarot cut his flight short upon seeing Zarbon disappear again, only this time Kakarot suddenly dashed to his right, stopped and then pointed a single finger where he was before. Kakarot then yelled, "Dodon Ray!" (Dodon-Pa)

Suddenly a yellow Ki wave a little bigger than his finger was fired from his index finger. It traveled partway in the air when it was suddenly deflected in a different direction. In the place of the Dodon Ray's original trajectory stood Zarbon who scowled at the Saiyan. Kakarot smiled in response, Zarbon then thought to himself, "That's strange, he shouldn't be able to keep track of me. He only has a power level of 4,300, even if that attack didn't have any real power behind it, it shouldn't have been fast enough to intercept me."

Zarbon disappeared again and this time Kakarot dashed backwards then took a sharp left before turning around and firing another, "Dodon Ray!" (Dodon-Pa)

The yellow beam was deflected again by Zarbon who growled in annoyance. Kakarot smiled back and dashed to his left but then abruptly dove downward while firing another, "Dodon Ray" (Dodon-Pa) above him. Yet again the blast intercepted Zarbon who deflected it yet again. This time Zarbon paused while screaming a question into his head, "What's going on!? He shouldn't be fast enough to intercept me, how is he predicting my movements?"

Kakarot thought to himself, "I wish I could thank that "triclops" guy right about now. His Dodon technique might be small but it's flexible. It doesn't cost much Ki either and generating it doesn't take much time."

Zarbon then thought to himself, "He was concealing his full strength in the previous round, is he using the same trick?"

Kakarot frowned and said, "Unfortunately it isn't strong enough, a cost of the short charge time, I guess. He keeps tossin' it away like it's nothin'. The only reason he's stopping is cause he's surprised by my ability to track him. I can thank Chichi for that, if I focus on his Ki and make sharp movements then it becomes easier to predict his movements. He's probably still tryin' ta' figure out how I'm doin' that. It probably really bugs the guy that someone so beneath him is able to predict him so easily."

Zarbon begins to sweat a little while thinking, "Do…do I need to…"

Zarbon stops the thought by shaking his head before thinking, "No, don't be ridiculous. No Saiyan is strong enough to warrant the use of such a disgusting form, least of all in front of a crowd."

Zarbon forms a stern look before thinking, "I'll forgo figuring out his tricks and instead use it against him."

Zarbon then grinned before disappearing again which is when Kakarot refocused on the fight and dashed backwards before abruptly jumping high into the air. Kakarot was in the middle of pointing a finger to his far left when he stopped himself. In a fraction of a second he thought to himself, "No, he's usin' a lot more Ki this time, he's preparing something, this strategy won't work this time."

Right then Zarbon appeared several feet away from Kakarot but he was aiming an open palm toward Kakarot. This time however, his fingers were closed together and his thumb was placed in the middle of his palm. He also supported this arm by gripping it with his free hand. Kakarot knew immediately that something was coming his way, he thought to himself, "I ain't got time to dodge or the power to contest this move. I gotta put my all into deflectin' it!"

Zarbon then said to himself, "Half power should be more than enough, I wouldn't want to destroy the whole building after all."

Kakarot gripped both of his hands together and lifted them to his upper right. Right then Zarbon fired off a large yellow Ki wave which closed in on Kakarot, fast. Right when the wave reached him, he slammed his arms into it with all of his might. He could feel his arms slowing down as it made contact with the beam and along with it came a burning sensation in his left arm. Horrible pain followed afterwards but after putting a ton of Ki into the blow the beam bent downward. It was successfully deflected toward the ground causing a small explosion. The shockwave from the explosion sent Kakarot flying into the ceiling but he was still able to keep control of himself which stopped him from falling. Kakarot looked down at the medium sized crater which enveloped the arena which spared the walls of the arena.

Kakarot floated slightly downward while holding his left arm. It was deep red with a stream of blood dripping down from his elbow. Kakarot winced at the searing pain in his left arm. He looked back at Zarbon who said, "You're full of surprises monkey, I didn't think you would be able to deflect it."

Kakarot glared at Zarbon in response who then said with a dark grin, "All it cost you was the use of your arm."

Suddenly Zarbon disappeared again, Kakarot attempted to move but the pain from his arm prevented him from going full speed. Kakarot was sent flying forward due to a kick from behind, during this launch Kakarot thought to himself, "Damn it, I used too much Ki deflecting that attack. The pain in my arm ain't helpin' either."

