What's Good About Life? (Dragon Ball Z SI Chapter 5)

The fight against Vegeta, unlike with Nappa, was a bit more difficult.

Oh sure it went great at the start.

For many years to come, Nach was going to relish the look on Vegeta's face as the three Low-Class Saiyans rushed and not only managed to make a decent showing against him. But then, even with his power level of 18,000, they actually managed to rough him up a bit.

Nach still smiled as she remembered getting a surprise Brutal Ram on Vegeta. She watched as the prince looked enraged at her, then noticed the blood dripping down his face from a wound on his temple.

In hindsight, Vegeta could have maybe won had he just kept his cool, and continued to fight the three Saiyans. But at the fact that he was struggling against the Low-Class Saiyans, that Goku, the one that had been the weakest was giving him the most challenge, even overpowering him with that Kaio-ken technique at time. And that Nach, the one he dismissed as not worth anything either as a fighter or a broodmare, had made him bleed, Vegeta was just enraged.

The Saiyan Prince flew into the air, gathered all his power deciding to just destroy them all, and the planet along with them.

Goku and Raditz stood side by side, powering up their own attacks. Nach rolled her eyes as she saw them prepare the same technique with Goku looking surprised before matching grins with Raditz.

No, it wasn't because she was jealous on not joining in with the same attack. When Yamcha offered to teach it to her, she accepted with Raditz jumping in, since a new technique was cool and all. But she didn't focus on it to develop her own technique.

Gathered up her ki into the tip of each finger, Nach held her hands apart then moved all that gathered ki into a single point between her hands, letting her make a green heavy ki sphere between her palms. The ki orb grew and grew and grew till she was physically holding it between her hands, now pushing it in to keep the ki from leaking, and stay between her hands.

"Galick Gun!" Vegeta fired his attack.

In unison, Goku, Raditz and Nach fired their attacks back.

""Kamehameha!""

"Heavy Ballista!"

The Brothers Kamehameha was a blue dense beam of the combined might of Goku and Raditz. Nach's emerald beam had a huge ball at the front, with the majority of the ki being fired at the start, with the rest pushing afterwards.

The Low-Class Warriors attacks slammed into the Prince's supposed planet destroyer, and held it back.

It was a stalemate, and the fact that Goku, Raditz and Nach could manage it, enraged Vegeta to push all he could muster into his beam.

Then Goku went Kaio-ken X3.

The three Saiyan's attacks overtook Vegeta blasting him out of the sky.

The group, Goku, Raditz and Nach felt tired, with Goku feeling strained from pushing his Kaio-ken technique to the limit.

But they had won.

Three Low-Class Saiyans, tired and bruised but they won against the Elite.

They let their guard down. That's when everything went wrong.

Goku sensed that Vegeta was alive, but by that point Vegeta had made his Power Ball and transformed into a Great Ape.

Raditz and Nach ended up transforming as well to their own horror.

Nach had never trained with that transformation, and thus lost her mind to the rage of her inner ape. Raditz had a bit more experience with the transformation, thus held onto his mind, at least enough to point himself at Vegeta.

Nach however had attacked both, unable to discern friend from foe. Vegeta had an easy time with them, laughing at their pitiful state all the while.

The one solace was Yajirobe of all people, at the prompting of Goku, had managed cut off Nach's tail with his sword, where she fell back to her normal form, knocked out of the fight.

Vegeta was assured of his victory.

Then Piccolo returned in his Giant Form.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Vegeta shouted before Great Ape Raditz and Giant Piccolo ganged up on Vegeta.

While being a Great Ape and having full control of his mental faculties, gave Vegeta a strong edge. Raditz could only focus on facing Vegeta, not able to actually fight well, or at all beyond wild attacks. And Piccolo's Giant Form was one he hadn't used often lately and rapidly drained his stamina.

However Vegeta did not counter on one thing.

That his Great Ape form, made him a giant target.

With a surprise Kaio-ken X4 Kamehameha, Goku blasted a hole through Great Ape Vegeta, finally ending the battle. The Power Ball dissipated with no energy to keep it going.

The Saiyan Prince crawled to his ship, wanting to escape.

Piccolo prepared to end him, Raditz agree at first, till a tired and unable to move Goku pleaded with them to let Vegeta live, saying to give him another chance.

Piccolo expected this, and thought Raditz would disagree.

But Raditz was fully onboard.

"Hahahaha, look at you now, Vegeta. The Prince, running with his tail between his legs, beaten by a couple of Low-Class Warriors." Raditz was relishing this. "You only get to live because my brother is a softy. You're alive because we let you get away. Remember that, when you go on about your spiel on Saiyan Royal might."

