"Lord Guru… what should we do?" Dende asked nervously, glancing out the door as if he expected the Ginyu Force (whatever that was) to suddenly burst in at that very moment.

Gohan though wasn't worried. Lord Guru had just gotten done telling him and Dende that some super strong aliens were coming to try and take the Dragon Ball. That they were part of the group that had been hurting Dende's people. And Gohan wasn't going to let them hurt his new friend or the leader of the Namekian people!

"We stand here and fight!" Gohan declared, pulling out the Power Pole and the Dragon Shield. "We don't let get the Dragon Ball! Or hurt Lord Guru! We fight them right here and we defeat them so good they have no choice but to surrender!"

But Dende shook his head. "We can't fight them! I'm not nearly trained enough to fight! And you are too young!"

"My daddy was fighting beings worse than this Ginyu Force when he was my age!" Gohan declared. At least… he thought that was true. To be honest his dad got a bit confused about his own age, never really needing to think about it. "I can take them on!"

"Children," Lord Guru said and at once Gohan went silent. While he was ready to fight his mommy had drilled it into his head that it was very important to be respectful to his elders and Lord Guru looked to be the eldest of his elders! "It warms my heart that you worry about me. And young Gohan… even though you have only arrived on this planet a day ago you have shown great empathy and compassion and love for my people. I thank you for being willing to stand up for us."

Gohan smiled at that and forced himself not to speak. He could tell Lord Guru had more to say.

"But," the huge Namekian stated, "there is a time and a place for all things. When to fight. When the battle. And when to retreat. And the time to retreat is now. You are the future of Namek… yes, both of you. For I see in your friendship a future where we no longer need to hide from the universe… but be a part of it. Come here."

Gohan swallowed and stepped forward. He wanted to argue that he wouldn't run away. That he wasn't scared! But he also couldn't bring himself to be mad at the Grand Elder of the Namekian people.

Lord Guru reached out, gently patting both Gohan and Dende on the head. "I feel within you the droplets of greatness. Like the first rains that lead to a mighty river swelling its banks. With time and age both of you will become mighty in your own ways… and now I will aid you."

Then, without warning, he placed his heavy hands on the boys' heads and Gohan gasped as he felt the oddest sensation. It was like he had decided to drop down very quickly. It didn't hurt or make him sick and he knew he was safe but the plunge was sudden and surprising… but also so much fun! He couldn't help but gasp and smile as he felt something come unlocked within his body. Yes… that was the word for it. Unlocked.

"What… what was that?" Dende marveled.

"I have found your potential and brought it forth. It will require training but now there will be nothing within you that will limit you… save for your own drive and determination. It will take years of practice but this will allow you to rise above others and achieve things that are seen only as myth and legend."

"Thank… thank you, Lord Guru!" Gohan gasped out before giving the elder a quick bow.

Lord Guru smiled at him, pleased at Gohan's delight and also his good manners. Years later, when Gohan was older and more mature and understood the world better, he would realize that he had passed a test he didn't realize he was taking. Many, upon seeing such a gift, would focus on the strength they had been given, so that such thoughts consumed them. Gohan, however, had thought first to thank the one that had allowed him to achieve such strength. His mind wasn't filled with thoughts of the future and how the unlocking of his potential would allow him to do amazing things. No… his mind was on the present and on the kind old Namekian that had helped him. And that had proved to Lord Guru that he was correct in selecting Gohan to receive the gift.

Dende however didn't bow but instead stared at his hands in shock… and, Gohan saw to his confusion, a bit of horror. His friend suddenly and rather violently threw himself to the ground and pressed his head to the floor. In a trembling voice he declared, "I'm… I'm not worthy of this, Lord Guru!"

"Why do you think that, young Dende?"

Gohan turned towards his friend fully and saw that Dende was shaking so hard it was a wonder that he wasn't falling apart. He was reminded of the trees on their island home and how, when his mommy or daddy or one of his many uncles struck the trunk of it the leaves would come tumbling down. He thought that would happen to Dende: he would shake so hard the limbs of his body would fall right off.

