Three weeks.

That's how long I'd been gone.

Three weeks since I left Okara and Garlik behind on this tiny island. Three weeks training with Nail, learning how to sense ki, control my energy, and most importantly—how to suppress my power.

And now, finally, I was back. Mostly because I didn't want my squadmates looking for me.

I dropped from the sky, landing with a soft thud on the rocky ground. The moment my boots touched the surface, I could already feel the tension in the air.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Yeah. I expected that.

Okara shot forward like a missile, fist cocked back, eyes burning with fury.

I didn't move.

Her punch slammed into my gut with all the force of a particularly aggressive pillow.

I stared down at her, unimpressed.

She blinked, then gritted her teeth, pulling her arm back and swinging again. Another punch. Another pillow. She hit me a third time, then a fourth, and I still didn't react.

"SERIOUSLY?!" she yelled, taking a step back and shaking out her fists. "You vanish for weeks and just show up all smug like nothing happened?!"

I smirked. "Miss me?"

She twitched. "I missed punching you in the face!"

Were all females in the Saiyan race like her? Or was she just particularly angry?

Before she could try again, Garlik stepped forward, rubbing his temples like he had the worst headache of his life. "I'm just glad you're alive," he muttered. "For a while, I thought someone stronger than you had killed you."

I snorted. "I wouldn't go down that easily." Mostly because I hadn't come here with the intention of killing anyone, if I had, Nail would've killed me the moment I touched Namek.

He exhaled, then tapped the side of his scouter. The device beeped, scanning me automatically.

The moment it did, his eyes widened.

"…What?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Your power," he muttered. "It's much higher."

Fuck.

And here I was happy… thinking I was suppressing my power, keeping it down to a level close to what I had when I first arrived on Namek, alas, it seems I wasn't the best at that just yet.

"Your power… almost doubled, but… how?" Garlik muttered.

I could see the exact number reflected in his scouter lens. 5,013.

Before I left, my recorded power level was lower than that.

Even holding back, my growth was obvious.

And if I wasn't suppressing my power? The scouter wouldn't even be able to register it before exploding.

Speaking of which…

I casually raised my hand, index finger glowing with a faint charge of ki.

Garlik noticed immediately, taking a step back in fear. "Wait, what are you—"

Two thin beams shot out before he could finish, striking both his and Okara's scouters dead center. The devices sparked violently before shattering into pieces.

Both of them flinched as bits of metal and glass hit the ground.

Okara's tail bristled. "Wait don't k—"

"That should… keep things private," I said simply, brushing off my hand.

"You didn't kill us?" Garlik muttered.

I frowned. "Why the hell would I kill you?"

Garlik hesitated, rubbing the spot on his ear where his scouter used to be. "Well… I thought we had annoyed you. And considering how much stronger you are now, I figured…" He trailed off, looking at me warily.

I blinked.

Then I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I'm not going to kill you, Garlik."

He still looked unsure.

I crossed my arms. "What, do I look like the kind of guy who'd off his own squad just for being weaker?"

Garlik and Okara shared a look.

"…Do you want an honest answer?" Garlik asked cautiously.

I groaned. "Oh, for—no! I'm not some bloodthirsty maniac!"

Though, to be fair… almost all of our kind was just like that.

"Could've fooled me," Okara muttered, crossing her arms. "You disappear for weeks, come back way stronger, and the first thing you do is attack us."

I rolled my eyes. "Didn't you attack me as soon as I came back?"

"That's different," Okara replied, crossing her arms. "You deserved it."

How exactly?

Garlik muttered something under his breath before shaking his head. "Alright, fine. You're not killing us. Great. So… what now?"

I smirked. "Now? We train."

Okara perked up. "Finally!"

Garlik groaned. "Finally? The hell do you mean finally? That's the last thing we should be doing right now."

She turned on him, eyes blazing. "What, you think I've been sitting on my ass this whole time?! I've been training! Alone! For weeks! And now that this guy's back, I actually have someone worth fighting!"

"I'm still… stronger than you," Garlik replied.

I grinned. "That's the spirit."

