Fierce Battle

Namek.

Frieza watched the power levels on his scouter vanish one by one, realizing that the Ginyu Force had been completely wiped out.

The scouter shattered under the sheer intensity of Frieza's rage!

"Who could it be? To annihilate my most elite special forces entirely! Damn it, it seems I must take the field myself!" Frieza declared. He leaped from his exquisite spacecraft, unleashed a blast of energy with one hand, and blew a shallow crater into the ground beside him. With a casual flick, he hid the Dragon Ball inside.

"Two more to go. They must not be damaged. It seems I'll have to find a new place to fight," Frieza muttered to himself.

Just as he finished speaking, Vegeta and the others arrived.

"Heh heh... so it's you, Vegeta. Why have you come? Are you here to help this King search for the Dragon Balls?" Frieza sneered.

"Frieza, today is the day you die! Do you think this Prince is unaware that you were the one who destroyed Planet Vegeta?" Vegeta roared.

"So you knew, did you? Then why did you stay by my side? Were you waiting for a chance to strike?" Frieza asked, puzzled.

"I couldn't beat you before, but now, you're nothing but a piece of trash in my eyes. No more pretending—the cards are on the table," Vegeta said with disdain.

"It seems your trip to Earth didn't just grant you revenge, but also an opportunity! Hehehe..." Frieza continued, "But what kind of strength allows you to speak to this King in such a manner, eh?"

Frieza's evil aura erupted uncontrollably.

Krillin and Gohan were frozen in place, terrified by the overwhelming malevolence. Vegeta and his two companions, however, looked at Frieza with contempt, their expressions clearly saying, "Garbage."

"Vegeta, let me go first. He killed so many of my people..." Piccolo said viciously.

"Don't be impatient, Piccolo. Let Goku fight first. Come here, I have something to tell you..." Vegeta said.

He flew over to Piccolo and whispered, "Do this first..."

"Well? Have you decided who will be the first to die?" Frieza asked.

"Let me go first."

Goku had already landed on the ground, unable to wait any longer. Frieza gazed at this man, who felt both familiar and strange. "Have we met somewhere before? You look so familiar!"

He searched his memories. Suddenly, it clicked.

"Right... you are that Saiyan who stood in my way when I destroyed Planet Vegeta. Didn't you die long ago? No... although your face is the same, you don't have a tail like those wild monkeys! Who exactly are you?"

"Kakarot, he is talking about your father, Bardock! Back then, your father led the Saiyans in a suicide attack against Frieza to buy time for you to escape. If not for your father, you wouldn't be alive today," Vegeta explained.

As Vegeta spoke, Goku seemed to see a man identical to himself appear before his eyes, saying, "Kakarot, the future of the Saiyans depends on you..."

It was a distant memory from when Bardock sent him to Earth, speaking to his infant body inside the space pod.

Tears welled up in Goku's eyes as he recalled the moment, the salty taste flowing to the corner of his mouth. Goku emerged from the memory and whispered, "So, I had a father after all..." In his heart, he silently vowed, Rest easy, Father. I won't let you down.

"So, you are his son! Ha! Today, I shall send you both to reunite in the afterlife..." Frieza finished, his body erupting with energy! The mountains crumbled and the earth split!

"Come, wild monkey, let me see your strength!" Frieza boasted arrogantly.

Goku said nothing. He moved toward Frieza at high speed. Before their figures could even blur, the two were locked in a grip, testing each other's raw power. A terrifying pressure caused the ground beneath them to cave in, and blue flames of energy enveloped them both. They roared, their power continuing to surge! Frieza's veins bulged, yet he couldn't suppress Goku. Goku smiled at the corner of his mouth and said, "You aren't that strong, are you..."

Goku had spoken sincerely, but Frieza took it as mockery. He let go, flipped backward, and roared, "My power level is 500,000! How dare you look down on me!"

Goku looked at the retreating Frieza and said, "You are no match for me. Leave now! I'll spare your life!"

"Kakarot, don't underestimate him. He still has the ability to transform!" Vegeta warned.

"Oh? It seems you've investigated me. You even know I can transform!" Frieza sneered.

