Sun Wukong Appears

Planet Namek!

The verdant planet was marred by several mud-colored craters that suddenly appeared amid the vast, boundless universe, ruining its beautiful landscape! They were the marks left behind by Vegeta and the others' battle!

Back to the battlefield!

Goku took off his heavy weighted vest and shoes, leaving only the same orange gi he wore in the anime!

He bounced on his feet, stretched his legs, and did push-ups, warming up!

Frieza looked at Goku mockingly and said, "Saiyan, you seem even weaker than that Namekian from before! Who gave you the courage to fight me?"

(The author said, "I did. Got a problem with that? Watch it, or I'll kill you off in the next chapter!") The author was forcing himself into the story.

Frieza wasn't wrong. Goku's base power level was only five million. He was still a long way from matching Frieza! He wouldn't have had the confidence to fight him without the boost from Kaio-ken!

"Frieza, you're definitely strong! I'm not sure I can beat you, but I want to try!" Goku said excitedly.

Goku had been fighting ever since he was little! Fighting meant more to him than anything else. He loved the impact of fist against flesh! The sharper the pain, the more excited he became!

"Very well, come on! Let's see what makes you so confident!" Frieza taunted him, spreading his palm and curling his fingers.

Whoosh...!

Goku couldn't hold back. He charged at Frieza and drove an elbow into his abdomen! Frieza blocked the attack with both hands, but before he could counter, Goku seized his chance and threw him over his shoulder!

Frieza hit the ground flat on his back! Goku leaped up, then brought both knees crashing down toward him!

Frieza wasn't about to let Goku get away with that. He rolled awkwardly to the side, dodging the terrifying blow!

Then he fired a Ki Blast with one hand at Goku, who had landed on his knees!

Goku swept his palm out and slapped the blast aside!

As Frieza got back to his feet, he fired countless Ki Blasts! Goku used both hands, moving so fast that afterimages appeared as he batted each one into the air! Dust filled the sky!

Frieza seized the opening, jumped back to put some distance between them, and stopped wasting Ki Blasts! They had only been meant to buy time. Frieza truly deserved his title as emperor of the universe; his reflexes were impressive, too!

"What's wrong, Frieza? Tired already? I'm still going!" Goku said with a grin.

"Don't get ahead of yourself! I know those attacks can't hurt you!" Frieza snapped.

"Then come on, keep going!" Before Goku had even finished speaking, he charged at Frieza again!

Frieza grinned wickedly as he watched Goku rush toward him. Then he fired a Death Beam with one finger!

Goku was startled. His body still couldn't withstand an attack like that!

Why hadn't Frieza used this move earlier? Simple: ordinary Ki Blasts were much more convenient. An attack that powerful took effort even for Frieza! He had only been trying to buy time and dodge Goku's attacks.

Goku dodged to the side, his lightning-fast movement appearing in a blur! Frieza fired several Death Beams in succession, forcing Goku to flee in a panic!

Frieza spotted an opening and pointed his palm at Goku. He focused for a moment, and a strange force pressed down over Goku's entire body, leaving him unable to move. It was Frieza's psychic power—Telekinesis!

With his other arm, he used the same power on a nearby shattered boulder, sending it hurtling toward Goku!

Goku hurriedly used fivefold Kaio-ken, multiplying his power! He broke free and dodged the flying boulder!

"Oh? No wonder you dared to fight me. So you had a trump card after all!" Frieza said, slightly surprised.

"This technique takes a heavy toll on me. I won't use it unless I have to," Goku replied, breathing a little hard.

The lopsided battle had already begun to wear him down.

Elsewhere

Gohan and Krillin had found the valley where Bulma had hidden earlier. After getting the house ready, they took the Hoi-Poi Capsule and headed for the battlefield! They knew they couldn't help, but they still wanted to see the fight between the powerful warriors!

King Kai's Planet.

Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha had placed their hands on North Kai's back. They couldn't see the battle, but they could sense the energy there through King Kai's abilities.

Tien Shinhan exclaimed in amazement, "You have to admire the Saiyans' strength! Even after all our grueling training, we still couldn't beat them if we tried!"

"Yeah. Once I'm revived, I'll go back to being a bandit! Robbing the rich to help the poor!" Yamcha said dejectedly.

After all, he was weaker than Vegeta, and Vegeta had taken the woman he liked. What face did he have to show to his old friends?

(Later on, he barely gets any scenes. The author really does seem to dislike this character!)

Chiaotzu comforted him. "Tien Shinhan, you still have me. We'll keep working hard together. You can do it!"

Their bromance was overflowing...

They ignored Yamcha's remark. Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu had never thought much of Yamcha's character. He was lazy and always took shortcuts! It was only because of Goku's powerful influence and exceptionally kind nature that they had all become friends!

It had been the same on King Kai's Planet. Tien Shinhan had adapted to the gravity and caught Bubbles within a month. It had taken Yamcha a whole three months. During that time, he had either given up because he couldn't take it or gone to sleep!

"Come on, don't lose heart. Among the people of Earth, and even across the North Galaxy, you're considered pretty strong! You're just no match for the Saiyans and Frieza," King Kai encouraged them. They were all his students, after all!

But as he watched Goku on Namek, he couldn't help feeling proud. Goku could control Kaio-ken freely! No wonder he was King Kai's strongest student! In his endless life, he had taught many people, but none had been a genius like Goku!

A smile like a proud father's crept onto his face!

Back on Namek, Goku had steadied his breathing. He didn't plan to waste any more time. With Vegeta there, he could use his full power without worrying about the consequences!

Red flames of energy surrounded him as his powerful ki slowly erupted!