Kakarot attempted to stop his launch but right when he managed to turn around Zarbon was already in front of him. He gave Kakarot a right hook to his chest, sending him flying downward. He then disappeared and reappeared behind him and put him in a bearhug. Kakarot felt the pain in his arm worsen, in response he cursed. Zarbon pulled Kakarot upward, changing their trajectory while saying, "You Saiyans break so easily."

Zarbon then reached the ceiling of the arena before making a sharp turn downward, aiming for the floor below. He then said, "This is the death you wanted, right? How's this for a death?!"

Zarbon sped up before letting Kakarot go and curving himself in the opposite direction. Kakarot slammed hard into the ground creating an even deeper crater though not deep enough to break into the floors below. Zarbon managed to stop his ascent and looked down at the crater. He smiled at it and flew down to Kakarot's motionless body, landing in front of it. Raditz looked down glaring at Zarbon with veins appearing on his forehead. He said to himself, "D-damn it, Kakarot." Raditz felt himself inch forward when he was stopped by Vegeta's hand being placed in front of him. Raditz looked at Vegeta who shook his head without saying anything. Raditz looked at him for a moment longer before inching backwards while crossing his arms.

Nappa and Vegeta checked his power level though Raditz was too afraid to. Nappa begins to read it aloud, "It reads…"

Nappa then lets out a dejected sigh before speaking in a disappointed voice, "Zero… he's gone."

Nappa immediately turned off his Scouter and took a few steps away, clearly troubled by the news. Raditz on the other hand turned around in order to hide how white he was in the face. He thought to himself, "Damn it! If only I'd killed those earthlings."

Raditz didn't care how futile the thought was, it was all he could do to keep himself from letting his rage boil to the surface. Zarbon looked down at Kakarot's body, he was lying on his stomach and he was bleeding from the scar on his forehead. Zarbon then picked him up by his bloody arm and lifted him upward. Kakarot's body dangled from his damaged arm but didn't have any totable reaction. Zarbon smiled, looked at Freeza and said, "Lord Freeza, the execution is complete."

Freeza checked his Scouter and smiled, he began to clap as he said, "Well done Zarbon, very impressive work."

Zarbon gave Freeza a thank you, Vegeta above let out a sigh before thinking to himself, "That's too bad, I really thought–."

Suddenly Vegeta's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar beeping sound. Which caught Nappa's and Raditz's attention, both of which turned toward Vegeta. Raditz suddenly asked, "What is it?"

Vegeta stuttered in giving a response, "N-No, that's Impossible."

Suddenly Freeza's expression shifted from confused, suspicious and finally wide eyed shock. He then raised his voice, "Zarbon, you idiot eyes on the Saiyan!"

Zarbon looked confused by Freeza's reaction but right when Zarbon turned to look at Kakarot he felt something press against his stomach. He looked down to see Kakarot's free hand pressed against his stomach. In his hand was a glowing blue ball which now began to emit blue and white light. His gaze drifted up to Kakarot and soon he met Kakarot's smiling glare. Kakarot then finished a chant and said, "Me-Ha!"

Suddenly the blue ball turned into a large blue beam which hit Zarbon full on in his stomach. Suddenly he was launched into the stadium behind him with the Kamehameha wave pushing him deeper into it. After a short moment the wave dissipated and Kakarot fell onto his stomach. Half a second later Kakarot pulled himself to his knee while saying, "How's that fer' broken, you cocky bastard?"

Raditz's and Nappa's expressions lit up in surprise, they quickly turned on their Scouters and read Kakarot's Power Level. Nappa suddenly blurted out, "Wh-what 1,000? It was at zero a minute ago! What happened?"

A look of relief washed over Raditz's face who thought to himself, "T-to think that technique could push his level all the way to zero. You really know how to scare me, little brother."

Kakarot managed to pull himself to his feet, though they felt slightly shaky. He thought to himself, "That training really paid off, I should have given her a bigger thanks. Who'da thought that technique could work with one hand."

Vegeta thought to himself, "He must have picked up those tricks from this "Earth". That last technique almost resembled my own… almost."

Kakarot supported his balance by placing his hands on his knees. While he stared at the ground he muttered, "Well, that's that. I'm all out of steam, I wasn't countin' on livin through this anyway. That last move was as good a last stand as any."