Vegeta gave a glare full of hatred to Raditz, as the ship's door closed, and the Saiyan Prince left Earth.

It was the most fierce battle the Earth had ever faced, yet victory was conclusively theirs.

They had won without any fatalities on their side, and their enemy was forced to flee.

Victory felt good for the Dragon Team. A feeling of relief and relaxation overcame, them as they gathered and sat in Goku and the other's hospital room-paid for by Bulma-to celebrate the fact that they survived the ordeal.

Raditz was boasting about the teamwork they all did. How him, Goku and Nach managed to not just stand up to the Prince of the Saiyan but beat him.

He wouldn't stop bragging about that story, and even embellish it while telling it to Gohan, who was just listening and smiling to placate his uncle. Gohan wasn't really buying his uncle's retelling because, well, he was there to see it of course.

There was one thing that weighed heavily on Goku's mind however, after everything was said and done.

His best friend, Krillin, and his teacher, Master Roshi were now gone for good. The Dragon Balls couldn't bring them back.

The jovial mood turned solemn, and while Raditz wanted something to cheer everyone up, he couldn't. After all, he and Nach had been the ones to kill Roshi and Krillin.

It's why with a false hope that Nach said her next words.

"Namek." Nach said.

"Bless you?" Yamcha replied.

"No," she growled at the idiot making him flinch back. "I'm saying remember what Vegeta and Nappa talked about. About Piccolo, and thus Kami, having come from Namek, thus it's likely they have Dragon Balls there." There was a look of surprise and interest at her words, but also wariness at going with this idea, only for it to turn up nothing. "Look, if Kami can make the Earth Dragon Balls, then why wouldn't his people on his home planet know how to do the same? Heck, they might even have their own set of Dragon Balls."

"Even so, you can't revive someone back after a year had past, or they had been revived before." Tien said with a frown.

"Yes, but that's the case for the Earth Dragon Balls, we don't know what the Namekian set would have." Nach argued back.

"Yeah, besides," Raditz joined in on her idea with enthusiasm. "What exactly have we got to lose? We either find Dragon Balls on Namek or not, they might revive the old guy and Krillin or not. In the end it's worthy a try. If nothing else, it's a space adventure." He grinned. "Whaddya say, brother?"

Goku didn't need to think about it. He smiled and offered a thumbs up.

"I'm in, Raditz."

The trip's preparation were simple enough.

Last year Bulma had taken Nach's ship to study it and make her own. It was finished months before the Saiyans' arrival, and thus upon Goku's request to make a gravity chamber added to the ship so they can train, Bulma didn't see a problem.

Also Kami offered his own ship, allowing the group not just to find out the coordinates to Namek, but for Bulma to improve on her spaceship's engine. And learn Namekian, but no one batted an eye at that. Bulma is a genius, she can just do stuff like that.

"How high do you want the maximum gravity setting to be?" Asked Bulma the Saiyans about the settings she'll make for the gravity chamber.

Nach and Raditz answered before Goku.

""Yes."" They said in unison.

"A hundred and fifty it is." Bulma nodded.

Within two weeks the ship was readjusted and complete, and with that the Dragon Team was on its way.

The group consisted of Bulma, Goku, Raditz, Nach, Yamcha and Piccolo. Gohan was forbidden from going as Chi Chi wanted him away from this "fighting stuff", since he didn't need to be part of it anymore. Plus he has to go back to his schooling.

Goku sneaked Gohan in before they left.

"Wha, Gohan! Goku, what did you do!?" Bulma shouted upon seeing the stowaway.

"Uuuh, come on, Bulma. I wanted Gohan to spend some time with me, since I've been gone a while. Chi Chi said it's his developmental years and all, so we should hang out. Plus space is like science and stuff, so it's also educational." Goku sheepishly smiled, while rubbing the back of his head.

"Ha! Welcome aboard, little guy!" Raditz kneeled and raised a hand to high five Gohan, who did so with an embarrassed grin. "And good on you Kakarot. The boy does need to hang out with Saiyans, and training is a good bonding exercise, you know."

"You're just saying that because you don't have to live with Chi Chi. Goku is the one that will have to deal with her, when we get back." Nach pointed out, causing Raditz to laugh, and Goku to nervously chuckle.

"Hey, why are you up, kid?" Nach asked as she saw Gohan up and about, when she had went to get midnight snack from the fridge. Even if they don't have day or night cycle.