Garlik looked like he was about to have a stroke. "As much as I… would love to train, I don't have the talent for it, sir. My combat capabilities are quite low, reason why I'm an engineer."

"Yeah," I said, stretching my arms. "But we are Saiyans, so..."

Okara nodded. "Damn right."

Garlik just sighed, "Fine, you are the boss after all."

I smirked. "Alright then. Let's see how much you've improved, Okara."

She cracked her knuckles. "Hell yeah!"

—--

[Third Person POV.]

[Guru.]

The Grand Elder of Namek, sat in quiet contemplation, his aged eyes half-lidded as he gazed over the vast expanse of Namek's sky. The gentle breeze carried with it the familiar scent of the waters around his home, a soothing presence that had always brought him peace.

But not today.

Today, there was no peace.

A dark presence loomed at the edge of his senses, distant yet growing closer with every passing moment. It was a presence he had not felt in over a hundred of years.

A presence he had hoped never to feel again.

His massive hand tightened around the armrest of his throne, his breathing slow but heavy.

So… this was why the Saiyans had come. To help his people against this evil. Guru finally understood the reason behind their arrival, their presence on Namek, had been leading up to this very moment.

His lips pressed into a thin line as understanding settled deep within him.

The greatest evil Namek had ever known was coming home.

A sharp intake of breath made him shift his gaze.

Nail stood at his side, ever-vigilant, his arms crossed but his expression tense. The young warrior had felt it too. He didn't know what it was yet, but he could sense the weight of his elder's distress.

"Elder…" Nail hesitated before speaking. "Something is wrong. I can feel it."

Guru let out a heavy sight as he turned his gaze toward his most trusted warrior and son, for he was the only one he could trust to hear these words.

"My child, you and the Saiyans…" Guru murmured. "Must grow stronger."

Nail straightened at that, his sharp Namekian eyes narrowing in confusion. "What's happening Grand Elder?"

Guru nodded slowly, his expression grave. "You will be needed. More than ever. And so will they."

A silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken urgency. Nail's antennas twitched slightly.

"Elder," Nail said carefully, "who is coming?"

Guru closed his eyes for a moment, the memories long buried now clawing their way to the surface. It was time.

"Long ago… before the Great Cataclysm, I had a brother."

Nail's eyes widened slightly, caught off guard. Guru rarely spoke of his past, and never of family.

"At first, our ambitions were the same," Guru continued, his voice laced with both nostalgia and sorrow. "To make Namek better. To strengthen our people. To guide them toward a future of prosperity."

He paused, exhaling deeply.

"But at some point… evil took root in his heart. And his ambitions became corrupted."

Nail's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "…What happened to him?"

Guru's gaze darkened.

"I cast him out."

The words felt heavier than the weight of his own massive form.

"I used the Dragon Balls to banish him to the farthest reaches of the universe, to a place where he would never find his way back. It was the only way to stop him before he drowned Namek in his darkness."

Nail's expression hardened. He knew what that meant.

The exile had failed.

"He is returning" Guru confirmed solemnly. "And he will not come seeking peace."

A chill settled over them despite the warmth of Namek's three suns.

"Slug, the evil of Namek… is coming."

—--

[Escarot POV.]

Okara was getting stronger. A lot stronger.

I watched her from a distance, arms crossed, as she slammed her fists into the ground, creating cracks in the rocky terrain. Sweat dripped from her brow, her breathing was heavy, but she didn't stop. She kept going, gritting her teeth as she pushed herself further.

Her improvement was undeniable.

When I first met her, she was just a loud, brash kid, angry kid with more pride than power. But now? She was… mostly the same, but… she was nearly twice as strong as before.

I had to admit, it was impressive.

She had no real technique, no refined style—just raw aggression. But that aggression was working for her. She had that Saiyan drive, that need to push forward no matter how much it hurt.

Still, raw power wasn't everything.

I would know.

She was reckless. She let her emotions get the better of her too often. It made her predictable, sloppy. Against someone of equal or lesser strength, she could bulldoze her way through. But against someone smarter? Someone who knew how to exploit openings?

She'd be dead before she knew what happened.

I exhaled through my nose, my tail flicking behind me as I considered my next move.