Kakarot stared at the stirring pile Zarbon was currently buried in and said, "And like this, I die proudly as a Saiyan."

Freeza glared at Kakarot, clearly disliking what he was hearing. He thought to himself, "Pride, pride, pride, all he cares about is his damn lineage."

Freeza then let out a small sigh and said to himself, "I honestly didn't think I would see this sight again. A lone half-dead Saiyan defying me. Like father like son I suppose."

Zarbon blew the pile away with his Ki and then re entered the arena with a furious look on his face. He didn't have a single scratch on him, his armor was only a bit charred but was still in good condition. He was more angry that he managed to get surprised rather than taking any real damage. Zarbon spoke with contained anger in his voice, "That was quite the trick you pulled monkey, It won't work a second time?"

Kakarot weakly smiled at him and said, "Say what you want, we're finished here. Do your worst."

Zarbon popped his knuckles while saying, "I'll reduce you to space dust this time around."

Zarbon's body looked like it was about to bulk up when Freeza suddenly said, "Stop Zarbon."

Zarbon froze in place but then slowly looked toward Freeza, looking fearful. He was afraid that he had upset him. He thought maybe Freeza was displeased with him falling for that last trick. Zarbon sheepishly said, "Y-yes, Lord Freeza."

The next thing Freeza did shocked everyone, Kakarot included. He floated out of his chair with his arms placed behind his back in a dignified manner. He then said, "I have decided I shall be the one to dole out his punishment. Return to the stands."

Zarbon gave him a half bow and immediately said, "At once Lord Freeza."

Zarbon then did as instructed, leaving Kakarot alone in the arena with Freeza who had decided he had had enough with his subordinates' mediocre attempts to break Kakarot. The other Saiyans have a shared grim expression, Nappa sits while hanging his legs over the edge. He says, "That's it then. He's dead."

Raditz can't bring himself to speak and neither can Vegeta who continues to watch them from above. Kakarot took a deep breath and then raised a weak fighting stance. He thought to himself, "Yeah, I'm dead. I wouldn't be able ta' beat Freeza even if I was fully healed with a boost to boot. He's that impossibly strong, there's a reason people call him the "Emperor of the Universe.""

Freeza looked directly at Kakarot and said, "I'll admit, you have piqued my interest, Saiyan. The way you speak of your kind is strange to me."

Kakarot gave Freeza a suspicious look before replying with, "I doubt you could understand how I feel about them or how any of us feel for that matter."

Kakarot pointed at Freeza and said, "You and your empire view us as a pack of attack dogs, or "monkey's" I should say."

Kakarot then scoffed at Freeza and said, "You didn't even care enough to give us survivors a damn planet to live on after Vegeta got hit by a meteor, you just stuck us wherever it was most convenient for you. So what would you know about the Saiyans?"

Freeza let out a chuckle which earned Freeza a glare from him. Freeza then said while placing a barely closed fist slightly in front of his chin, "As a matter of fact I know a great deal about your race. I stay well informed on my subordinates regardless of my personal views on them or their species."

Freeza let out another chuckle before saying, "I just find it strange that you're so ill informed on your own people despite sounding as if you're the only one who knows anything about them."

Freeza let out a short laugh before saying, "It's quite amusing, wouldn't you say?"

Raditz's face turned pale upon hearing what Freeza had to say, he muttered a simple, "No…he's not going to…"

Vegeta immediately looked at Raditz and said, "What's with the look?"

Raditz spoke in a shaky voice, "I… I didn't think Freeza would do this."

Nappa stood up and asked, "What do you mean, we all know about our race. We're no saints, Kakarot knows that."

Raditz immediately said back, "You didn't raise him, Nappa! You have no idea why Kakarot holds such high expectations for our race."

Freeza begins by saying, "You species is a barbaric pack of savages. I'd even argue that they were even worse than I was in my younger years."

Freeza then asked, "Tell me, Saiyan. What was the name of your homeworld?"

Kakarot raised an eyebrow at this question and answered with, "It was Planet Vegeta. Why do you ask?"

Freeza let out a laugh, ignored his return question and instead said, "Goodness me, I took you for naive, not ignorant."

Kakarot restrained an insult after which Freeza said, "No, your home planet was named Sadala, there your "noble" and "prideful" species shared it with a race known as the Tuffles."

