Namek
This planet had once been peaceful and serene, but Frieza's forces had left it in ruins! In just two days, they had found four Dragon Balls. Now Dodoria was slaughtering Namekians in a village, clutching the fifth Dragon Ball they had just found! Energy blasts flew from his hands as the Namekians of the entire village were brutally murdered! There were old people and children.
"You gave your word! You said you'd spare the children if we handed over the Dragon Ball!" an elderly Namekian cried, clutching the hole in his chest. Purple blood poured from the wound. As soon as he finished speaking, he died.
"Your word? Looks like you Namekians have been at peace for far too long!" Dodoria sneered.
By then, Vegeta and the others had also arrived on Namek!
They stepped out of the spaceship and gazed excitedly at the planet, which looked much like Earth! Bulma pressed the button to fold the ship away, and it instantly transformed into a Capsule. She picked it up. This technology was incredibly convenient!
Piccolo looked at the scenery before him, recalling the Guardian of Earth's ancient memories from the distant past. So the place where he'd lived as a child had looked much like Namek. No wonder he'd been unwilling to leave, even when faced with the freezing winds and extreme weather of the highlands!
"King Kai, can you hear us now? What's Frieza doing?" Vegeta called up to the sky.
"They've collected five Dragon Balls. One of the remaining two is with Second Elder Moori, and the other is with the Grand Elder," King Kai replied.
"Okay, we'll split into two groups. Bulma, Piccolo, and I will go find Second Elder Moori. Goku, Gohan, and Krillin, you go to the Grand Elder's place and wait for us!" Vegeta arranged the plan decisively.
After all, he was thinking clearly. Who knew what kind of foolish thing Goku might do if he went with them?
The others didn't waste time. King Kai pointed them in the right direction. "Hurry as much as you can. I can see that Frieza's subordinate is about to find Moori's village!" King Kai said anxiously.
"Frieza's forces all carry Scouters, so keep your power levels down as you travel. Bulma, did you bring a plane?" Vegeta asked.
"Of course! I planned to explore the planet, so I brought several different models," Bulma said, taking out a Hoi-Poi Capsule.
"We don't need one. We wouldn't know how to fly it anyway, and the Grand Elder isn't far. We'll run there." After saying that, Goku took Krillin and Gohan and bounded away at incredible speed!
Vegeta, Piccolo, and Bulma boarded the plane and flew toward Moori's village!
Half an hour later, at Moori's village.
"What are you doing? Leave the children alone!" Two children were hiding behind Moori. One was Dende; the other's name was unknown. The original story hadn't said either.
"Hand over the Dragon Ball and I'll spare you! Otherwise, you'll all die, and I'll find it myself," Dodoria threatened.
"I'll give you the Dragon Ball, but let the two children leave first!" Moori said.
Dodoria fired an energy blast from his mouth at the curious child who had poked his head out to look. The child, who looked much like Dende, was disfigured and killed instantly!
Dodoria killed the child as a warning. "You're in no position to bargain! Hand it over now, or you'll all die!"
Piccolo sensed another power level vanish in the direction of their destination. He could no longer hold back. He flew out of the plane and raced toward the village, keeping his power level low!
Just then, Zarbon's Scouter started beeping wildly. He looked up toward Piccolo's position, but a moment later, the Scouter stopped registering anything!
"What is it, Mr. Zarbon?" Frieza asked elegantly.
"Nothing, Lord Frieza. It seems the Scouter's malfunctioning," Zarbon replied dismissively.
"Haha! My wish for immortality is about to come true!" Frieza exclaimed, gazing excitedly at the five Dragon Balls on the ground!
At the village, Piccolo had already arrived! Moori stared at the stranger, whom he had never seen before, looking confused. Even so, he said, "Quickly, take Dende with you. He's the only genius left in our clan who can create Dragon Balls!"
Piccolo looked at the little Dende, and a faint sense of kinship stirred in his heart!
"Don't worry. With me here, no one will hurt you!" Piccolo declared.
Dodoria turned on his Scouter. It showed Piccolo's battle power at around 1,500! "Hey, hey, hey! What's there to act tough about when your battle power is only 1,500? You're just coming here to die! I'm one of King Frieza's trusted men, and my battle power is already 21,000!"
Vegeta and Bulma arrived just then. They got out and stood behind Piccolo.
Dodoria stared at Vegeta in surprise. "Vegeta! When did you get here? Have you already betrayed King Frieza? You've got some nerve!"
"Frieza? I'll kill him with my own hands and avenge the destruction of Planet Vegeta!" Vegeta said.
Looking at the pink fatso with his pockmarked face, Vegeta thought he was disgusting. Then he taunted, "Before that, you can enjoy Piccolo's wrath! I forgot to tell you, he's a Namekian who grew up on Earth. A Scouter can't measure his battle power!"
Dodoria's heart lurched. So that faint sense of danger he'd felt earlier hadn't been his imagination! His eyes darted about as he planned his escape. "Attack! Kill them!" he shouted, then fled in a panic!
Piccolo looked at the group of minions and narrowed his eyes. A wave of soul power, impossible to sense, surged toward them. One after another, the minions clutched their heads and died in agony, their faces twisted! The difference in their strength was simply too great!