"Because… because this is the greatest gift you could give to one of us!" Dende practically wailed, though in a manner that managed to remain respectful all the same. "This is meant for a great warrior or a mighty magic user! Someone destined to be an elder, a leader of our people!"

"And you can not be an elder? A leader?"

"No!" Dende cried out. "I'm just… Dende." The last of those words was said in a soft little whisper. Not sad or angered but… completely accepting. Like one who understands that they will never be tall, there is nothing they can do about their height, so there is no reason to be upset about it.

Lord Guru nodded at that. "Yes… you are Dende. And you are correct… you will not be an Elder." Gohan opened his mouth to protest, to declare that Dende could be whatever he wanted, but then Lord Guru said, "You… will be so much MORE."

"M…me?" Dende whispered.

"Yes, my child. I felt it within you when you first entered here and was assured of it when I felt the well of strength that was deep within you. I know now you are destined for grander things, Dende, than any of us could imagine. Is it any wonder you have chosen to become friends with this stranger, this boy from another world and the last child of a dying race? You will find your courage and your strength, Dende… and when you do you will find your story to be far grander than you imagined. And… it is tied to Young Gohan."

He smiled.

"You were destined to meet. Guardian and Champion."

And then, before Gohan could press him on that and find out what he could possibly mean by those words, Lord Guru let out a soft sigh, his smile falling.

"Now… it is time for you to go."

"Lord Guru-" Dende began.

"No. Your story is just beginning and I will not risk it ending so soon. Gohan, leave me the Dragon Ball. You did well to protect it but now that task falls to me. And for good or for ill, for whatever happens to it and myself, that fate is now out of your hands." Gohan, reluctantly, picked up the Dragon Ball from where he had set it on the ground and carried it over to Lord Guru, who took it in his meaty hand. "These invaders, the Ginyu Force, they are coming. But I will ensure that they see only me. You must return back to where your families are… no… your family. For from this day forth your family, Gohan, and my brothers… we are one. One family. I name you all Namekians, even if you do not bear the features. Return to them and prepare… they will save Namek."

Gohan swallowed at that but nodded. He wanted to argue but he knew that Lord Guru's words were final. So he slung the Power Pole and the Dragon Shield upon his back.

But… as he and Dende made for the door he couldn't help but turn back and ask, "Lord Guru… are you sure we won't be leading them back to our family?"

The elder Namekian's face twitched… and a smile that wasn't kind or gentle appeared on it. And in that moment Gohan and Dende saw the years bleed away from Lord Guru, the wrinkles and the fat being pulled taunt and firm, and for one second they saw the Titan Namekian that had stood alone upon Namek and roared at the sun that it would not take him too with its drought.

And then… it was gone, and he was Lord Guru again.

"I will MAKE them see only me."

~MC~MC~MC~

"Multiple Namekians are coming this way," Elder Sax stated. "It must be the last village."

Chichi sighed in relief at that. "And Lord Guru has Gohan and Dende…" She had wanted to fly to him right away when she'd learned where her son was, or send someone to do it for her. After the battle with Zarbon and being given the Senzu Bean she felt so powerful and strong… she was sure she could have reached him in a fraction of a second and then taken on twenty Zarbons. But Raditz and Vegeta had been firm that the Ginyu Force wasn't to be trifled with and that she couldn't rush out and risk herself again. It was better, all had agreed, to keep Dende and Gohan with Lord Guru. He would keep them safe, well away from the Ginyu Force.

'Except… what if they come to them?' she thought nervously even as Raditz and Vegeta shared a look. "What is it?" she asked, noticing how the two seemed to be silently communicating with each other.

"The Mallar Campaign?" Raditz asked at once.

"Ginyu does love to pull out that old move," Vegeta said with a nod before looking to Elder Sax and Mori. "Can you tell those fools to keep as far away from us as possible?"

"I… what?" Elder Sax stated.