Kakarot couldn't tell if Freeza was lying, the story sounded truthful enough so he continued to listen without interrupting. Seeing Kakarot's reaction Freeza continued, "These "Tuffles" were relatively peaceful, they used highly advanced technology very similar to what my empire uses today."

Freeza's eyes narrowed as he continued, "Your Saiyan ancestors wanted to dominate the planet and so they committed their first genocide."

Kakarot's eyes opened wide as he blurted out, "G-genocide?"

Freeza replied back immediately, "Why yes, genocide. From my Father's records it was quite the sight. Massive monkeys appear in the dead of night, purging them all without hesitation. It puts our own invasions to shame, in the matter of a single night every single non-Saiyan man, woman and child was wiped out."

Kakarot's jaw hung open in shock, Freeza then said, "My Father was very impressed with the whole event. He already had the planet scouted you see, he was looking to claim it for his Kingdom but then your Saiyans did your thing and he elected to keep an eye on your kind instead."

Kakarot stuttered a response, "I-I don't believe you! There's ain't no way they would have done that. They're not that-"

Freeza cut him off by finishing his sentence while using a questioning tone, "Bloodthirsty? Don't be ridiculous, you naive simpleton."

Freeza scowled and said, "Shortly after your race fought each other to decide on a new king. The first King's son wanted the throne as a reward for his "achievements" in the Tuffle's extermination. Vegeta the second won that conflict and became the Saiyans second King, killing his own father. They are the definition of bloodthirsty."

Kakarot after processing the information realized something, he said, "Y-you said this was their first genocide."

Freeza let out a chuckle and said, "Now you're catching on, you see in the process of deciding who should be king, they leveled Sadala. With no home they took the Tuffles spaceships and searched for another world."

Kakarot then said with a dejected tone, "Then th-this planet was-"

Freeza finished his sentence again, "Yes, it was Vegeta, the very home that the rest of your people died on, years later. They invaded this world and cleared it of its inhabitants. This one would be named Planet Vegeta, named after the general who led the conquest who would eventually replace his father as king. This King was the very last, seeing how our own Vegeta refers to himself as "Prince"."

Vegeta, hearing this, glared at Freeza but kept his cool. Kakarot however, was frozen in shock, the news was new to him. He doubted it but there was too much detail in it to easily pass it off as a story meant to demoralize him. Freeza saw this, closed his eyes and said, "I understand being skeptical, after all even I only received this information from records gathered by my father. If I was in your shoes, no doubt I would write it all off as a massive lie."

Right then Freeza's eyes shot open with a smile, he then said, "Oh I know, we should consult Vegeta on the matter."

Kakarot gave Freeza a grim look as he yelled toward a subordinate, "Appule, give the Saiyan your Scouter."

Appule hesitated for a moment, not sure what the purpose of this order was but obeyed anyway. He immediately flew down and handed Kakarot his Scouter, who reluctantly took it. Afterwards Appule flew back to his seat.

Just as Kakarot put on this new Scouter, Freeza pressed a few buttons on the side of his Scouter and spoke into it, "Vegeta, would you confirm my story to your former comrade? He seems to be reluctant to take me at my word."

Kakarot heard the exact same words come from his Scouter, showing that all three were connected. Vegeta paused for a moment thinking to himself, "The bastard wants me to help confirm his story, but why is Kakarot so ignorant to these facts?"

Vegeta glanced at Raditz whose face was now even paler. Vegeta knew full well that whenever Freeza asked a question, it was the same thing as an order. Freeza expected the truth and so Vegeta begrudgingly spoke into his Scouter, "Yes Kakarot, it's all true. My father became king after conquering Planet Vegeta."

After Vegeta finished, Freeza said, "After they conquered "Planet Vegeta" my father had seen enough. That world had an unbelievably slow moon cycle. Because of this the conquest of Vegeta was enough to convince him the Saiyans were worthwhile soldiers even outside of their unsightly transformations. He landed on the planet and after demonstrating his superiority he offered them a place in his Kingdom."

Freeza then gave Kakarot a grin as he said, "They accepted his rule with open arms. So much for Saiyan pride, they bent the knee at the first sign of opposition."

Vegeta suddenly retorted, "My father regretted that decision."

