"Ridiculous… that speed!" Vegeta's face twisted.
"You want to help him?" Frieza smirked. "Useless. He's about to die. Worry about yourself instead."
"Get out of the way!" Goku snapped.
"Oh?" Frieza let out a cold chuckle. "Do you even know who you're talking to?"
Bang!
Goku drove a kick straight into Frieza's head.
Before Frieza could reset, Goku followed with a brutal uppercut that slammed into his jaw.
Bang bang bang!
Goku poured on the pressure, then finished with a hard kick that sent Frieza flying.
"Kamehameha!"
Energy gathered between Goku's palms, then the blast tore through the air toward Frieza.
Rumble—!
The Kamehameha crashed into Frieza with a thunderous impact, and the shockwave of energy rolled outward.
Vegeta stared, stunned.
You've gotta be kidding me… How did Kakarot's power jump again? Compared to Earth, it was like he'd become a different person.
"Krillin!" Goku turned sharply.
With that glance, Gohan realized his son had already hauled Krillin out of the lake and onto the shore.
"Dad! Krillin's still alive!" Gohan shouted.
Goku finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
"Hmph… Kakarot. Your power's gone up a lot." Vegeta's voice came out tangled, like he didn't know whether to be impressed or furious.
Goku didn't answer.
"But you really think that little bit of power can beat Frieza?" Vegeta snorted. "You're being naive."
"I know… That attack probably didn't do serious damage." Goku nodded, expression heavy as he looked toward Frieza.
Frieza stood up as if nothing had happened. Narrow-eyed, he studied Goku.
Who is this guy…? I swear I've seen him somewhere. Vegeta called him Kakarot. That's a Saiyan name… Wait. Back when I destroyed Planet Vegeta, wasn't there a Saiyan who resisted to the very end?
No, the age doesn't match.
Hold on… I remember now.
This is the low-class warrior with a power level of two.
Right. I let him escape. I was going to shoot the pod down, but—
"You're a Saiyan, aren't you?" Frieza asked, smiling.
"I'm a Saiyan who grew up on Earth." Goku nodded.
"First, let's confirm something." Frieza's smile vanished as he sized Goku up. "You're that low-class warrior with a power level of two, right? I remember a ship escaping Planet Vegeta. There was a kid on it—about three years old. That was you, wasn't it?"
"I don't know." Goku shook his head. "I lost my memories back then. But… you're probably talking about me. It sounds like only I'd be that low-class one."
"I never imagined a low-class warrior like you could raise his battle power to this level." Frieza sounded genuinely surprised, and he couldn't resist turning it into a jab. "Vegeta. You call yourself a Saiyan genius, but in battle power, you've completely lost to this low-class warrior."
Vegeta went silent, and it hit like a knife.
You bastard, Frieza… Do you have to say garbage like that right now? You trying to piss me off to death?
Damn it.
"You should be thanking me." Frieza smiled again. "I let you go back then. My men wanted to shoot you down."
"Thanks," Goku said, nodding as if he meant it.
…
Inside the Grand Elder's room.
The instant Goku and Frieza's fight erupted, the Grand Elder, Piccolo, and Nail all sensed the massive energy from afar.
"The battle's started." The Grand Elder sighed. "I didn't expect them to gather the Dragon Balls so quickly… but the moment they tried to come make their wish, Frieza intercepted them. Plans never survive reality. If Piccolo or Nail had gone with them earlier, they would've finished the wish."
"That Frieza has an absurdly powerful energy," Piccolo said, his face shifting with every second. "No. I'm not sitting here waiting. Gohan's over there!"
He didn't hesitate again. Piccolo shot into the sky and tore off toward the battle.
Nail: "…"
Grand Elder: "…"
Dende looked after Piccolo, then at the Grand Elder, panic flickering across his face.
"Grand Elder, let me go too. I can help," Dende said quickly.
"Dende, come here." The Grand Elder nodded and motioned him closer.
Dende stepped forward.
The Grand Elder placed a hand on Dende's head and drew out his latent power in an instant.
"Dende, you are the most outstanding Namekian." The Grand Elder's voice turned grave. "I can sense it—you have the ability to rapidly heal injuries. Someone over there is already hurt. Go and heal them."
"Yes! Grand Elder!" Dende answered at once.
"Be careful," the Grand Elder warned, eyes heavy. "When you heal them, don't let Frieza notice you. If he does, you will die."
"I… I understand, Grand Elder." Dende swallowed. "I'll go help them now."
