Feelings Are Fought For

The ground was soaked in dark green fluid. Green blood kept seeping from Nail's severed arms, lightly covering the ground. He lay there with his eyes closed, as though he had stopped breathing; only every few minutes did his pulse twitch faintly.

Krillin stared blankly at the sky, breathing slowly. He seemed to want to take out a Senzu Bean, but the slightest movement made the pain knock him unconscious again.

Far from the battlefield, Kami was growing anxious. He hurriedly asked, "Great Elder, they've been gone so long. Why haven't they returned? That burst of Ki just now was so overwhelming I could barely breathe."

The Great Elder smiled faintly. "It's fine. We only need to wait quietly for them to return."

Kami nodded, but the anxiety on his face never faded.

Two days later...

Krillin's stamina had already been restored by the system, but every bone in his body felt shattered, leaving him unable to move. The Senzu Beans were inside the capsule, and he could not take them out. He was starting to panic—not for himself, but because he could feel Nail's Ki rapidly fading.

Nail was an outstanding warrior. It would be such a shame for him to die like this. If the other Namekians learned that Nail had died in a battle against him, then borrowing the Dragon Balls might not work even if the Great Elder gave the order.

"System, are you dead? If you're not, say something."

Ding! Thank you for calling. How may I help you?

"Cut the crap. Get me a Senzu Bean, now."

"Hehe, no problem."

"Ten thousand energy points deducted," the system said smugly.

"Damn it, that was too easy. I knew it wouldn't be that simple. But I can't worry about that now. Nail's Ki is getting weaker and weaker."

Krillin suddenly felt a sweet bean in his mouth. He slowly chewed and swallowed it. Then he abruptly opened his eyes, his injuries completely healed. He quickly took a Senzu Bean from the capsule and leaped toward Nail.

Looking at Nail lying on the ground, Krillin saw that Nail's injuries were far worse than his own. He had at most half a breath left. Though Krillin had been unable to move, his injuries would have healed over time. Nail was different—if time continued to pass, he would die.

Krillin slowly bent down, pried open Nail's mouth, and placed the Senzu Bean inside. After sending a stream of Ki into him, Nail twitched slightly. A long while later, there was a crunch, and Nail slowly swallowed the bean. As soon as it went down, Nail abruptly opened his eyes and found Krillin looking at him. He smiled faintly. "I lost."

Krillin smiled as well but said nothing. He slowly helped Nail to his feet. The wounds where Nail's arms had been severed had closed and were no longer bleeding, though his arms had not yet regrown.

Krillin was somewhat puzzled. Since Nail could unleash such tremendous Battle Power, why had he not shown it while fighting Frieza? Nail's powerful Battle Power had not lasted long, so it depended on what Nail's purpose had been.

Nail had fought Frieza purely to stall for time. If he unleashed that powerful Battle Power, he would quickly lose his ability to fight. Once Frieza became bored, he would naturally kill Nail and go looking for the Great Elder again. Nail had gradually revealed his combat ability to maintain Frieza's interest and achieve his goal of buying more time for Dende.

Battle-type Namekians really can't be underestimated, Krillin thought bitterly.

Nail slowly stood up and said to Krillin, "Sorry. It had been a long time since I'd experienced a battle like that. At the end, I gave it everything I had... and nearly caused a terrible mistake."

The strength from that kind of explosive burst was limited, and afterward came a lengthy period of weakness. Even after unleashing such power, he still had not been Krillin's match. Nail was truly convinced by Krillin, though he could not help feeling somewhat bitter inside.

Krillin burst into laughter. "It's fine. Fighting you really opened my eyes. My understanding of the Martial Way has taken another step forward."

"Yeah. If I died, what would happen to the Great Elder's safety?" Nail said deliberately.

Krillin: "...**"

Nail laughed. "Just kidding."

"Krillin, stand farther away."

"Okay!"

"Heh... ah... hah!" Veins bulged on Nail's forehead, and the stumps of his arms wriggled continuously. Suddenly, two sprays of fluid shot out, and Nail's arms regrew.

"The thing Krillin gave me is incredible. Not only has my stamina completely recovered, it even let me skip the weak period entirely."

Nail moved his new arms. "They feel pretty good."

"Krillin, how many days have we been away?" Nail asked.

"Three."

"What? Three days?" Nail cried out in alarm.

Nail hurriedly took off and flew toward the Great Elder. He had not forgotten his duty.

"Wait for me, Nail!" Krillin immediately flared his Ki and chased after him.

Nail flew toward the Great Elder at full speed. Before long, he began panting heavily. He casually wiped the sweat from his forehead, and seeing that the Great Elder's residence was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness the Great Elder is safe. Otherwise, I would be a sinner to all of Planet Namek."

"Why were you flying so fast? With the two of us here, nothing will happen to the Great Elder," Krillin said as he arrived shortly afterward.

Nail looked at Krillin gratefully and nodded with a smile. That gratitude represented both Krillin's promise to the Great Elder and Krillin's willingness to fight him wholeheartedly, satisfying the battle hunger in his heart. From now on, he would protect the Great Elder in peace and would not fight any unnecessary battles until... the Great Elder passed away.

Kami was sitting there chatting with the Great Elder. He had not seen his people in many years, and now he was like a lost child who had found his mother, with endless things to say. However, the Great Elder was advanced in years and sometimes fell asleep mid-conversation, while Kami quietly waited beside him for the Great Elder to speak again.

"Great Elder, I have returned," Nail said respectfully.

"You returned so quickly?" The Great Elder looked at the energetic Nail. Nail's expression had changed greatly from before, carrying more joy. The Great Elder spoke again in praise. "Nail, you belong on a magnificent battlefield."

The Great Elder did not ask about the battle's outcome. At that moment, he knew that the result was not important; the process was what mattered more. The spirit Nail now displayed was the best possible result. The Great Elder slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep again.

Planet Namek had no night. It was always daytime, perfectly suited to the Namekians' photosynthesis.

Krillin yawned. He really could not get used to this. "Nail, I'll have to trouble you with borrowing your Dragon Balls," Krillin said in a pleading tone.

"No problem. Leave it to me. I'll gather the elders from every village and have them bring the Dragon Balls here." After saying that, Nail found an open area and sat down. His body floated in the air, looking remarkably like Piccolo when he trained.

Immediately afterward, special dragon-clan radio waves spread out from Nail. They were special information waves that only Namekians could receive. "By order of the Great Elder, the Tribe Leaders of every village are to bring their Dragon Balls and gather here."