Freeza immediately said with a frown, "That may be true, it wasn't really a request after all but they offered little resistance regardless of his personal feelings after the fact."

Freeza then said, "That will be all Vegeta."

Vegeta turned off his Scouter and gave Freeza a fierce scowl. Above all he hated being used as a tool, this time it was a tool to remove Kakarot's doubts. Freeza then looked toward Kakarot who had broken into a cold sweat. Freeza's smile widened, he then slightly raised his voice, "You see, your race is a pack of barbaric pirates even before they served my Father and myself. At least my empire kills for territory. You Saiyans only fought to kill and to replace the rock they grew up on. Yet you sang their praises like they were heroes from a fairy tale."

Freeza started to laugh, Kakarot's eyes locked with Freeza's. His anger boiled to the surface which is when he leaped at him aiming a right hook for Freeza's face. Freeza swiftly dodged the blow by stepping to his left. He then took two steps forward which placed him a foot behind Kakarot. Kakarot was still exhausted so he couldn't avoid Freeza's tail which wrapped itself around Kakarot's neck. Kakarot instinctively grabbed at the tail but it was pointless, it wouldn't budge. Right then Kakarot felt his body yanked backwards while simultaneously being turned around by Freeza's tail.

Kakarot felt a heavy pain in his gut, he looked down and saw that Freeza delivered an elbow to it. He let out a pained yell as he gasped for breath. Freeza then said, "Now, now, catch your breath, I have more questions for you."

Kakarot clenched his jaw shut, Freeza let out a chuckle and said, "That's more like it, your race makes for good punching bags."

Freeza then cleared his throat and said, "What brought you to these absurd conclusions of your race?"

Kakarot squeaked out a response, "I don't give a damn about what you think of em'. Whether they were bastards or not, the stories I was told as a kid r' enough for me."

Freeza frowned at this response thinking to himself, "So he's hiding behind some silly story books. He's more of a child than I thought."

Freeza then said while delivering a punch to Kakarot's chest, "You just learned that you were mistaken about your race's origin. Why would you trust these stories?"

Kakarot fought through the pain and said, "Sh-shut up!"

Freeza continued anyway, "I'll hazard a guess you've heard about the Super Saiyan's legend."

Freeza shook his head after saying that and said, "What a ridiculous fairytale. I'm sure you're running off of a version of it that's more… hopeful given your naiveté."

Freeza then delivered another punch and said, "This "Super Saiyan" flew into a rage and destroyed the very planet they stood on, killing themselves along with it."

Kakarot immediately argued back, "No, he sacrificed himself to kill a tyrant!"

Freeza laughs again before saying, "What stories have you been reading."

He stopped and then said, "The "true" stories of the Saiyans showcase their barbarism on full display."

Freeza then delivered a blow to Kakarot's gut and said, "The tale of the Super Saiyan God was different, however."

Kakarot while wincing from the repeated blows asked, "How so?"

Freeza answered immediately, "Apparently long after the conquest of Vegeta, a single Saiyan grew sick of his race's actions and attempted to rise up against King Vegeta. He somehow harnessed the power of a Saiyan God and attempted to destroy his very species."

Freeza then said, "Unfortunately for this fool, the power didn't last forever. The moment his godly power abandoned him he was overwhelmed and then executed by King Vegeta. It's quite the sad tale, though I don't care for it myself. A Saiyan with a righteous heart?"

Freeza laughed at the idea before adding, "What a joke."

Kakarot growled angrily, he immediately said back, "He destroyed a sect of villainous Saiyans. He defeated them to preserve the Saiyans' pride and then gave up the power because he didn't earn it himself."

Freeza frowned and said after delivering a punch to Kakarot's face, "My dear Saiyan, you're sounding more childish by the minute."

Freeza then said, "I don't know who fed you this drivel but I imagine it couldn't have been any of my men."

Freeza then glanced toward the Saiyans, smiled and then turned Kakarot's body toward them. Kakarot looked in their general direction just as Freeza said, "I'd say "his" reaction is quite telling. Wouldn't you say?"

Kakarot's eyes looked blank as he saw Raditz with a pale look on his face. Right when Kakarot locked eyes with him, his brother averted his gaze. Raditz then sat down on the edge of the floor he was on with a look of defeat on his face. Kakarot was speechless, the look on Raditz face wasn't enough to completely validate what Freeza was saying but it also made his words difficult to refute.

