Half a day passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside Frieza's spaceship.
Without Scouters, they couldn't accurately locate the Namekians on Planet Namek, so Frieza had no choice but to wait here for news from his subordinates.
They had already gathered five Dragon Balls. If all went well, they should have found the last two within the past few hours.
But who could have guessed that the damn Namekian would seize their moment of carelessness and destroy all their Scouters before they even saw it coming?
What made it even more infuriating was that they hadn't brought any spare Scouters on this trip to Planet Namek. And since the staff aboard the ship were noncombatants, they hadn't been issued any either.
As for the scouts they'd sent out, some had been killed and others had vanished without a trace. Needless to say, they were all as good as dead.
This had taught Frieza a lesson: next time, he absolutely couldn't afford to let his guard down like this again.
"How long has it been?" Frieza asked, his expression sour, from the lounge in the cockpit.
The octopus-headed alien shuddered and immediately replied, "It's been over six hours since you returned, King Frieza."
"Six hours, huh? They said they'd be back in three. Looks like Dodoria and Zarbon are probably done for. The Namekians aren't strong enough to kill them... Heh heh! Vegeta, oh, Vegeta. You're the only one who could have taken out Dodoria and Zarbon, aren't you? Maybe you already have the other two Dragon Balls!" As he spoke, Frieza steered his hover pod to the edge of the cabin and looked out through the observation window.
When he'd first arrived on this planet, he'd found its lack of night fascinating. Now, though, he felt differently. He'd begun to resent and loathe the place.
"If that's the case, then I'll wait for you to come find me. Even if you don't, you can't leave Planet Namek. The Ginyu Force will be here in just five days. With the latest Scouters, you won't escape from the palm of my hand." After saying this, Frieza's sly expression turned downright sinister. His eerie laughter sent chills through the room.
The octopus-headed alien who was always on hand to serve Frieza in the lounge felt his head spinning. It seemed as if Frieza might kill him at any moment for the slightest mistake.
On the other side of Planet Namek.
After rescuing Dende, Krillin and Son Gohan returned to their hiding place and didn't go out again.
They'd barely escaped Dodoria's pursuit. How could they risk going out again, even after several hours had passed?
All things considered, they'd already shown plenty of courage in that mission.
At first, they'd only wanted to see what the Frieza Force was up to. Who could have guessed those people would attack without a second thought—and wouldn't even spare a child?
Gohan couldn't take it anymore and stepped in. Krillin had no choice but to fight too.
Fortunately, Planet Namek had no night, which made the Solar Flare even more effective. That was what let them escape the danger without a scratch.
It was strange. Even without Vegeta killing Dodoria, they'd still managed to avoid disaster.
Was it simply fate that they wouldn't have been threatened by Dodoria even without Vegeta? Or was some mysterious force correcting the course of events?
Of course, they'd still been scared half to death. The gap in their strength was simply too great.
Even Dodoria alone was powerful enough to leave them feeling suffocated.
They'd already decided to stay hidden here until Goku arrived on Planet Namek.
But just a moment ago, Dende had received a message from the Grand Elder and had a brief conversation with him.
The Grand Elder wanted Dende to bring Krillin and Son Gohan, the visitors from Earth, to meet him.
"If you go, what am I supposed to do? You're not going to leave me all alone out here in the middle of nowhere again, are you?" Bulma was worried sick.
It wasn't just the threat of the Frieza Force. Planet Namek was unfamiliar to her and extremely primitive. Even though she'd brought plenty of high-tech equipment from Earth and had a Portable Capsule House to stay in, she was still afraid of being left there alone.
Krillin looked at Bulma, conflicted.
"Actually, you'd be safest staying here rather than coming with us. This place is well hidden, and your ki is weak. Even if the Frieza Force can sense ki, they won't notice you, Bulma." Krillin's words reassured her, but loneliness was the real problem.
"So you're just going to leave me here all by myself, huh? I knew it. I'm just a tool to you guys—you use me and then throw me away." Tears welled in Bulma's eyes. Her complaint left Krillin and Son Gohan at a loss for words.
"Why don't we bring Aunt Bulma along? Dende said all the remaining Namekians have gathered together. Maybe it'll be safer there." Son Gohan spoke up, though he was also asking Krillin what he thought.
By now, he'd come to trust Krillin a great deal. Gohan was smart, sure, but Krillin was more mature and levelheaded. He thought things through more thoroughly.
"That could work. If we have no other choice, we can take the spaceship and leave Planet Namek with all the Namekians and the two Dragon Balls. That way, neither Frieza nor Vegeta will get what they want." Krillin thought it over for a while, then nodded in agreement.
"Then we shouldn't waste any time. Let's go. Even flying, it'll take a long time to get there from here," Dende said.
They'd already discussed how long it would take to travel on foot. It would be far too long.
Now that they knew the Scouters were gone, they didn't have to worry about being detected, so they could fly. Still, it was best not to give off too much ki.
"Did you guys forget that spaceships aren't just for traveling through space? I can pilot ours and take us there. It'll definitely be faster than flying." Bulma's words made the three of them suddenly realize.
"I completely forgot we could do that. Then I'm counting on you, Bulma." Krillin slapped his forehead and laughed awkwardly.
He'd been focused on how to hide the spaceship and keep it safe. And since he hadn't thought of bringing Bulma along, the spaceship hadn't crossed his mind.
"Hmph! So in the end, you need my brains after all. Bringing me along is obviously a lot more convenient than going on your own." After saying this proudly, Bulma hurried into the inner room to pack. Once they were ready, they all headed into the spaceship.
With Bulma at the controls, the spaceship took off. Following Dende's directions, they headed for the central region where the Grand Elder lived.