Outside, the Namekians, along with Krillin and Son Gohan, sensed the changes in energy on the far side of the planet.
Though they couldn't see it with their own eyes, they could all tell through their own means of sensing that the battle had begun.
Vegeta's immense power clashed with the terrifying energy of Frieza, the Universe Emperor.
The Namekian
As things stood, Vegeta seemed to have the upper hand. His energy hadn't wavered at all, while Frieza's kept fluctuating.
Meanwhile.
In Otherworld, on King Kai's Planet.
North Kai was watching the battle on Planet Namek with Piccolo, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu. Bubbles and Gregory were there too, of course.
He knew the battle had begun because, even while instructing everyone in their training, he'd set aside some of his attention to keep an eye on the situation on Planet Namek.
He had to admit, Vegeta and Frieza fighting at this point was completely unexpected.
He'd assumed that after turning into a Super Saiyan, Vegeta hadn't gone straight after Frieza for revenge because he was still consolidating his strength. That process would take a long time, and perhaps he wouldn't fight Frieza until Goku reached Planet Namek.
He hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
"Impressive. Truly impressive. That guy Vegeta can beat down Frieza, who's known as the Universe Emperor, without even transforming," Yamcha exclaimed.
They'd already sensed how powerful a Super Saiyan was. Now Vegeta was this strong without transforming, leaving them in awe.
After all, they'd begun their arduous training as soon as they arrived on King Kai's Planet. Their strength had improved at a breakneck pace over the past two days, doubling again and again.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd never believe it. In such a short time, Vegeta's become like a completely different person. The Saiyans really are a warrior race. It's unbelievable," Tien Shinhan added.
Vegeta had been an enemy of Earth, and of theirs, too. But now he was fighting for Planet Namek, and the safety of Krillin, Son Gohan, and Bulma was at stake. So they still hoped he would win.
Put simply, they'd concluded after discussing it that since Vegeta hadn't attacked the Namekians, Krillin, Gohan, or Bulma before, he probably wouldn't attack them later, either.
Vegeta wanted to use the Dragon Balls on Planet Namek to make a wish. If he'd intended to attack them, Krillin and the others would have been dead already.
"From the way things look, Frieza can't even fight back! I guess we overestimated how powerful he was," Piccolo said haughtily.
"Exactly. From what we've seen so far, Frieza's no longer a threat. I almost think Goku doesn't even need to go to Planet Namek. It'd be bad if he ended up clashing with Vegeta again..." Yamcha said.
With the greatest threat seemingly gone, they weren't as panicked as they'd been at first.
But once Yamcha said that, the others couldn't help thinking along the same lines.
Indeed, after being beaten on Earth and defeated by Goku, would Vegeta really let Goku off?
And knowing Goku, wouldn't he go out of his way to challenge Vegeta?
The group chatted back and forth.
They had no idea that North Kai was already sweating profusely.
He knew better than anyone how terrifying Frieza was. The Frieza they were seeing now was still Frieza in his untransformed state. He was nothing yet.
"What the hell is Vegeta hesitating for? If he can kill Frieza, he should hurry up and finish him off!" North Kai couldn't help wanting to contact Vegeta.
They might have been enemies before, but that didn't mean they had to be now.
Frieza had long been a thorn in his side. At first, North Kai hadn't dared scheme against him because Beerus, the God of Destruction, backed him.
Now Beerus had been asleep for so many years, and Frieza's forces had destroyed countless places in the North Galaxy alone. If Vegeta could eliminate Frieza now, it would be wonderful news for the entire North Galaxy, even the whole universe.
Hearing North Kai mutter, the others looked at him in confusion.
Yamcha was the first to ask, "Lord North Kai, what's wrong? Vegeta's got Frieza completely under control, doesn't he?"
"Yeah. Are you saying Frieza still has some hidden power he hasn't used? From what we've seen, it doesn't look that way," Tien Shinhan added.
Piccolo stayed quiet, mulling things over and reviewing the battle so far. He felt North Kai must have a reason for acting this way.
Chiaotzu's expression turned grim. His psychic powers seemed to be picking up on North Kai's emotions, and it was affecting him.
"What do you know? Didn't Frieza say it himself just now? He can transform, and the power he'll have after transforming is nothing like what he has now!" North Kai snapped in exasperation.
They'd brushed aside such crucial information without a second thought.
North Kai's reminder made the others' expressions shift.
Even so, they still felt that even if Frieza could transform, he couldn't possibly become stronger than Vegeta was now.
Besides, Vegeta could turn into a Super Saiyan too, couldn't he?
On Planet Namek.
The battlefield.
As the seconds passed, Vegeta stared on impassively, his expression cold.
Then a terrifying power suddenly erupted, and Frieza came hurtling out, looking battered and disheveled.
"Damn you, monkey!!" Frieza's hysterical roar rang out.
Vegeta sneered, his eyes growing impatient. "Stop throwing a tantrum, Frieza. Transform already. Otherwise, I don't mind turning you to dust right now and leaving you without a grave."
Those words should have made Frieza even angrier, but instead, they quickly calmed him down, despite his fury.
He was angry, but he could still assess the situation.
He had no idea where Vegeta had gotten this power, but the pressure was suffocating.
His body was already injured. If he didn't transform, he was no match for that monkey Vegeta.
"Since you want to see me transform, I'll grant your wish. You should feel fortunate. Even your father, King Vegeta, never saw my true form before he died." As he spoke, Frieza slowly descended to the ground.
It had indeed been many years since he'd transformed.
After all, other than his father and elder brother, who were of his own race, there hadn't been any enemies he needed to transform to defeat.
Seeing this, Vegeta folded his arms again, facing Frieza with absolute arrogance and an air of invincibility.