He grew limp after which Freeza turned him around and said, "There we are, that's the expression I was hoping for."

Gaining what he wanted, Freeza began wailing on Kakarot's body. Meanwhile with the other Saiyans, Nappa finally turned to Raditz and said, "The tales Freeza just talked about. Those were the ones I was told as a kid. What the hell did you tell your brother?"

Raditz reluctantly said, "The tales Kakarot preached about were the ones my mother told me."

Nappa immediately asked, "Why would she choose those stories?"

Raditz said in response, "Mother was too protective of us, she told me a "gentler" versions of the stories."

Nappa then asked, "But why though? You didn't wind up like him, you must have known."

Raditz replied with, "I did, father told me the real tales after Kakarot was born. But you need to understand that back then he and I weren't close."

Raditz explained, "I ignored him when he was placed in our squad."

Nappa commented with, "I know, I was stuck tutoring the brat because you weren't interested."

Raditz added, "That changed when Planet Vegeta was destroyed. I lost my parents and I thought I should connect with him after all, after all he was all I had left."

Nappa then said, "I remember he didn't much like talking to anyone after we lost Planet Vegeta."

Raditz nodded and said, "Yeah, he resented how I handed him to you. He was only really interested in our species since the only Saiyans he was around was us. The only way I managed to make any sort of connection…"

Raditz paused for a brief moment before letting out a dejected sigh and finishing his sentence, "...Was with those stories."

Raditz then slightly raised his voice, "I-I thought the gentler ones would be better. I already drove him away, I was afraid the real stories would just freak him out."

Vegeta added, "This is the result of babying him."

Vegeta glanced at Raditz and said, "Saiyans are heartless because we don't survive otherwise. Hardening ourselves is how we prepare ourselves for the brutal life of a Saiyan. You were too soft on him, Raditz."

Raditz muttered, "I know."

After a solid five minutes of beating on Kakarot, Freeza frowned at his battered and bruised body. He said, "This isn't much fun anymore, you've given up the will to fight."

Freeza then turned around and tossed Kakarot to the ground who hit it while spinning. Kakarot landed on his back as he was lost in his head. He thought to himself, "What the hell was I thinking this whole time? Pride? What a true Saiyan was meant to be? When did I get so self righteous, s-so conceited?"

He thought to himself, "All those times I preached to Raditz about, "What a true Saiyan would do". I've been so full of myself that I didn't give him a choice but to change."

Kakarot with a grim look on his face thought to himself, "I'm why he tried to protect me from Jade, I'm the reason we're in this situation in the first place. All because of this pointless sense of pride. What was the point of all this fighting and improving if it was based on a lie? What's the point… to all of this?"

He then closed his eyes after which Freeza looked down at him and said to himself, "I guess the fun is over."

Kakarot repeated the word in his head, "Saiyan, Saiyan, Saiyan, Saiyan. I've caused so much harm all because I was so damn proud to call myself a Saiyan, proud to die like a Saiyan."

Suddenly a memory flooded to the forefront of Kakarot's mind, it was one of Chichi. She said, "You can pay for your crimes and you can live. Those aren't two separate things, you can fight against this Freeza, stop him from hurting anyone else or… at least try. It just takes guts and the will to try."

Kakarot then said to himself, "What a fool I've been."

He then began to laugh which disturbed even Freeza who said, "Have you finally gone mad, perhaps I should end this then."

Freeza was in the middle of raising his index finger to Kakarot when he began to say, "For the longest time I was obsessed with being a Saiyan. The pride of one, the joy of bettering myself, all because I am a Saiyan."

Freeza paused his action and asked, "What's the point of this speech?"

Kakarot pulled himself to his knees and said, "I've made a decision, Freeza, I'm not done yet. I've caused way too much suffering to just roll over for the likes of you. All this damn pride kept me from making the right decision."

Freeza smiled and said, "Your death is imminent Saiyan, no matter of willpower is going to save you."

Freeza begins to raise his finger again which is when Kakarot thinks to himself while raising his hands to his head, "It was all this unbearable pride that stopped me from really giving her words some thought. Next time I promise..."

Kakarot then placed his hands with his fingers spread apart on the sides of his eyes before squeezing his eyes shut and yelling, "Solar Flare (Taiyoken)!"