Whoosh!
Dende lifted off and flew hard toward the distant battle.
"Nail, you go as well," the Grand Elder said. "Go help those Earthlings."
"I won't." Nail shook his head, firm. "If I leave, no one will look after the Grand Elder."
As he spoke, more than a dozen Namekians landed outside the Grand Elder's home.
"We pay our respects to Grand Elder!"
They bowed immediately.
"Tsuno, is that you?" The Grand Elder smiled warmly. "Come in."
At his words, Elder Tsuno walked in and bowed again.
"Tsuno, I'm glad you survived." The Grand Elder nodded.
"Vegeta found the Dragon Balls and told us to leave the village immediately, so we did," Tsuno replied.
"Vegeta…" The Grand Elder exhaled, almost surprised. "That child still has a conscience."
Then he turned to Nail. "Nail, go. Help those Earthlings."
"Nail, don't worry." Tsuno smiled at him. "We'll take care of the Grand Elder."
Nail said nothing more. He nodded, bowed respectfully to the Grand Elder, then shot into the air and sped toward the battle.
Not long after, Nail caught up to Dende mid-flight.
"Nail?" Dende glanced back. "You came too?"
Nail smiled faintly and held out his hand. "I'll carry you. We'll be faster."
"Yes!" Dende answered.
Nail grabbed Dende's hand and abruptly accelerated.
Moments later, Nail closed the gap on Piccolo.
Piccolo's jaw tightened.
I'm the strongest Namekian. I'm not losing to him.
Energy flared around Piccolo as he tried to push his speed higher.
"There's no need to waste energy competing with me," Nail said calmly. "Save it for Frieza."
Piccolo fell silent. The gap between them suddenly felt uncomfortably wide.
…
Universe 7, outer space.
Majin Buu and the others tore out of the World of Void and entered the vast starfield.
Buu flew in front, with Gin, Heles, and Liquiir close behind.
Quitela and Bardock brought up the rear.
Quitela kept himself tucked away, trying to look like a nobody. Still, whenever it mattered, he quietly corrected their heading so Buu wouldn't veer off course.
Bardock's power lagged far behind, so he forced himself into Super Saiyan God Two and poured out more energy just to keep up.
Even so, Bardock was simply too weak. At level 30, the difference wasn't small—it was a chasm. As they continued, his output started to slip.
Quitela reached a hand toward him, offering to pull him along.
Bardock hesitated, then nodded.
"You used to be from Universe 7, right?" Quitela asked, turning his head.
"Yes," Bardock replied.
"And you seem to be the same race as the Great God of Destruction…" Quitela continued.
"You're trying to get information out of me," Bardock said, seeing straight through him.
Quitela let out a weary sigh and lowered his voice. "Bardock, you know I offended the Great God of Destruction badly. I don't want to die yet. You understand how hard it is to become a God of Destruction. Gods of Destruction have eternal life—no one wants to die. I don't want to, either. I just want to salvage my relationship with the Great God of Destruction."
"If you truly follow Broly, I doubt he'll go out of his way to crush you," Bardock said after a moment.
"You didn't offend him, so of course you're not scared," Quitela muttered, rubbing his temples. "And you're the same race. He probably won't deliberately make things hard for you."
"What do you want me to do?" Bardock asked.
"Earlier… I said something about the Great God of Destruction's father. That… that thing." Quitela's tone sank. "I want to make up for it."
"How?" Bardock's brows lifted.
"Do you know if the Great God of Destruction's father is… still alive?" Quitela asked quietly.
Bardock went silent.
Did he know about Broly's father?
He did.
Bardock had lived once before. Things he hadn't understood back then, he'd pieced together over time.
He remembered King Vegeta—Vegeta's father—learning how terrifying Broly's potential was, then exiling him to the distant Planet Vampa. Broly's father, Paragus, chased after him in a spaceship.
If nothing had changed, Paragus might still be on Planet Vampa.
After a few seconds, Bardock shook his head. "Don't tell me you're thinking of using Broly's father to threaten him. That's not a smart choice."
"No, no." Quitela shook his head quickly. "I'll be honest. I want to bring the Great God of Destruction's father back and treat him like royalty. If the Great God of Destruction finds out, he'll forgive my past mistakes."
"All I can tell you is this." Bardock thought it through, then spoke anyway. "Search near Planet Vampa. See if his father is still alive. Beyond that, I can't say."
