Vegeta stepped out of the healing chamber, his body still steaming from recovery fluid.
He glanced around briefly, then raised his hand and fired an energy blast in one direction.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the ship, shaking the entire hull.
Frieza's subordinates panicked immediately.
"What's happening?!"
"Did the system malfunction?!"
Frieza's eyes narrowed. "Idiots! Stop standing around—find the source of that explosion before I lose my patience!"
"Yes, Lord Frieza!" the terrified soldiers scrambled to investigate, knowing that their lives were on the line.
Hidden in the chaos, Vegeta smirked.
He shouted toward Frieza's location, "Frieza, you fool! Since you didn't finish me off, I'll be the one to kill you!"
"What?! Damn you, Vegeta!" Frieza roared, rage twisting his face.
His killing intent spiked as he rushed to hunt Vegeta down.
Sensing Frieza's energy closing in, Vegeta grinned. "Hmph… you've fallen for it. Perfect."
He fired another blast in the opposite direction. The explosion sent up clouds of smoke, forcing Frieza to stop and turn.
"Vegeta!" Frieza's veins bulged as his voice echoed through the ship. "Are you over here?!"
If they weren't inside his ship, Frieza would have destroyed everything just to vaporize the Saiyan.
Vegeta took the opportunity to sprint toward his true goal—the Dragon Balls.
He had no intention of fighting Frieza head-on. Not yet.
As expected, he found the five Dragon Balls clustered together.
A greedy smile stretched across his face, "Just as I thought. Too easy! These Dragon Balls are mine now."
He shattered the glass casing protecting them, tossing each glowing sphere outside one by one.
"Frieza, you've lost this time," Vegeta said coldly.
"With a scouter on him, I can't risk using my energy. I'll suppress my power and escape another way."
Vegeta leapt from the ship, plunging into a nearby lake.
He swam deep underwater, knowing it was the only way to evade Frieza's scouter.
If he was detected now, all his efforts would be wasted.
Meanwhile, the Ginyu Force had finally intercepted Piccolo and the others.
Zarbon stepped forward, his eyes widening. "Impossible… another Namekian with such power?"
Ginyu's scouter beeped violently. He laughed in excitement. "Hahaha! Incredible—this Namekian's combat power is 100,000!"
Piccolo stood with his arms folded, his expression calm and unreadable.
Krillin frowned. "Their uniforms… they're the same as the Saiyans'. These guys are definitely bad news."
"Then let's just kill them," Tien Shinhan said, fists tightening.
Burter sneered. "Kill us? You don't even know who you're dealing with. We're the Ginyu Force. Your arrogance is pathetic."
Jeice smirked. "A bunch of clueless nobodies. You'll regret standing against us."
Ginyu eyed the group of seven—two of them still just kids—and grinned. "How about this? We'll fight one-on-one. Take turns."
Piccolo didn't hesitate. "Fine."
He could sense Ginyu's strength easily.
Before, it might have been overwhelming, but after the Great Elder had unlocked his hidden potential, Ginyu no longer posed much of a threat.
Piccolo knew his real opponent would eventually be Frieza.
Agreeing to Ginyu's terms wasn't out of respect—it was to give Gohan and the others a chance to sharpen their abilities.
Both sides landed on the ground.
Piccolo leaned slightly toward the group and said quietly, "Dende, Chiaotzu—you two stay out of this fight."
Dende nodded quickly. Chiaotzu looked to Tien, who gave him a reassuring nod.
"Thank you, Piccolo," Tien said sincerely. He knew Piccolo was looking out for Chiaotzu, whose combat power wasn't enough for a battle of this scale.
Ginyu crossed his arms. "Well then, who's first?"
Yamcha stepped forward confidently. "Let me handle this. I won't lose. My strength has skyrocketed."
Piccolo gave a slight nod. "Fine. Just be careful."
He wasn't worried; even if someone was defeated, with him present, no lasting harm would come to them.
Yamcha raised his voice at the enemy. "I'll be your opponent! Who's coming out first?"
Recoome licked his lips, grinning. "Heh… cocky little bastard. I like that."
But Zarbon suddenly stepped forward. "Captain Ginyu, let me go first."
Ginyu shrugged. "Fine."
Zarbon's reasoning was simple: he wasn't officially a member of the Ginyu Force. If he fought first, he could avoid the danger of being forced into a later, more desperate match.
And so, the first battle began.
...
Author's Note:
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