"Rumble—!"
Vegeta kept up the assault, firing ki blasts at Zarbon like they cost nothing.
Zarbon took the barrage head-on, then shot up out of the lake below in a spray of water.
Vegeta curved through the air and dropped back toward where Goku and the others were watching.
Zarbon chased him immediately and stopped right in front of him.
"Vegeta, you bastard… you beat me to hell!" Zarbon looked wrecked. He clenched his teeth, glaring at Vegeta like he wanted to tear him apart.
"Hmph. I just struck first." Vegeta sneered, then glanced at Goku with a smug grin. "Kakarot, have you ever seen this?"
As he spoke, Vegeta calmly formed a tiny purplish-red speck of light, hovering over his fingertips.
Goku's eyes widened. He shook his head, confused. He'd never seen anything like it.
Ignorant fool, Vegeta thought, barely containing his satisfaction. Of course Ken never told Kakarot about a God of Destruction's technique. He even left that position for me. Ken… you're a good guy.
"What is that?" Krillin asked. He'd never seen destruction energy before either.
"It's dangerous," Goku said, his expression tightening as he stared at the speck.
"Dangerous?" Krillin scratched his bald head, eyes locked on the light in Vegeta's hand.
Gohan stayed quiet, but the tension in his face said he felt the threat too.
"Vegeta's a genius," Goku said, thinking it through. "Ken must've taught him that, right?"
"Ken really does know a lot," Krillin muttered.
"Hah." Zarbon laughed coldly. "That trick again? You think it'll work on me?"
"Zarbon, don't rush." Vegeta's smile stayed light. "I'll send you to the other world in a second."
"Kill me? Don't make me laugh!" Zarbon barked, though his eyes never left the destruction energy. "My power is way higher than yours!"
"Zarbon, do you even understand Saiyans?" Vegeta's voice sharpened. "You dragged me back from the brink of death. That wasn't fair to you."
"What are you talking about?" Zarbon blinked.
"Every time a Saiyan survives near-death, our battle power jumps," Vegeta explained, slow and deliberate. "Think of it like this: everything we build up through training—stored potential, compressed power—breaks loose after we recover. That's why the increase is so huge."
"You… what?" Zarbon's face shifted again and again.
"So that's why…" Goku said, realization hitting him. "When I recovered from being badly hurt before, I got a lot stronger too."
"You're… a Saiyan too?" Zarbon turned stiffly and looked at Goku.
"Yeah," Goku said honestly. "I'm a Saiyan who grew up on Earth."
"A Saiyan who grew up on Earth…?" Zarbon froze, and an image flashed through his mind—a three-year-old baby. His pupils shrank hard as he pointed at Goku, stunned. "I remember now! You're that low-class warrior with a battle power of two! You actually survived!"
"You mean me…" Goku nodded. "When I was sent to Earth, you saw me?"
"A low-class warrior like you made it to Planet Namek too?" Zarbon snorted.
"Maybe don't worry about me," Goku said, shaking his head. "Be careful. Vegeta's ki is way higher than yours."
Zarbon whipped his head back toward Vegeta, rage boiling over.
"RAAAAH! I don't believe you got stronger!" Zarbon roared, then lunged without hesitation, claws out as he charged straight in.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Zarbon hammered Vegeta with a fierce combination.
Vegeta raised both arms and blocked every punch and kick.
After several quick exchanges—
"Thud!"
Vegeta drove a heavy fist into Zarbon's stomach. The impact buried deep, folding Zarbon around the blow.
"Gah… hng…" Green blood spilled as Zarbon's body spasmed.
"I don't even need destruction energy to kill you," Vegeta said, cold as stone. "Well? Still not convinced?"
"Vegeta, I was just following Frieza's orders—please, spare me!" Zarbon begged, trembling.
"Too late." Vegeta yanked his fist back out.
"We should team up! Together we can beat Frieza—way better than you teaming up with some low-class warrior!" Zarbon's whole body shook as he flicked a spiteful glance at Goku and pleaded at Vegeta.
"Hakai!"
The purplish-red speck shot from Vegeta's hand and struck Zarbon.
Pop!
Zarbon's body vanished at a visible pace, crumbling into nothing until he disappeared completely under Goku and the others' stunned stares.
Goku's eyes went wide.
Krillin looked like his brain had stopped.
Gohan flinched, a small shudder running through him.
"Well, Kakarot?" Vegeta grinned, pleased with himself. "Wasn't that pretty special?"
Goku didn't answer.