Suddenly the whole arena is filled with a blinding light which enveloped everything. Freeza squeezed his eyes shut and covered them with his hands while yelling, "What the hell! What did you do, Saiyan!?"

Kakarot finished the thought in his head, "The next time I see you, I'll find a way to atone and live!"

Kakarot was about to gather what little Ki he had when he heard an explosion above him. He looked up to see the ceiling was hit by something which tore it open and through the ceiling Kakarot saw the afternoon sky. Kakarot thought to himself, "I-I don't know what's going on but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth!"

Kakarot then leaped high into the air while using some of the last of his Ki to ascend out of the arena. Freeza heard Kakarot flying away and yelled, "No! Someone get him!"

Unfortunately for Freeza everyone else is just as blind as he is. Kakarot finally makes it outside and turns toward the space pod port but finds it hard to fly straight. Kakarot was about to curse his waning Ki reserves when he noticed that there was a pair of pods close by. Just a few yards from the colosseum, as a matter of fact the area was empty. Kakarot guessed that most of them were at the arena, his execution was supposed to be a big event after all. Kakarot thanked his luck as he descended onto a path leading to this pair of pods.

Kakarot was now unable to fly and was beaten badly, so he used the building leading to the pods to help balance himself. Kakarot nearly reached the pods when he weakly said to himself, "This is too convenient, is this some sorta trap?"

Kakarot discarded this question, shaking his head before questioning what his plan should be, "I'd better take the pod to a Galactic Patrol base. I should have recovered enough to steal a ship by then. I don't wanna bring bad company back ta' earth after all."

Kakarot smiled at the memory before feeling dizzy, he was running so low on Ki that his vision was beginning to fail him. However, just before he hit the ground, he felt someone grab his arm. He groaned, thinking he'd been caught but was surprised to see it was Nappa. He stared wide eyed at him who said, "Don't give me that look, I'm here to help."

Kakarot immediately questioned him, "Why are ya, helpin' me? You know what Freeza will do if he finds out."

Nappa said back, "Don't you worry about Freeza, we've turned our Scouters off. Besides that, we have a plan."

Kakarot looked confused as he repeated the words, "We? Plan? From you?"

Nappa began to give him the stink eye which is when a second voice said, "As if Nappa would act without my say so."

Kakarot looked behind him to see Vegeta and Raditz,

Kakarot then said, "You two, what's goin' on here?"

Vegeta immediately said, "We're banishing you, so to speak. You're leaving the planet, after which I'll have you out of my hair."

Kakarot immediately asked while Nappa began to pull him toward one of the two pods. "Why the hell would you bother helpin' me?"

Vegeta immediately said, "Call it an investment, besides with you out of the way we'll get less negative attention from Freeza."

Kakarot gave Vegeta a look of suspicion but decided he was screwed without their help so there wasn't a point in trying to deny it. Right as they were prepping one of the pods Nappa said, "Originally we planned around a normal execution, but Freeza threw us a curveball with a Colosseum. Who would have thought he was all about spectacle?"

Vegeta added, "I had to do some last-minute thinking when that happened. I assumed we wouldn't get an opening when Freeza jumped in. You're lucky you had that blinding technique, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to slip out or help you escape without being seen."

Kakarot said in response, "So it was you, who blew up the ceiling. Guess I should thank ya, I don't think I would have been able to bust out and fly as close as I did."

Right as they were opening the pod and putting Kakarot's hurting body in it he asked, "Ve-Vegeta, what's the plan with these things, did ya, just set em' up just so I had a quick exit?"

Vegeta immediately replied, "Raditz managed to remove the tracking device inside this Pod. It took the rest of the week but once you're off this world, Freeza won't know where the hell you went."

Kakarot questioned if the second one was a spare and Vegeta said while smiling, "You could say that."

Vegeta then tossed a red Scouter into the Pod before saying, "Keep that on hand, I'll want your assistance when we eventually go against Freeza."

Kakarot suddenly asked, "I assume you have a plan in place, how do you expect to beat him?"

Vegeta said back, "I have something in mind, but we don't have time for that. Now, the Scouter I gave you has been set to where Freeza can't connect to it on his network or eavesdrop with it. After today you're no longer a member of the Freeza Empire. Lay low until I call for you."

Vegeta then said, "I assume you're looking to go to this "Earth"."

Kakarot nodded, which Vegeta didn't pay much mind to.