Truthfully, Bardock suspected Paragus was already dead.
Otherwise, after all these years—after Broly had reached this level—how could he have ignored his own father? Planet Vampa's environment was supposed to be brutal. Broly wouldn't leave his father there to suffer.
So Bardock figured the odds were grim.
Even if Quitela went looking, it didn't matter much. And if Paragus somehow survived and Quitela wanted to "keep him honored," then fine. Quitela wasn't stupid enough to threaten the father of a Great God of Destruction.
That would only get him killed faster.
"Near Planet Vampa…" Quitela nodded, committing it to memory.
They continued speeding through Universe 7.
Partway through, Quitela suddenly sensed a familiar presence—on a green planet nearby.
He looked toward it.
Bardock looked too, and his eyes lit up when he recognized the world.
That's Planet Namek.
And… that's Frieza!
Bardock's pupils shrank. Revenge sharpened his gaze.
"Hey, Majin Buu, I've got something to take care of. I'm splitting off," Bardock called to the front.
Majin Buu stopped in the starfield and narrowed his eyes at him.
"That bastard wiped out our Saiyan planet. I'm settling that score," Bardock said with a cold snort.
"Oh?" Majin Buu nodded as if he'd been waiting for an excuse. "Then I'll go too. Let's go beat him to death."
"No need… I can handle it alone." Bardock forced a bitter smile. "Honestly, even if I went to Beerus's world, I'd be useless there."
"You're right," Majin Buu agreed.
Bardock: "…"
You didn't have to say it that seriously.
It makes it sting.
"Little God of Destruction, allow me to accompany Bardock, just in case something happens," Quitela stepped forward and bowed.
Majin Buu stared at Quitela with a hard, icy look, then crooked his finger at him.
Quitela had no choice but to rush forward and kneel again.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Majin Buu handed Quitela several sharp slaps, then clapped his hands, satisfied.
Quitela's temper nearly snapped in half, but he swallowed it down.
Fat bastard… If I wasn't scared of Broly's strength, you think you're anything? You hit level 55 and you think you can strut in front of me?
Just wait. Once I "honor" Broly's father, maybe I'll be the next Little God of Destruction. Then I'll pay you back properly.
"You can get lost," Majin Buu grunted, waving Quitela away.
"Little God of Destruction…" Gin spoke up carefully from the side. "Beerus has been sleeping for a long time, but if we don't have Quitela's help and we accidentally wake Beerus up, the few of us Gods of Destruction might not be enough to handle him."
Majin Buu squinted at Gin. "Are you questioning my strength?"
Gin immediately shook his head.
Little God of Destruction, you're getting carried away. You're not the Great God of Destruction-sama. You're just a level 55 God of Destruction. You might not even beat Quitela, let alone Beerus-sama…
Gin kept the rest to himself. He decided to stop pushing his luck.
Now all they could do was pray Beerus stayed asleep—hit him while he slept, vent their anger, then run.
"Thank you, Little God of Destruction!" Quitela bowed quickly.
He didn't have the energy to argue with Majin Buu.
As long as I can "honor" Broly's father, I'll earn Broly's attention. Then maybe I'll replace Majin Buu and become the real Little God of Destruction.
"Which way?" Majin Buu asked, turning to Gin.
"That way!" Gin pointed.
Majin Buu said nothing more and shot off toward Beerus's planet in Universe 7.
Bardock and Quitela remained in that stretch of space.
"Bardock, do you know where Planet Vampa is?" Quitela asked.
"Not clearly." Bardock pointed off in a direction, then shook his head. "Somewhere around there, maybe. I'm not sure."
"Then we'll have to ask someone," Quitela said, thinking.
"I've got business over there," Bardock told him.
"Let's go together." Quitela pointed toward Planet Namek. "I sense a familiar presence there. I'll ask if he knows where Planet Vampa is."
Bardock considered it and didn't object.
The two of them flew straight toward Planet Namek.
Before long, they hovered high above the planet, looking down at the figures below.
The moment Bardock saw Goku, his eyes flashed, and pure shock and joy broke across his face.
That's Kakarot.
It has to be Kakarot!
How is he on Planet Namek?!
Bardock's heart hammered.
"Hey, that guy looks a lot like you," Quitela said, blinking in surprise. Then he chuckled. "That your son?"
Bardock forced his emotions down and gave a small nod.
"And the one they're fighting…" Quitela rubbed his chin, staring intently at Frieza. "I swear I've seen that guy somewhere."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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