"Vegeta… is that the Ultra Ego you learned from Ken?" Goku asked.
"Hmph." Vegeta didn't bother explaining.
A low-class warrior like you doesn't deserve to know that much, he thought.
"That's incredible," Goku said, scratching his head, chin tucked as he tried to think of a way to deal with that technique. "That technique… I don't see an easy way to counter it."
"Of course you don't." Vegeta puffed up even more. "That's a divine technique used by a God of Destruction. Your Ultra Instinct won't do a thing against it."
"You might be right," Goku said, not bothering to argue.
"You—baldy." Vegeta pointed at Krillin. "Take your device and get in the water. Go pull the Dragon Ball up for me."
"Me?" Krillin pointed at his own nose, speechless.
"Who else?" Vegeta said without mercy. "You're the weakest one here."
Krillin stared, wounded.
You didn't have to say it like that.
Fine. I'll go.
"Krillin, I'll go with you!" Gohan stepped forward.
"It's okay, Gohan," Krillin said, shaking his head. "It's nearby. With the Dragon Radar, it'll be easy."
It was just the last Dragon Ball. No need for everyone to jump in.
Krillin hopped into the lake and followed the Dragon Radar's signal to the final Dragon Ball.
With the Dragon Radar, finding it was simple.
About a minute later, Krillin flew back out of the water holding the last Dragon Ball. He landed and set it down with the others, piling all seven together.
"Perfect." Vegeta grinned. "Seven Dragon Balls, finally. My wish is about to come true!"
"Chiaotzu can come back!" Krillin said, genuinely happy.
"Yeah." Goku smiled with him.
The seven Dragon Balls rested on the ground of Planet Namek.
"I'm summoning the dragon!" Krillin shouted, buzzing with excitement.
"I really want to see what Planet Namek's dragon looks like," Goku said, fired up.
Vegeta suddenly realized something, and his expression shifted.
"Come forth, dragon!" Krillin yelled at the seven Dragon Balls.
Nothing happened.
No light. No reaction. The Dragon Balls sat there like stones.
"Huh? Why isn't anything happening?" Krillin blinked.
"Did we say it wrong?" Goku asked.
"Is it different from Earth's dragon?" Krillin groaned, head starting to pound.
"Hmph. Kakarot, you really don't know anything." Vegeta seized the opening to sneer. "You seriously don't know? To summon Planet Namek's dragon, you have to use the Namekian language."
"Oh… it has to be Namekian…" Goku rubbed the back of his head.
"What, you didn't know?" Vegeta snorted. "That's why you're clueless! I came to Planet Namek a long time ago. I know more than you."
Goku didn't respond.
"Then can you summon the dragon in Namekian?" Goku asked.
"Nope," Vegeta said flatly.
Goku had nothing to say to that.
"Now what?" Krillin asked. "Do we go back to the Grand Elder again?"
"We have to," Goku said, nodding. "Bring the Dragon Balls with us."
"I've met the Grand Elder too," Vegeta added, still smug.
Goku stared.
Gohan stared.
Krillin stared.
What's there to brag about? We've met him too.
"Then move!" Vegeta huffed, irritation creeping in despite himself.
Back when I came to Planet Namek over twenty years ago… I should've learned Namekian with Ken.
Now that I actually need it, I'm realizing something the hard way.
The four of them didn't hesitate any longer. Each grabbed Dragon Balls, lifted off, and flew toward the Grand Elder's place.
…
Frieza sat in his hover pod, floating high above the planet, staring up at the sky.
For some reason, his unease kept growing.
Zarbon had been gone a long time. Still no sign of him.
Did Vegeta wipe him out?
A mistake… I contacted the Ginyu Force too late.
By the time they get to Planet Namek, it might already be over.
And what worried him most was this: Vegeta might have two Dragon Balls. Add the ones Frieza already had, and it was possible Vegeta had collected all seven.
This is bad.
Should I destroy the planet right now?
I can't let Vegeta get his wish.
If he becomes like Ken—or Broly—he'll be a nightmare to deal with.
With that, Frieza stopped hesitating. He shot higher into the sky.
At the same time, he raised his right hand and extended one finger. A deep red sphere of energy formed at the tip.
The sphere swelled larger and larger until it reached about ten meters across.
Frieza's mouth curled into a faint smile, but rage burned in his eyes.
He decided to destroy Planet Namek before Vegeta could make a wish.
Even if I don't get immortality, I'll make sure you don't get what you want either.
Frieza lifted his hand higher, the attack condensed to a level that could shatter a planet.
"Disappear, Planet Namek!"