"We can't let those fools get here!" Vegeta snapped. "So do whatever it is you did to talk to that Lord Buru-"

"Guru."

'-and tell them to go someplace else!"

"We can't reach out to them like that. Only a Namekian that has learned how to create Dragon Balls can do that. Perhaps Nail might know but he is with Senza…"

"Damn it, we can't let them get here!" Vegeta snarled. Chichi would have been touched by his concern… if she didn't know that Vegeta was more concerned about the Dragon Balls and less about the villagers.

"Why not?" Elder Sax said. "What concerns you?"

It was Raditz though that answered. "They're being followed. Right now."

"That's impossible," Elder Mori said. "They would sense if they were being followed and they would avoid this place. They are smart enough to know-"

"it has nothing to do with smarts or with the ability to sense energy," Vegeta snapped, agitated. "It has everything to do with the Mallar Campaign strategy."

Raditz chimed in. "Its something Ginyu likes to do… he brags about it all the time. Convince someone to send the weakest of their group, the innocent, away. Maybe it's the women and children, maybe it's the old, maybe it's the non-combatants. He sends them off so he and the Ginyu Force can focus on the rulers or the leaders. But what they don't know is that Guildo or Burter place a tracker on them, so that no matter how far they fly away they know right where they are. Then, once the tracker stops, Burter gives chase. He's the Fastest in the Universe and I'm not being cute about that. He truly is that fast. He is able to circle a planet within minutes and he can make up distances before his targets can react."

Vegeta nodded, shooting a withering look at the two elder Namekians. "So you need to find some way to tell them to not come here. Focus very, very hard and send the message that they are to go anyplace else but here!"

"We… we can't," Elder Mori said. "We don't have the ability-"

"Then let me tell you what is about to happen!" Vegeta snapped. "They are going to arrive and be oh so relieved to finally be someplace safe… only for all of us to feel a sudden power level appear in the direction they came. Before we have time to even think about moving Burter will appear and begin attacking us. Perhaps Raditz and I will be able to hold him off… with the help of the Earthlings and my sister-" And Chichi could tell he was annoyed admitting he might need their help, "-we might even be able to kill him. But it will be too late. He will have let Ginyu know where we are and he will come with the rest of the Ginyu Force. And we have no hope of being able to stop them all. So… either you figure out a way to stop him or we are all going to die."

Chichi at once stood up, holding out a hand. "There has to be other ways we can deal with this, Vegeta."

"What, like flee now?" Vegeta said. "The woman over there is shielding us, right? What happens when we get away from the shield? We'll be sitting ducks!"

"Vegeta is right," Raditz said. "With the size of the group we'd be taking with us… because I assume we HAVE to take them with us?" Chichi glowered at him and he sighed. "Right… yeah. I thought so, tone down that look. With the size of the group we'd let even Frieza know where we were. He isn't the best at sensing Energy but he isn't blind to it."

"And where else would we hide, hmmm?" Vegeta said. "You have a backup place for us?"

"No but there has to be something else we can do," Chichi said. "Just whining that we are going to die-"

"Woman, I do not whine!" Vegeta roared.

"You could have fooled me!" Chichi retorted.

"ENOUGH!" Krillin shouted, causing everyone to remember he was there. "We aren't doing any good arguing with each other. We need to be coming up with a plan. And… I think I might have one."

"You think?" Vegeta said with a dismissive huff. "Pardon me if that doesn't fill me with confidence, baldy."

"Baldy, original. Never heard that one before," Krillin snarked. Vegeta faulted a bit at that, clearly surprised his 'witty' insult hadn't hit the mark, but before he could say a word Krillin continued on. "Now then, I have an idea on how to deal with this. Honestly… it might be for the best anyway. We can't keep hiding forever, not if Frieza isn't planning to just give up and move on."

"He won't," Raditz confirmed. "Not if he knows the power of the Dragon Balls. And with us killing so many of his men he will take it as a matter of pride that he has to have his vengeance against us."