"Ah, Ms. Nach," Gohan started before calming down. "You surprised me."

Nach went and sat down next to the kid. "What's up?" She said bluntly.

"Nothing, it's just..." Gohan trailed up before looking up at Nach. Seeing her usual frowny expression, he quickly expressed his worries. "I'm not doing as well as Dad and the rest of you guys. It's not that I don't get the training and martial arts, I do and it's fun but..."

Nach watched Gohan struggle a bit more with his thoughts before she found what to say.

"You don't like fighting, do you?"

"Huh?" Gohan looked to Nach with surprise that she caught on, and worry that she would berate him, for being 'weak'.

Yet, she did something he didn't expect. Her expression softened to one of understanding.

"You're a smart kid, Gohan. If you want to just study and shit, then that's fine." She told him, making the young boy feel...relieved that he could just do that. "You don't have to like fighting beyond spending time with your dad," she told him. "But you do need to know how to do it, and to keep training."

"I see..." He looked down dejected, as Nach's answered turned to what he originally expected a Saiyan to say.

"Do you know why I'm telling you to train, and to keep growing stronger?" Nach frowned at the attitude, but was patient. Gohan was a kid after all.

"Because that's...what Saiyans should do?" He said, parroting something Raditz said.

"No," Nach shook her head. "It's so that you can keep studying, having fun and living your life how you want."

"Eh?" Gohan blinked in surprise.

"If you don't like fighting and don't want to make it what you do when you grow up, that's fine. As I said, you're smart, study, learn to do smart shit like...make and fly spaceships like Bulma or whatever." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "But also keep your training and strength as a backup. So that no one can suddenly come one day, and take away the things you love or care about." Her eyes looked as if seeing something far away. "So that no one can just takeover your life, making you do whatever they want, not what you want."

Gohan didn't get if Nach was talking about something else, but understood her words, and nodded taking them in.

"Thanks, Ms. Nach." Gohan nodded with a wide smile. "I'll try better next time I train with you guys." He actually sounded excited.

"Good, here." She handed him a book.

"What's this?"

"Ship's manual. Bulma or her dad wrote it, I think."

"W-What do I do with it?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I dunno. You're the smart type and that's a book. Read it I guess." She shrugged, not sure why he didn't like her borrowed gift.

"...Thanks?" Gohan smiled while tilting his head. He didn't want to tell Nach that just because he liked reading, doesn't mean he liked reading any book, but he appreciated the sentiment.

We should have stayed on Earth. Nach thought, tired and afraid of her current situation.

The group had reached Namek in one months. And it only took them so long because they encountered other people and other planets on the way.

Still, they made good time, had some good training sessions-didn't reach all the way to 150x Earth's gravity, but made it to 120-and bonded a bit in their time of close proximity in the ship.

When the Dragon Team reached Namek, to their elation they did find the Namekians had Dragon Balls, and were the people there were friendly and amicable them. Also, their wish to revive their dead friends, which they realized they could do without worry, was one that the Namekians were fully agreeable to help with.

Nach, Bulma and Yamcha stayed on the ship. Bulma because she didn't want to get sweaty traveling around. Yamcha to "protect" her. And Nach wanted to train in the gravity chamber some more.

Raditz, Goku and Gohan went to gather the seven Namekian Dragon Balls with the Dragon Radar.

Piccolo had went off on his own to learn of his homeworld, his race and his origins.

"So Saiyans looking for the Dragon Balls, huh." The Namekian Lugo, said with a chuckle as he walked around with them. "Just like the Fearful Saiyan." He chuckled.

"The what?" Goku asked.

"There's no such thing. No Saiyan worth his tail is fearful." Raditz objected.

"It's a story from years ago." He told them with a reminiscing smile. "It was Elder Moori that had been the one to have met him. The story goes that a Saiyan who lived a harsh life, holding nothing but fear in his heart, came here to wish to vanquish his fear. He travelled from village to village facing challenges to test his mettle, and to see if his spirit is one of good or evil.

"After gathering six of the Dragon Balls with the seventh being at the Grand Elder's house, he went there and met with Grand Elder Guru. The grand Elder gave him his final test, what will he do once his wish is granted, and to that the Fearful Saiyan said 'he just wants not be afraid anymore'. The Grand Elder offered him strength that would let him never fear an opponent again, but the Fearful Saiyan decline, saying he doesn't wish to fight anyone, and would have no need if his wish is granted. The Grand Elder could see the Fearful Saiyan was not evil, and thus let him have the seventh ball to make his wishes." Lugo finished his tale.