"Saiyan, let's move to another location. My ship is here, after all. Although this King can survive in the vacuum of space, it's not as comfortable as sitting in a ship. Zarbon, you stay here and guard the vessel," Frieza said to Goku, then turned to Zarbon.

Zarbon looked at the four in the sky and said respectfully, "Rest assured, King Frieza. I can easily handle a mere Vegeta! The other scraps are worth even less."

In truth, Zarbon knew Frieza only wanted him to ensure the Dragon Balls weren't damaged.

"Piccolo, remember what I told you!" Vegeta whispered to him.

"Zarbon, I have no desire to fight you. Let these three play with you. This Prince is going to see how Frieza dies!" Vegeta said dismissively.

With that, Frieza, Goku, and Vegeta sped off in another direction, leaving the area behind.

"Gohan, Piccolo, let me handle this!" Krillin said, eager for a fight.

On the other side.

"That's enough, Frieza. We're far enough now. Let's begin!" Goku said.

"Heh heh, it seems you can't wait to die! I shall grant your wish," Frieza replied.

He tensed his muscles, and with a sudden contraction, the armor on his body shattered! His angular, defined muscles were revealed.

Vegeta scoffed, "Hey, Frieza! Don't tell me your 'transformation' is just flexing until your armor breaks! That's hilarious!"

"Hmph, don't be so hasty! You see, our Frost Demon race is born with such immense power that we must shrink our bodies and transform into other forms just to suppress it!" Frieza boasted.

I know that, of course I know that. I was just trying to mock you! Vegeta thought.

As a fanatical Dragon Ball fan, how could he forget anything about Frieza?

Frieza didn't waste any more time. Veins bulged across his entire body, and his frame began to grow. The horns on his head shifted from straight to curved, resembling those of a bull. His power level skyrocketed from 500,000 to 1,000,000.

Goku watched Frieza's transformation with excitement.

Get stronger, he thought. Get even stronger!

The ki vanished abruptly!

"Come, wild monkey," Frieza said as he hurtled toward Sun Wukong!

Both sides gathered their ki and collided, the shockwaves of their battle making the surrounding air feel significantly heavier! With every strike, the immense pressure from their fists shattered nearby rocks from a distance!

Frieza seized a gap in Wukong's attack and tilted his head slightly! Dodging, he swung his right fist with the speed of a thunderbolt. Wukong raised his left knee, blocking the punch with his leg before following up with a low sweep. Frieza's floating body was knocked into a horizontal position. Wukong clasped his hands together above his head and brought them down in a heavy blow against Frieza's abdomen!

Bang! The ground erupted in a cloud of dust! Frieza slammed hard into the earth, and Wukong pressed his advantage, firing a barrage of energy blasts toward the spot where Frieza had fallen!

After a fierce onslaught, the ground below was unrecognizable, and seawater began to pour into the crater.

"Come out, Frieza. I can sense that your ki hasn't dropped," Wukong said.

Because of the influence of Earth's martial artists, this Saiyan who grew up on Earth would always gradually raise his own combat power to match his opponent's strength, regardless of who he was fighting! He did this solely to enjoy the thrill of a well-matched battle! This is why, in the Dragon Ball Super anime, he would go Super Saiyan Blue and end up in a stalemate with everyone—he could even go back and forth with Krillin! It wasn't that the power levels in Dragon Ball Super were broken; it was that Wukong had gained better control over his own strength in his later years.

As the dust settled, Frieza slowly rose into the air, his breathing ragged and his ki in disarray. His eyes were filled with disbelief!

"It seems I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to be this formidable! In that case, I will hold nothing back from here on out!" Frieza declared.

"Right now, I've only used one-fifth of my strength! Even if you transform again, you won't be able to beat me," Wukong replied.

"Heh, my first transformation gave me a combat power of about one million! By your logic, your full power is likely around five million!" Frieza analyzed.

"But I am a genius of the Frost Demon race, and I have three full transformations! Do you know what my full combat power is? It's 120 million! You wretched wild monkey, prepare to suffer my wrath! Damn it... damn it... This is the first time I've ever been hurt this badly!! I am furious." Frieza's elegant expression gradually twisted into a snarl, his face turning hideous! As he finished speaking, he gathered his ki and began to transform, an evil purple aura erupting to envelop his entire body!