"Right," Krillin said, wincing. "I was afraid of that but saw it coming. So, we need to take the fight to him, like Senza and Nail are doing. And I have an idea on how to do that…"

~MC~MC~MC~

Ginyu looked at the Namekian, Elder Doblin, and shook his head. "I simply do not understand why you persist in allowing yourself to endure such pain and torment." He reached out and pressed his index and forefinger against the green skinned alien's thigh.

It was a gentle touch. A love tap. No more force than reaching over and lightly tapping someone on the shoulder to get their attention. The issue though was that where he was touching the Namekian there was a cluster of nerves and, after touching a few other spots on his body, applying any pressure there caused ungodly amounts of pain. The Elder grit his teeth and tried not to scream, which was odd to Ginyu because screaming was about the only thing he could do, what with his body paralyzed as it was.

Ginyu had made it his mission in life to understand the biology of every creature in the known universe. He had to, if he had any hope of mastering a new form. Only those that had transformations could truly understand what it was like to suddenly find oneself in a new form and even then the body was this their own. Ginyu however could, at any moment, find himself in a completely new body and understanding how to move around would be the only way that he made sure he didn't die a quick death.

After all, when one switched a body there tended to be someone who was VERY pissed off and unhappy right near you, ready to try and kill you seven ways across the galaxy… once the shock went away.

Ginyu needed to know how to use multiple arms and legs. What to do if he found himself with extra eyes or gills. How to handle needing a different oxygen mix in the air in order to breathe. All of this he worked to learn, so that when he claimed a body he was able to use it rather quickly.

This had given him the added benefit of being able to understand just how to make a body work to its best limits.

Lord Frieza had found out that Ginyu gave the greatest massages in all the universe and it was a common occurrence after a successful campaign for Ginyu to give his lord a proper rub down, to make sure all his muscles were buttery smooth and soft. He knew how to relieve tension in limbs, so the medics would sometimes call for him to help with soldiers that had seized up or were suffering from headaches. When he decided to go out on a date he was a… well… popular figure amongst the many Frieza Force soldiers looking for a good time.

But this knowledge had also let him know how to make a body hurt. To make every moment feel like agony. How to bring about pain and suffering that would leave one gasping and crying on and begging for mercy.

And Ginyu was using all of that right now to get information out of the Namekian before him.

"Come now… I can make this easy on you." He reached out and with utter care touched another spot on the Elder's body. He saw at once the change come over him, as Toblin let out a gasp of relief. All the pain was leaving him and all that was left was sweet pleasure. Ginyu allowed him to feel that for several moments more before he released his grip and it all faded away, leaving the Namekian feeling nothing.

"All you have to do is tell me about the Dragon Balls. Why are they so special?" He leaned in closer. "Come now… you must see by now that your people will be taken by surprise by Burter and then by Recoome. I have sent Jeice and Guldo to deal with the energy source that I detected about a hundred miles that way." He waved in the direction of the power source he had felt, which had to be either a collection of Dragon Balls or some force that might cause problems for them. He wasn't for sure but he wasn't going to ignore something that was so important purely because he didn't have all the information. "And let me assure you… one of them will let me know the truth."

"If… if you are so sure of that… then why do this to me?" Toblin asked.

"Because a minute wasted is a minute wasted, as they say. I want to know right now the truth and you can make that happen. Every second I don't know… well, it leads to possibly things not going my way. I would much rather know now…" he reached out and stroked the area he had touched before that had brought the Namekian so much pain.

Toblin… broke.

"I will tell you! I will tell you! Please!"

Ginyu smiled and tapped a different spot, giving his new friend a sense of floating. Or, at least, that's what Zarbon had said it felt like when he'd last tapped him in that spot. It might be different for a Namekian though based on how Toblin let out a sigh he was willing to bet that it was the same sensation.

"There now, that wasn't so hard!" Ginyu chuckled and leaned back, folding his hands and threading his fingers together. "Now then… please begin."