He threw his head back and laughed.
"Vegeta—vanish along with your wish!" Frieza's voice echoed through the open sky.
…
Goku and the others, flying toward the Grand Elder, quickly sensed Frieza's massive ki.
All of them snapped their heads toward him.
"F-Frieza!" Krillin pointed at the distant sky. "What's that? What is he doing?"
"No!" Vegeta's face went pale. "That bastard's going to blow up the planet!"
"We have to stop him!" Goku's expression tightened, alarm flashing across his face.
"Hey, Frieza! I'm right here!" Vegeta shouted.
In the next instant, none of them dared go to the Grand Elder anymore. Still carrying the Dragon Balls, they turned and rushed toward Frieza.
Frieza was about to hurl the massive sphere downward when he twitched an ear, catching a shout.
He turned toward Goku's direction and spotted Vegeta in the distance.
Then Frieza's eyes lit up as he noticed what Vegeta and the others were holding.
He counted carefully.
Seven Dragon Balls.
"Ha!" Frieza felt luck hit him all at once. He immediately pulled the planet-destroying attack back, dismissing it.
So Vegeta hasn't made his wish yet.
I was this close to destroying Planet Namek for nothing.
Whoosh!
Frieza surged forward in his hover pod, appearing directly in front of them in a blink. He narrowed his eyes at the Dragon Balls in their arms.
"Vegeta. Not bad." Frieza's voice stayed calm. "You finally collected them all."
"Spit." Vegeta spat, staring Frieza down.
"Did you make your wish?" Frieza asked.
"I was about to," Vegeta snapped, fury rising again. "And then you—like the shameless coward you are—tried to destroy Planet Namek!"
I was this close. One step away.
And he didn't even play by the rules.
If we hadn't noticed in time, he would've blown up the planet.
"Hand over the Dragon Balls," Frieza said, eyes shifting between Goku and Vegeta. "And one more thing—did you kill Zarbon?"
"Of course." Vegeta grinned, proud. "He wasn't worth mentioning. Getting rid of him was easy."
"You really surprise me," Frieza said with a snort. "A handful of you killed Zarbon and gathered every Dragon Ball." His gaze sharpened. "So why didn't you hurry up and make your wish? Don't tell me you don't know how."
"That's none of your business," Vegeta said, clenching his fists.
"Let's go down," Goku suggested. "How about we fight on the ground?"
"Hohohoho!" Frieza burst out laughing. "Listen to you—like this is some grand event. Fine. If that's what you want, I'll go down and play with you properly!"
As he spoke, Frieza flashed to Krillin's side.
The speed was so extreme Krillin didn't even process it.
Krillin jolted, face turning white.
Snap!
Frieza reached out and snatched a Dragon Ball straight from Krillin's hands.
Krillin looked down at his right hand—empty—like it made no sense.
"Just in case," Frieza said coolly, holding the Dragon Ball. "I'll keep one under my control so nothing unexpected happens."
Krillin trembled so hard he couldn't form a word.
"Hmph. Frieza, picking on a useless Earthling—what does that prove?" Vegeta scoffed. "I'll tell you the truth. To make a wish, you have to summon the dragon in Namekian. Even if you take every Dragon Ball, without a Namekian helping you, you won't get a single wish."
"What?" Frieza blinked, eyes widening slightly. "A dragon? You're saying wishes go through a dragon—and it requires Namekian?"
"Yeah." Vegeta snorted. "You didn't even find that out before collecting the Dragon Balls? You're dumber than I thought, Frieza. How did you think you'd make a wish?"
"Good." Frieza's expression shifted into understanding. His gaze slid to Krillin and Gohan. "Now it makes sense. You rescued a Namekian child earlier. That was for your wish, wasn't it?"
"We saved him because he needed saving," Krillin said, forcing the words out. "Not for a wish."
"Fine," Frieza said. "Then where is he?"
"Krillin, don't tell him!" Gohan yelled.
"Heh heh heh." Frieza's laugh turned colder. "Looks like you won't talk until you suffer a little."
After laughing, Frieza descended first, drifting down until his hover pod settled near the ground.
"Vegeta, this guy isn't as simple as we hoped," Goku said. "Let's go together."
"As long as my destruction energy hits him, he dies," Vegeta said. He didn't object.
Vegeta understood it clearly: he'd grown stronger, but the gap between him and Frieza was still huge.
"You draw his attention," Vegeta said in a low voice. "I'll fire the destruction energy. Just hope he doesn't dodge. If it lands, he's dead."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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