Raditz was about to say something but stopped himself, he then said, "Farewell brother."

Kakarot paused for a moment before saying, "I ain't got many words for you… but… J-just stay out of trouble."

They closed his pod's door and launched it; it was now flying through the sky. Vegeta and the other Saiyans paid each other a meaningful look. Sometime later Zarbon landed next to the Saiyans before pointing at them and saying, "What are you three doing standing around, where's the traitor?"

Nappa pointed at the sky where they all saw a pod flying higher and higher into the sky. Zarbon tried to focus on the pod, but his vision was still blurry from the Solar Flare. He was much closer to it than the Saiyans were which is why they could see clearly right now. Zarbon said, "D-damned my eyes!"

He then yelled at Vegeta, "If we don't stop him then Freeza will have our heads!"

Vegeta then said with a smile, "He hasn't escaped yet."

Right then Vegeta pointed his index and middle finger at the craft after which it was instantly enveloped in a large explosion reducing it to ashes. Zarbon saw well enough to confirm that it was vaporized. Freeza landed behind them right after the explosion, smiling at it. He then looked at Vegeta who immediately bent to one knee along with Raditz and Nappa. Zarbon was slow to bend the knee out of surprise due to Vegeta's sudden gesture.

Freeza then said, "I trust the traitor has been dealt with?"

Vegeta immediately said, "Yes, Lord Freeza. He's space dust."

Freeza then said, "Splendid, I didn't expect anything less from you."

Freeza then left with Zarbon, Vegeta followed leaving Nappa and Raditz alone. After a short while of looking at the sky Nappa suddenly says, "Was that really what you wanted to tell him."

Raditz without looking at him said, "No, I wanted to say more but… I didn't feel like I had the right to."

Nappa asked, "What did you want to say?"

Raditz hesitated before speaking, "I wanted to apologize for causing all of this trouble. If I had told him sooner, maybe things would have ended differently."

Nappa cleared his throat before saying, "Things could have been worse, he could have been killed."

Raditz said back, "I know but I can't stop thinking about it."

Nappa then put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Let's prepare for when we see him next, I still have a few things I'd like to tell him too."

Raditz nodded after which they both left.

Meanwhile in the vacuum of space a Space Pod was rocketing itself farther and farther away from Freeza Planet 937. Inside it an injured Kakarot stared off into space. He noted seeing an explosion from way behind him. He then said, "That Vegeta is a sly bastard, "so to speak" he says."

Kakarot let out a pained chuckle before saying, "He's lucky what's left of my Ki isn't enough to detect all that easily."

Kakarot frowns and stares off into space as he says to himself, "After Earth, what then? I ain't got many friends there, I doubt they'll be happy to see me. How do I even begin to make it up to them?"

Kakarot had many questions floating through his head, he still held doubts about what he should be doing. Even with Chichi's motivating words, Kakarot was unsure what he should do, all he knew now was that his arms were completely numb. Kakarot looked at the scars on them and said, "These ain't somethin' to be proud of anymore. They've gotten so bad; I wonder If I'll be able to use them after a while."

Kakarot let out one last sigh before closing his eyes, saying to himself, "Guess…I'll find…out when I… get there."

Kakarot drifted into a deep sleep as his pod rockets towards the closest place he could call home.

Author's Notes: I finally got this part of the story done, and much sooner than the previous chapter. As you have read, I did bring the Tuffles into the mix. I know they might not be technically canon, but they do make for a good first race the Saiyans wiped out so here they are. Hopefully the backstory I made for the Saiyans is coherent enough. I also hope Kakarot's development here is received well. Kakarot's character here is a kid who dealt with the loss of his species by immersing himself in stories as a kid. These stories shaped how he interacted with the world and shifted his personality more when he experienced the worse the world had to offer. The objective of this mini arc was to break down Kakarot's character to make way for more development for the future chapters. Next chapter we will be back on earth and in those chapters I plan to reveal more about what happened because Kakarot never landed on Earth. So, I hope you enjoy that. Anyway, as always if you want, please leave a review for the chapter. It would be cool to know what my readers think of it. Onto power levels:

Power Levels:

Freeza: 530,000

Vegeta- 18,000 Max Power

Nappa- Base 4,350

Raditz- 3,200

Kakarot- 4,000 Max

Kakarot (Fatigued)- 1,000

Zarbon- 23,000