~MC~MC~MC~

"So… that's Namek, huh?" Goku declared as he looked out at the planet. We had already seen it before but it had been at a distance that made it little more than a marble. Now it was looming large and we were coming in finally towards the planet's surface.

"It is," I said as I checked to make sure we were good for a final approach. While Isco had assured me that he had taken out the sensors on the Frieza Force ships they still had eyes. And they were able to fly in space, without need for oxygen or the like, which meant if they spotted us they would come in like a swarm of killer bees. Emphasis on 'killer'. Thus we had been forced to keep our flight as far away from them as we could, weaving about the ships that filled the Namekian solar space until we could finally find a hole and make our way down.

And… we had.

"Remember," I told Goku, "we have to be smart about this. Frieza and his forces could be reduced to a small number or they could be an entire army. We have no idea what he's been doing or how our friends have managed since we last talked with them."

"Aw, come on Avo!" Goku complained good naturedly. "Our friends will have managed to easily take out Frieza's men! They've grown so strong since we all started training together!"

"And Frieza is in a different league," I snapped, annoyed he wasn't taking this seriously. I know I shouldn't have been surprised, as that was just how Goku was, but it still was making my nerves twitchy that we were marching into the fight and Goku hadn't accepted how dangerous it could be. 'I am trying to ensure we don't lose anyone,' I thought to myself. 'Yes, Dende is down there but I have no idea if he is old enough or strong enough to become the new guardian of Earth. And that means all we have are the Namekian Dragon Balls and their limit of only bringing back one person. The Namekians… they might have lost many of their people and will wish to do something about that… it will take all we can to convince them to give us a single wish for Roshi… we can't risk trying for a second to bring back Krillin or Tien or anyone else.'

Goku though, rather than sensing that now was the time to grit down and focus, looked utterly excited. "I know! You keep telling me how powerful he is… I can't wait to test myself against him!" He held up his fist near his face and I could see in the reflection in the windshield of the ship that he was smiling now more fiercely. "Raditz told me what Frieza did to our people. To our father. I will never forgive him for that… and I especially won't let him risk Earth. So I'm going to take him down!" And then his good natured self was back. "And hey, if I get a good fight out of it…"

"Right," I said with a sigh. "Ginyu Force. Members and abilities."

"Aw, come on Avo!" Goku whined. "We've been over this…"

"And we will KEEP going over this," I said firmly. "Our friends have Raditz and Vegeta to tell them about them but you need to know what they can do."

"I still don't think its really that fair that you are telling me all of this," Goku complained. "It doesn't make the fight that exciting if you know what your opponent can do! There is no surprise or shock!"

'And that is what makes the two of us different,' I thought to myself. 'You are the gambler that wants to watch the sporting event and see if the bets you made will pay off. I'm the movie watcher that wants to know who killed who so I can just sit back and enjoy the performances.' Goku hadn't been happy when I had gone over in detail the Frieza Force members I remembered, including the Ginyu Force and Frieza himself. He had complained the entire time but I had been firm about it, refusing to be cowed by him into having any secrets so that he could have a more entertaining time in the fight. 'Because this isn't about giving him some thrills,' I thought to myself. 'We are going up against Frieza, one of the deadliest opponents Goku has ever faced. And the fact of the matter is… I don't know how strong Goku is at the moment.'

It was something that had been worming its way through my brain ever since I had stopped Raditz from killing Goku: how important were his loses? Yes, he hadn't learned the Kaio-Ken from King Kai… but he had also developed a lot of bad habits under him, not having someone to actually spar with. Yes, he hadn't gotten the power boost he would have gotten from being nearly killed by Vegeta… but he now could control his Great Ape form. With Vegeta on planet it was entirely possible he'd have an artificial moon that we could use to even the odds.

'And then there is the fight in the other world against Loki and Thanos,' I thought to myself. 'Goku's Ki has changed. He's learned new attacks. And that fight… he said he feels a lot stronger now. But how strong is he? And am I risking him dying to Frieza by making him figure out how to fight the Ginyu Force and thus rob him of another power boost?'