"I have so many objections to that 'Fearful Saiyan'." Raditz said, unable to keep himself quiet anymore. "Seriously, what kind of Saiyan is so afraid that when given the chance to be strong, he refuses it because he doesn't want to fight anymore. What the heck is that?" Raditz was just confused at the Saiyan in this story before growing thoughtful. "Although the Saiyan in that story weirdly sounds like Dive the Deserter."

"Dive the Deserter?" Goku asked, while Gohan listen attentively.

"Oh yeah, it's a thing that happened what I was a kid." Raditz went on to retell the story of the Saiyan who escape Planet Vegeta on his lonesome, and managed to evade everyone, even the Frieza Empire, having never been caught. "I mean, it's pretty badass that he broke out with a ship, in broad daylight, and no one managed to catch him, before he gave everyone the slip, but..." He shrugged. "Doesn't change that the guy was seen as a massive coward for deserting, just because he didn't want to head to a battlefield."

"Huh..." Gohan was thinking on the two stories, and what Nach had told him when the two of them talked that one time, on Bulma's ship.

"Hmm, he sounds like he was more like Bulma. Strong in the head but not the body." Goku said.

"I'm gonna tell her you said that when we get back." Raditz said with a grin.

"No, please don't!" Goku paled at his brother's words.

"You know there is more to this story." Said Lugo.

"Right, his wishes." Said Gohan.

"Oh yeah, what wishes did he make?" Said Raditz.

"I don't remember. I know the first one was immortality, not the other two, but Elder Moori said it was the second wish that was more important. The third wish was going to some different planet." Said Lugo.

"So wait, there's an actual Immortal Saiyan somewhere out in the world?" Raditz look on with wide eyes.

"That's a shame." Goku said, making the rest look at him. "I think he should have just trained to get that power. I mean, I get it, but I think he should have gained immortality by his own efforts."

"Ha! Right on, you are brother." Raditz slapped Goku on the back.

"Is that where the story ends?" Gohan asked.

"Supposedly some years ago Elder Moori summoned Porunga to ask him how that Saiyan was doing, and you know what the dragon said?" Lugo grinned, really getting into the storytelling, and capturing the Saiyan's attention with how they leaned in. "'Till this day, he is training'." He said with a deep voice.

Goku and Raditz actually laughed, looking impressed, while Gohan chuckled, saying that sounds like his dad.

Then everything started going to hell as Vegeta arrived on the planet, and with him the Frieza Force. It was a small solace to learn that the two weren't actually working together.

Both antagonistic parties were looking for the Namekian Dragon Balls.

Bulma's ship was easily found by one of Frieza's scouts, seeing Bulma and Yamcha in front of the ship. The scout said he was under order to kill everyone on the planet, and fired upon the ship damaging it, to remove their escape route.

Then the scout's face paled as he saw a power level from within the ship rise to level he never encountered before.

10,000 PL.

30,000 PL.

The scouter exploded off of the Frieza scout's face, barely managing to see the number being 60,000 and rising.

The last thing the scout saw before he died was an irate Nach was suddenly in his face.

From then on Nach-after taking Bulma and Yamcha somewhere safe, with Bulma putting the ship in a capsule to work on later-when on the offensive.

The Saiyan woman felt mighty. Beyond anything the Frieza Force could throw at her. When she inevitably met Vegeta once more, she laughed at how she could sense he was just half of her power.

She had grown leaps from her fight, and the training with Raditz, Goku and Piccolo in the gravity chamber pushed her even higher. And she showed Vegeta that. The gap between their strength, the power of the so-called Low-Class Warrior.

Nach let him live with that humiliation, just as Raditz and Goku once had.

Meanwhile as Goku, Raditz, Gohan and a returned Piccolo faced their own opponents of the Frieza Force, and gathered intel, understanding the situation, they acted to evacuate and hide the Namekian villagers while hiding their own set of Dragon Balls.

Goku went ahead and ended up facing Frieza and his goons, Dodoria and Zarbon. They were utterly no match, but Frieza himself?

It was Goku that was outclassed and easily at that. Nach in the neck of time, came and whisked Goku away, all her former bravado gone, as she only thought about hiding herself and her friends.

They were far over their heads, and to twist the knife, Frieza casually revealed what she suspected so many years ago. That he was the one to destroy her homeworld. He was the one to end the Saiyan race.

While carrying the knocked out recovering Goku, it was just her luck to be found by Vegeta, that sneaked abord Frieza's ship, killing the crew and using their healing pods. He returned with a power closer to her, maybe even higher.

