Frieza Wasn't Dead!

"Actually, I do have a way to bring Chiaotzu back to life, though I don't know if it'll work."

North Kai's voice rang out, and everyone perked up.

"King Kai, are you serious?" Son Goku asked, his eyes lighting up.

On North King Kai's Planet, North Kai struck a mysterious pose.

"It's quite simple, actually. The Namekians were wiped out because of Frieza. By normal reasoning, the Grand Elder should have been able to live a little longer. Frieza didn't kill him directly, but the fear Frieza caused shortened his life and led to his early death..." North Kai paused slightly as he spoke.

Everyone grew anxious.

Piccolo was especially impatient. Frowning, he said, "This isn't the time to keep us in suspense. Get to the point."

"Hey, what's the rush? You've already defeated Frieza, so there's plenty of time to think this through." North Kai looked utterly unruffled as he continued, "Here's what I'm thinking: I can contact Earth's Guardian of Earth and have him summon Earth's Shenron to make a wish. We could bring back everyone on Namek who died because of Frieza. If we do that, there's a sixty or seventy percent chance the Grand Elder will come back to life too! Then the Dragon Balls on Namek should be able to revive and grant wishes again..."

When North Kai finished, everyone present except Ron looked delighted.

Ron knew the story. Even though his arrival had changed some things, the overall course was still much the same.

"Now that you mention it, I think that could actually work." Bulma was quick-witted. After thinking it through, she decided it seemed to be within the rules.

"But can Earth's Shenron affect Namek?" Piccolo was still frowning.

He hadn't said a word earlier because his heart was aching.

Namek had been devastated by Frieza, and all the Namekians had died because of him.

That meant that from now on, he was the only Namekian left alive.

There was still Earth's Guardian of Earth, but as far as Piccolo was concerned, that was no different from having no one at all.

Now that he'd heard about this plan, he felt a little excited.

He wondered if Nail's assimilation had influenced him.

Either way, if it was possible, he hoped it would work.

"How will we know unless we try? King Kai, we'll leave it to you from here," Son Goku said to North Kai.

"No problem. Consider this a small reward for defeating Frieza, the Emperor of the Universe," North Kai said with a beaming smile.

At this point, everything seemed to be going just as they'd hoped.

But then Ron's voice abruptly cut in. Everyone froze, their expressions turning serious.

"I think I should tell you that Frieza isn't dead!"

Those words were like a bomb dropped into a calm lake.

"What did you say?!"

"You're saying Frieza's still alive?!"

"How is that possible? His ki clearly..."

"That's not funny at all."

"Wait, that's Frieza's ki!!"

Voices rang out one after another. It wasn't just Krillin, Son Gohan, Son Goku, and Piccolo—North Kai, Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu on North King Kai's Planet were all there too.

Frieza wasn't dead!

Ron lifted his eyes toward the ridge not far ahead.

He wasn't trying to ruin the moment. Frieza had already shot up from underground and appeared there without a sound.

Ron was the only one who had noticed.

Following his gaze, everyone looked in that direction. The moment they made out the figure standing there, they all froze in shock.

Even the Spirit Bomb's overwhelming power hadn't killed Frieza!

"Th-this... oh my god, even the Spirit Bomb couldn't kill him," Krillin said, his face ashen with fear.

When he met Frieza's murderous gaze, a chill ran down his spine. It felt as though he'd be killed in an instant.

"D-damn it!" Son Goku clenched his fists and tried to raise his ki, but in his current state, he couldn't keep fighting. His body was drained, and the earlier battle had left him badly hurt.

Piccolo still had some strength left, especially the power Ron had lent him. He'd only used a portion of it.

But he knew that even if he unleashed all of that power, it still wouldn't be enough to kill Frieza.

Frieza wasn't just alive—his ki was rapidly recovering. He looked badly injured on the surface, but in reality, he hadn't taken a devastating blow.

Even an attack like that had only managed this much...

Thinking back to Ron's earlier reaction, Piccolo finally understood.

Ron had known from the beginning that the Spirit Bomb wouldn't kill Frieza. That was why he'd acted that way all along.

"Oh ho ho ho! Just now, I really thought I was about to die... What a shame. I'm sorry I didn't die as you all wished..."

Frieza's taunting voice was laced with murderous intent.

The moment his words fell, the atmosphere turned icy.

To vent his anger, Frieza picked Krillin out of the crowd. He raised a hand, light gathering at his fingertip.

It was a psychic attack!

If this continued, Krillin would explode just as he had in the original story.

Sure, that would let Son Goku become a Super Saiyan.

But if he transformed, wouldn't that leave Ron with nothing to do?

He'd waited long enough. He didn't want to keep waiting now.

This was the perfect moment to act.

Son Goku and Piccolo reacted at the same time Krillin's body lifted into the air against his will, fear gripping everyone.

Ron vanished in an instant and appeared right in front of Frieza, one hand clamped tightly around his wrist.

He moved so fast that he left no afterimage.

It was as if Ron had been standing there all along, casually reaching out to grab Frieza's hand.

"That's enough. Using a cheap trick like this on someone weaker than you—aren't you ashamed? You're the Emperor of the Universe, for crying out loud. Have some dignity." Ron stopped Frieza from using his psychic powers and saved Krillin.

Frieza stared at Ron in shock, momentarily stunned.

He hadn't even seen how the man had appeared in front of him.

Free at last, Krillin realized he'd escaped certain death and immediately ducked behind Son Goku and Piccolo.

Son Gohan and Bulma also hurried together.

The tables had turned. Everyone stared in a daze as Ron stepped in and stopped Frieza from attacking by surprise.

"You—you let go of me!" Frieza came to his senses and struggled twice, but he couldn't break free of Ron's grip. His brow furrowed, and the murderous look in his eyes intensified.

This had gone too far. One humiliation after another had utterly disgraced him as the Emperor of the Universe.

He could take no more.