Vegeta moved at high speed and appeared in front of the fleeing Dodoria. A shock wave invisible to the eye burst from his palm, flinging Dodoria toward Piccolo.
"Your turn. Deal with him yourself," Vegeta said to Piccolo.
Piccolo stomped on Dodoria's head. Liquid sprayed everywhere as his head was crushed into a mess!
Having calmed his anger, Piccolo turned to Moori. "Hey, get the Dragon Ball and come with us to the Grand Elder's place!"
"So you're the Namekian from Earth the Grand Elder told us about. I had no idea you were so powerful!" Moori said with relief.
"Enough talk. Let's go. That guy Zarbon is already on his way here. He must have detected Dodoria's battle power on his Scouter," Vegeta said impatiently.
Behind them, Bulma was throwing up violently! She'd seen them fight before, but seeing a head explode had been too disgusting for her!
Vegeta put one arm around Bulma's waist and flew into the sky. Piccolo carried Dende and Moori. They flew at full speed toward the Grand Elder, their bodies radiating powerful energy like light!
Zarbon stared at his shattered Scouter, terrified. He wondered if it really had malfunctioned. When he reached the destination and saw Dodoria dead, he hurried back to report!
In less than three minutes, Vegeta, Piccolo, and the others had reached the Grand Elder's house!
Nail came out of the room and said, "Honored guests, please come in. The Grand Elder already knows you're here!"
Vegeta and the others went inside and saw the Grand Elder panting heavily. Goku and the others were radiating powerful energy. It looked as though the Grand Elder had already unlocked their potential!
Vegeta asked Bulma for a Senzu Bean and tossed it into the Grand Elder's mouth. "Eat this. It won't extend your life, but it'll make sure you have plenty of strength and stay healthy!"
The Grand Elder swallowed it and shuddered. He seemed to have regained the vigor of his youth! His breathing gradually steadied. "Thank you, Saiyan. Come here and let me unlock your potential!"
"Please don't, Grand Elder. You're barely holding on!" Nail said worriedly.
"It's fine, Nail. Unlocking their potential won't shorten my life. It's just tiring. Besides, this guest gave me a miraculous bean. I feel clearer than ever, and my strength has returned," the Grand Elder explained.
Vegeta stepped forward first. The Grand Elder slowly placed his massive hand on Vegeta's head. A wondrous magic spread through Vegeta's body. As his potential erupted, the final barrier to becoming a Super Saiyan seemed to shatter as well! He could transform now, and his battle power rose to 20 million!
After Vegeta, Piccolo stepped forward. The Grand Elder looked at him and slowly said, "So you're Katatz's child. No wonder you can make Dragon Balls! Katatz was the greatest genius in our Dragon Clan. I never imagined he had left behind a descendant!"
He placed his hand on Piccolo's head as well, unlocking his potential. Sensing Piccolo's power, the Grand Elder couldn't help but feel astonished. He then said, "Such incredible strength! There's no stronger combat-type Namekian on Namek. I can't do much for you. You've already reached your limit!"
Piccolo was finished too. His battle power rose from 11 million to around 20 million! Goku's also increased to 5 million.
Krillin's rose from a little over 5,000 to over 20,000, while Gohan's increased from 20,000 to around 50,000!
"Grand Elder, could you try it on my wife too?" Vegeta asked.
"What? Her? Isn't she an Earthling? And not even a fighter?" the Grand Elder asked in surprise.
"Please take a look. I've always felt she was different from other Earthlings," Vegeta explained.
Bulma looked at Vegeta in confusion, but didn't refuse. After all, what girl could turn down the chance to fly through the sky?
"All right, I'll try," the Grand Elder said, reaching toward Bulma's head.
A green aura burst from Bulma's body. Her battle power rose from a few negligible points to around 1,500! She felt power surging through her and jumped excitedly. Without meaning to, she shot up into the ceiling and punched a huge hole through it! Vegeta flew up and carried her down in his arms, bridal style!
"You've only just started, so you can't control your strength yet. Don't go jumping around. What if you get hurt?" he scolded her. His gentle voice made Bulma blush with embarrassment.
"I see... Her ancestors probably weren't Earthlings either. In her blood, I can sense traces of the ancient Elf Race. Like us, they were a kind and nature-loving people. But they were wiped out long ago, and no one knows why," the Grand Elder explained.
"No wonder Bulma's mom is over fifty but still looks like a young girl!" Krillin and Goku finally realized.
"That's right. The Elf Race's bodies barely changed from birth to death, and they lived very long lives! But Bulma's bloodline has been diluted through many generations. If she hadn't met me, she probably would have gradually lost the ability to remain young forever," the Grand Elder explained.
Vegeta recalled the anime. No wonder Bulma later secretly gathered the Dragon Balls to wish herself five years younger! Her mother had always looked the same. So the bloodline had been gradually diluted!
Still, he had to admire their genes. They were strong enough to alter even the Saiyans' powerful genes. In the future, their son's hair would be purple because of Bulma's genes...
Ding! "System repair complete. Congratulations, host! Your S-Cells have reached 100%!"
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