If I really wanted her to be my training partner, she needed to grow stronger… faster.

I should probably bring her to Guru. If Guru unlocked her potential, she'd grow even faster.

But… there was a problem.

Her temper.

Okara had no patience, no restraint. She picked fights over the dumbest things, and she had no filter when she spoke. If I brought her to Guru now, there was a very real chance she'd say or do something that would mess up my entire relationship with the Namekians.

And I couldn't risk that.

Not now.

Not when I had so much more to gain from them.

And on that note, keeping the Dragon Balls a secret? Yeah. That was priority number one.

It wasn't that I didn't trust Okara and Garlik. They weren't bad people, I think, at least by Saiyan standards. Okara was rough around the edges, sure, but she wasn't malicious… I think. And Garlik well, he was even more reasonable; he was just a guy trying to survive.

But trust wasn't the issue.

The issue was what they might do if they knew the truth.

What if they felt this was something they had to tell the King? That would… escalate my problems to a whole new level.

I couldn't let that happen.

Not because of them.

Or the King.

Because of Frieza.

King Vegeta didn't scare me. Not anymore. Even if he wanted me dead, he didn't have the strength to make it happen, not anymore. I had surpassed him weeks ago.

I wasn't sure how strong he was, but I knew based on conversations I had caught that it was around 14,000. Maybe a bit more.

But Frieza?

That monster was a whole different story.

If Frieza ever found out about the Dragon Balls, if he ever discovered what Namek really had to offer—

I wouldn't be able to stop him.

No Saiyan would survive. No Namekian would survive. Hell, the entire planet itself wouldn't survive.

He would burn it to the ground without a second thought, after getting his wish.

So, yeah. Keeping my mouth shut was the best move.

For now.

I rubbed my chin, watching as Okara let out a frustrated yell and fired a small ki blast at a rock, blowing it to pieces.

She was getting restless.

I couldn't blame her. She had spent weeks training, pushing herself harder than ever, and yet… she still wasn't strong enough. Not in her eyes, at least.

I knew that feeling all too well. Even now, I feel like that, and I was… much stronger than I had been three weeks ago.

I stepped forward, letting my boots crunch against the dirt. "Alright, that's enough for today."

Okara snapped her head toward me, scowling. "I'm not done."

"Yes, you are," I said simply. "Overworking yourself isn't going to make you stronger faster."

She scoffed. "Easy for you to say. You disappeared for weeks, doing fuck knows what, and came back way stronger. Meanwhile, I'm stuck here punching rocks and carrying them."

I smirked. "And yet, you're almost twice as strong as before."

She faltered for a second, like she wasn't expecting that.

Then she quickly crossed her arms. "Yeah, well, it's not enough."

I nodded. "No, it's not. But you're making progress. That's what matters."

She grumbled something under her breath before flopping onto a nearby rock, panting heavily.

Garlik, who had been quiet this whole time, finally spoke up. "So, when do we leave this place, sir?"

That was a good question.

I have been here for weeks now.

I had gotten stronger.

But there was still so much to do.

I needed to keep training. I needed to grow even stronger. I needed to prepare for whatever was coming next.

And I had the sinking feeling that something was coming.

I could feel it.

Like a storm brewing on the horizon.

Something big. Something dangerous.

I wasn't sure what it was, but I knew one thing.

I had to be ready.

For now, though…

I looked back at Okara, then at Garlik.

"Not yet, but… I think it's time we finally leave this island."

Okara immediately perked up. "Finally!"

Garlik sighed in relief. "Thank the stars. I mean… as you command, Captain."

I chuckled. "Alright. Pack up. We're moving."

I think it was time to introduce them to Nail. Not only Nail would have much better results teaching Okara due to his experience, but the entire thing would do her well, I mean, who knows, maybe learning from an alien might make her see the Namekians as friends.

—--

Power Level Section:

Team Slug.

Lord Slug (Old): 610,000

Angila: 48,000

Medamatcha: 42,000

Zeeun: 40,000

Dobodaro: 39,500

Team Namek.

Nail: 42,759

Escarot: 33,619

Suppressed: 5012

Garlik: 602

Okara: 199