But that wasn't the only thing I had to consider. Goku had far more help now. Senza… he could very well, at this point, be at the level of Piccolo taking on Android 17. Except how strong had Android 17 truly been? Was he at Frieza's level? Yamcha and Tien were insanely more powerful but would that be enough? Chichi had been at Goku's level when I'd last seen her… and she might be stronger.

'And then there is me,' I thought to myself, flexing my hands. 'My magic has changed. Its stronger now.' During that 'filler arc' I had discovered that my theory about my spells was true and that all of them had changed and evolved thanks to fighting Thanos. Black Parade now made solid duplicates of all my friends. White Satin could create deadly traps. My transformation ability had gone from a mere cloud that hid me distorting my form to me being able to actually alter my body. Sure, I had played it up as a joke… but I had grown to 30 feet tall and I was willing to bet I could get bigger. 'What else can I do?' I thought.

That might have been the most troubling thing of all: what I would become. I knew that I was changing the Z Fighters but I still knew what good people they would be. And for people like Raditz I was helping him become better. But me? I was the wild card. The Joker. The unforeseen player that entered into the battle. And no one knew what would become of me. How I would change or evolve.

No one knew.

~MC~MC~MC~

Frieza stared out the window pensively, listening in as Jeice reported back to him.

"Captain Ginyu is going after the horde of Namekians that we detected. Pretty sure based on the readings we took of that Dragon Ball you have, my lord, that they have another one. And he sent Guldo and I to go after another one."

"Very good," Frieza said simply but his tone wasn't pleased at all. No… he wasn't feeling pleased at all at the moment. "And you have nothing about the other Dragon Balls?"

"Sorry, Lord Frieza, but we aren't detecting anything. If one of the ships up in orbit were able to scan-"

"They CAN'T scan because their systems have been taken down," Frieza snapped. "That is why I have you and the rest of my men scouring this pathetic little mud ball, remember?"

"R-right, Lord Frieza," Jeice said. His voice had just enough fear to show he understood the danger he was in but not so much that he was reduced to a wreck that couldn't respond. That pleased Frieza greatly; while he wanted his men to never forget how dangerous he truly was the last thing he needed was for them to be unable to do their jobs. That was a bothersome thing, when they were paralyzed with terror. It wasted so much of his very busy schedule. "We'll make sure to do a search again once we get these Dragon Balls and return them to you for safe keeping."

"Very good," Frieza said firmly. "I want you to ensure that each Dragon Ball is brought at once to me. We can't risk the Namekians or Vegeta claiming them."

"Right. We are hoping that the Namekians we are going after can tell us where the others have gone… planet seems so empty I have would think you'd already claimed it, Lord Frieza!" There was a long pause and Frieza frowned at that; clearly Jeice was still on the other end but he had gone quiet. He was just preparing to say something when Jeice finally spoke up, "Oh! Guldo just said that perhaps, if we have a bit of time, we could refit one of our pods to go up and scan the planet!"

Frieza considered that. 'It would mean time wasted… time not spent looking for my Dragon Balls. But on the other hand it might also make the overall search go by far quicker. And if I only had one of them doing that…' Out loud he said, "We will see what Ginyu has to say when you return. If he approves of your plan then I see no harm in it… so long as it gets me results."

"Of course Lord Frieza!" And with that Jeice signed off.

'Three Dragon Balls will soon be mine,' Frieza thought to himself. 'The one I have already laid claim to and the two that are being brought to me by Ginyu and his men. But that leaves 4 Dragon Balls left to claim. And the fact that Ginyu and his men can't detect them… could these foolish green worms have found some way to remove them from the planet?' At once Frieza dismissed that idea. There was simply no way that was possible. 'They can hide themselves but there has been no reports of ships leaving the planet.'

Except… his ships in orbit were dead.