Goku shouted, "Tenfold Kaio-ken...!" His power level soared with his cry, shooting up from five million to ten million... then fifteen million... until it reached fifty million and stopped!

The rubble around him began to rise. His powerful aura made the entire planet tremble...

"Frieza, take my final attack! After this, our lives are in fate's hands!" Goku held his hands together beside his waist, fingers spread like a flower, and gathered a terrifying amount of ki!

Frieza stared at Sun Wukong's surging power, utterly shocked. He hadn't expected him to be even stronger than the Namekian from before!

Frieza didn't have time to think. He hurried into the air, raised one finger toward the sky, and unleashed his planet-destroying technique, the Death Ball!

A vast, bright golden sphere slowly grew larger, hanging in the sky like a blazing sun!

Goku had finished charging, too. With a shout of "Kamehameha...!" he fired his attack at Frieza in the air.

Frieza pointed his arm downward, curling his finger. The enormous, bright golden Death Ball crackled with purple lightning! Under Frieza's control, it hurtled toward Goku's Kamehameha!

The two energies collided in the air! Frieza's Death Ball had the upper hand. It pressed forward step by step, forcing Goku's attack back!

After all, Frieza's power level was still ten million higher than Goku's.

Goku couldn't worry about the aftereffects of Kaio-ken anymore! He steeled himself and thought, Kaio-ken, twelvefold...!

The two energies clashed in the air. The blue Kamehameha suddenly grew thicker, slowly pushing Frieza's attack back!

Seeing that Goku could still power up, Frieza seethed with rage.

"Damn monkey! You've gotten so strong. I must have underestimated you. Saiyans really do have incredible potential. Perhaps he's the Legendary Super Saiyan!"

Frieza's power rose another level! The Death Ball kept pressing down toward Goku!

Seeing Frieza grow stronger again, Goku finally understood! Vegeta had said Frieza was only using half his power!

"Damn it, I can't let this drag on! If he unleashes his full power, attacks like this will destroy all of Namek! Kaio-ken, fifteenfold!"

Goku's muscles swelled, and his power surged to around seventy-five million. The Kamehameha forced Frieza's Death Ball backward at tremendous speed!

Frieza didn't have time to power up again. He could only cross his arms in front of himself and defend with a full-body burst of ki!

The Kamehameha hit Frieza with such force that he screamed in agony! After a blinding flash, Frieza had vanished!

Watching from afar, Gohan and Krillin cheered, "Yeah! We did it! Frieza's finally dead!"

Everyone on King Kai's Planet was thrilled, too!

Only Vegeta and Piccolo, standing near the battlefield, remained expressionless.

King Kai said to them, "You're celebrating too soon! Frieza isn't dead. Sense his ki carefully. It's weakened, but he's still alive!"

Back on the battlefield, Goku was being torn apart by Kaio-ken's backlash. His whole body convulsed as he screamed in agony! His base power was already far greater than it had been in the original story! In the anime, Goku could unleash twentyfold Kaio-ken, but now his increased power in his normal state meant he couldn't control it at twentyfold!

Just as everyone was celebrating, a red Death Beam shot toward Goku!

Vegeta reacted in time, firing a yellow blast of energy that raced forward and blocked the attack!

If Vegeta hadn't stepped in, Goku would have been sent back to Hell to see King Yemma!

They looked toward the spot where Frieza had disappeared. Frieza had reappeared! Goku's attack had blasted him out of the atmosphere. Fortunately, Frieza could survive in outer space, and Goku had run out of strength, causing the Kamehameha to fizzle out... Otherwise, Frieza really wouldn't have survived! He had underestimated Goku and never expected him to unleash such incredible power!

"Damn monkey! You blinded one of my eyes! I'll kill you..." Frieza panted, then roared furiously!

Vegeta kicked Goku toward Piccolo and said, "Hurry and feed him a Senzu Bean. He's about to die!"

Piccolo popped a Senzu Bean into Goku's mouth. Goku's pained cries stopped at once, and he stood up! His power had increased, reaching ten million. In fact, he had long been capable of transforming into a Super Saiyan! He was just missing the right trigger, and Vegeta hadn't told him how.

Frieza was stunned!

"What was that thing? That Namekian recovered after eating one, and now Sun Wukong has come back from the brink of death!"

"They're called Senzu Beans. They're a special kind of bean found only on Earth. One bean restores all your stamina, heals every injury, and keeps you from getting hungry for ten days," Vegeta said.

"How about it? Want to try one? You're no threat to me now, and I don't want this fight to be boring! Hey, Piccolo, toss me a Senzu Bean!" Vegeta said.

He caught the Senzu Bean Piccolo threw and tossed it to Frieza! Frieza put his pride aside and casually popped it into his mouth! His body immediately relaxed as a powerful sense of vitality spread through him. Even the eye that had been blinded slowly opened!

His power surged, reaching around one billion! He was both shocked and delighted!

He had gone so long without an opponent that his power had stayed around 120 million for years. But he was a genius, too. This battle had gradually brought out his potential and the strength he had built up over decades. After recovering, his power had increased by so much!

Piccolo angrily turned to Vegeta. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?!"

Vegeta was shaken, too. Fortunately, he could transform into a Super Saiyan now. Otherwise, he really would have let things get out of hand!

"Vegeta, I see you're still a little loyal to me after all! Ho ho ho!" Frieza laughed sinisterly.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. I just don't want this fight to be boring," Vegeta said disdainfully.

"Now it's my turn. You don't mind a one-on-one rotation, do you? You ate a Senzu Bean, after all. You've recovered your stamina and gotten even stronger! If I kill you now, you won't have any complaints, right?" Vegeta said.

"You arrogant fool. Come and try it, you low-class monkey!" Frieza snarled.

The two stood facing each other...