But she couldn't fight him. She couldn't do so while protecting Goku and hiding from Frieza's scouters. And so, Nach had to grit her teeth and ask Vegeta for his aid, using the information Frieza so casually reveal to push the Saiyan Prince to, not be on her side, but work together against Frieza.

Then after a game of cat and mouse with Frieza, his troops, the bloody Ginyu Force that arrived after all the chaos, and having to gather the last piece of the Dragon Balls.

Goku and Nach ended up injured heavily due to Captain Ginyu's bullshit, and that was a mess and a half to fix, that almost resulted in the death of the two Sayians. The last of the senzu beans had been used on them, but even then, they weren't in fighting form yet.

The sky grew dark as the Namekian Dragon is summoned.

At the house of Guru; Dende, Goku, Raditz, Gohan, Nach and Piccolo stood before Porunga, ready to make their wish. Vegeta there ready to kill Dende is his wish for immortality wasn't granted as well.

The first two wishes were easy to grant. Revive Master Roshi and Krillin.

Krillin was revived, but Roshi refused. Thus the second wish was to transport all Namekians on Namek to Earth.

"Alright, you did your bloody goody-two-shoe bullshit. Now make. My. Wish. Give me immortality!" Vegeta growled, ready attack the group, and blast Dende right out of the gate.

Dende received a telepathic message from Guru, who was using the last of his strength to do so.

Dende spoke.

"Your wish is granted." The dragon a grin on his face, as he gave the young Namekian boy a thumbs up.

"YES!" Vegeta shouted to the heavens, laughing at the approaching Frieza, before looking down to himself in concern.

The Dragon Team looked to the elated Vegeta, the enraged Frieza and the...laughing Dende.

"Why are you laughing kid?" Vegeta said taken aback.

"Elder," Dende coughed. "Grand Elder Guru told me, to summon the Immortal Saiyan." He smirked.

The Dragon Team looked in surprise, confusion and a little bit of hope.

"Yeah, what of it? You're looking at-"

The Namekian Dragon Balls began to fly only to drop to the ground, inert, turning into regular round stones.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DRAGON BALLS AND WISH, YOU MONKEYS!?" Shouted Frieza as he reached them.

The world shook. It seemed as if there was a quake across the whole planet with lightening raging in the sky, then quickly as it came it ended.

"For ten thousand years I laid dormant! And now that I've finally awakened, it's time to conquer the Earth!" A powerful voice bellowed and echoed across the world.

Between Frieza and the Dragon Team and Vegeta stood a warrior they had never seen before.

The sheer ki erupting from him, burning red like the color of his hair, fur and tail, dwarfed anything they have ever felt. Even Vegeta was left speechless, terrified to utter a word let alone move.

Only Gohan managed to say something.

"Th-This is Namek," Said Gohan, making the warrior's eyes turn to him. "S-Sir."

The Dragon Team and Dende wondered if they had brought something much worse than Frieza and Vegeta upon them.

"Hahahahaha!" The warrior just broke down and laughed, dispelling the aura of dread completely. "Hahaha, 'this is Namek'! Oh god, holy shit, kid, you're a riot!" The warrior laughed some more.

"You!" Shouted Frieza. "Stop laughing you literal monkey and answer me! What have you done with the Dragon-"

"Just a sec!" Said the Red Saiyan. "I, hehehe, I'm getting it under control." He took a breath, and let it out with a smile as if he was releasing the rest of his laughter with it.

Nach noticed that with all that laughter, the Red Saiyan was wiping a tear away from his eyes. As if he was using the laughter to push through a loss. She could swear he looked familiar thought.

Nach's eyes then began to widened as so many things she learned, knew clicked, and she could see his face, overlaying the Red Saiyan's. Maybe it wasn't perfectly the same, but the similarity was there once she looked for it.

"Haaaa, okay, okay, I'm good now. What were you saying?" Asked the Red Saiyan.

Frieza fired a beam at him to the shock of those present. Then to further shock, it did nothing. The Red Saiyan didn't even need to defend himself. There was no scratch upon him.

"Dammit, Guru, you should have summoned me earlier." The Red Saiyan muttered under his breath. He didn't acknowledge Frieza's attack earlier. As if it wasn't even worth noting. "So Freezer," he spoke with a casual tone, bereft of any worry, as well as any animosity. "How bad is your day going?"

AN:

Notes to self. Upon landing on Namek:
Goku: 81,000
Raditz: 54,000
Nach: 67,500
Vegeta: 32,000 - 71,000