'I swear… if those Namekians have managed to remove the Dragon Balls from the planet and denied me a chance to make my wish I will tear this planet down to the bedrock! And then I will hunt them all down and crush their skulls with the remains-'

A Frieza soldier activated the alert chime on the closed door and Frieza at once reached out and pressed the comm button that connected him with the speaker just on the otherwise of the entryway.

"What is it?" he said coldly.

"Lord Frieza… there is a Namekian who is asking to speak with you."

That gave Frieza pause at that.

'A Namekian?' he thought. 'I wonder if one of these emerald slugs has decided to be bold and try and kill me.' It wouldn't be the first time… plenty of planetary rulers had sent envoys to meet with Frieza. Or rather they had sent assassins disguised as envoys. They would come in, sometimes barely managing to bow to his greatness before they attacked, other times waiting hours in hopes of lulling him into a false sense of security before they launched their assault. They would use guns or blades or poisons. They try to take him when his back was turned or his eyes closed or when he was looking right at them. They used men and women and once even a child.

It always ended the same: Frieza cleaning the ashes from his hands as they drifted onto him before he went about planning how to make the leader that had dared to strike out against him suffer.

"Show him in," Frieza said with a smile. "This will certainly be entertaining," he muttered as the door opened.

"I suppose you are surprised to see me again," The Namekian stated. He was tall and young, muscular and fit, but also showed clear signs of battle. Cuts that had crushed over with purple blood lined his face and he was limping as he came in, staring Frieza down harshly.

"You assume much if you think I remember you," Frieza said simply.

"Then allow me to refresh your memory. I am Larin… and I was part of the Namekian team that tried to take you down."

"Ah yes, I remember now!" Frieza said before he let out a dry chuckle. "Tried."

Larin merely glowered at him.

"Tell me," Frieza said with a wave of his hand as he began to pace, "is there anyone else coming? Did you beg for the chance to face me all on your own, to say these words before the rest of your allies try and attack this ship? Are you bold enough to believe that despite the utter beat down you received at the hands of my subordinates that you would be able to destroy me? Or, perhaps, this is a suicide mission? Hmm… is that it then? You were beat so savagely that you know your life is coming to an end but you are going to attempt to make something out of yourself by delaying me until your brethren can launch their attack?"

Frieza threw his head back and laughed.

"You think you are the first to attempt such a thing? Well, let me assure that you aren't the first… and you won't be the last. Because I am going to kill you and then, when this is all over and done with, I will claim the Dragon Balls and render all of this utterly meaningless!"

"And get your wish?" Larin asked. "That will be hard… considering you don't know how to activate them."

"…what?" Frieza said, his good mood suddenly gone.

Now Larin was smirking at him. Mocking HIM. "You thought you could just bring the Dragon Balls together and they would activate and you would get your wish? Maybe scream at them or taunt them and they'd obey you? No… that isn't how they work." He shook his head. "If you do not know how to activate the Dragon Balls they will just sit there, utterly useless."

Frieza FUMED. He had been told by that pathetic Namekian that the Dragon Balls would grant his wish! And now he learned that the corpse had lied to him! If he had the ability he would bring the whimpering green blob back to life and kill him all over again!

"You," Frieza snapped, jabbing a finger at Larin. "You will tell me how to do it!"

"Yes."

"And if you don't I will-"

Frieza stopped.

He blinked.

"What?" he managed to get out, totally thrown off by what he had heard.

"I will tell you," Larin said.

Frieza stared at him.

"All I have wanted was to protect my people. I see now… there is no defeating you. Our elders… they would have us all die in order to protect the Dragon Balls. They would let every last Namekian be reduced to dust by you, our entire culture and race forgotten by the universe just to spite you. But I refuse to let my people die just out of stubborn pride. So you and I are going to come to an agreement. You are going to swear to not harm another Namekian and to leave this planet, never to return. And when you have agreed to that and removed your men from Namek, ensuring that not another member of my race is in danger… I will claim whatever Dragon Balls you are missing for you and then help you achieve your wish."

He stared at Larin for a VERY long moment.

And then… Frieza smiled.

"Well now… let's get down to business."