Frieza Clan

This farce had more or less come to an end.

Vegeta had to think twice before flying into a rage. If he tried to vent his fury by doing anything now, he'd only be digging his own grave.

Even if Piccolo didn't step in, Kakarot and Ron wouldn't stand by and let him slaughter the Namekians.

Endure!

That was Vegeta's solution to every problem now.

The reason he wasn't leaving wasn't that he didn't want to; it was that he couldn't.

He wanted to grow stronger, and he had to stay with Kakarot and Ron.

Take the Grand Elder unlocking everyone's potential this time. Their power had increased tremendously.

If he hadn't come along, he wouldn't have gotten a share of it.

How long would it have taken him to gain that much strength through training alone?

"Now that everything's settled, and the Dragon Balls can't be used again for ninety days, can't we leave Planet Namek and go back to Earth? With the spaceship my dad built, the trip takes only six or seven days. We can come back to Planet Namek after eighty days or so..." Bulma's voice rang out.

Now that everything had been taken care of, she saw no point in staying any longer.

At Bulma's words, the mood in the room shifted at once.

The heavy atmosphere lifted, and all the Namekians turned their attention to Bulma and the others.

"I can't stop you from leaving Planet Namek, but you saved our planet and all of us. Namek may be a barren world, but I hope you'll stay a little longer and let us give you a proper welcome, to show our gratitude..." Mulin said.

His words expressed what all the Namekians were thinking.

"That's right. Stay a little longer, everyone. Gohan, Uncle Krillin, Uncle Piccolo..." Dende stood beside Krillin and Gohan, looking at them expectantly.

He had already come to think of Son Gohan as a friend, and he wanted to learn about Earth's customs and way of life from Gohan and Krillin.

"I'd like to stay a few more days, too. I want to take a closer look at Planet Namek's ecosystem... But I can't make that decision on my own." Though Son Gohan was young, he was mature for his age. After saying this, he looked at Piccolo, then at his dad. The meaning was clear: the adults would decide.

Son Goku and Piccolo exchanged a glance, communicating silently. Neither of them made a decision right away.

"Much as I hate to leave, we really should head back. We've been away for a long time, and we should let everyone know we're safe... Besides, with the new spaceship, it's much easier to travel now. It takes six or seven days to get here, so we can make the round trip in half a month." Krillin sounded tactful, but his mind was made up.

They had seen, experienced, and learned a lot during this battle on Planet Namek.

There was no way they didn't want to go back to Earth.

After all, Earth was home.

They'd been away for several months, and now that the crisis was over, the Dragon Balls couldn't be used for another ninety days. They couldn't possibly stay on Planet Namek that whole time. They'd have to go without many of life's comforts.

Hearing Krillin, Bulma's eyes lit up. "Right? You understand me, Krillin."

"Well... I just think that now Frieza's been dealt with, we shouldn't overstay our welcome. And Planet Namek isn't like Earth. We have limited supplies..." Krillin scratched his bald head and smiled awkwardly at Bulma.

He didn't want to let his real thoughts show.

Truth was, he'd had enough. Even with no enemies left, he still couldn't relax.

Krillin wanted to get back to familiar surroundings as soon as possible.

Only with his feet on Earth's soil could he truly feel at ease.

"Krillin's right. We should let everyone know we're safe. We can't all stay here and trouble the Namekians, either. And Bulma only got dragged into this because of us. So, Krillin, you should escort her back and let Master Roshi and the others know we're safe. Tell Chi-Chi I'm fine, too. I left without asking her, so she must be worried." Son Goku's words left Krillin and Bulma stunned. Then Son Gohan stared at his dad in surprise.

"Goku, you're not planning to stay here by yourself, are you? I meant that we could stay a few more days, then all go back together on the spaceship..." Krillin said, taken aback.

Son Goku understood what Krillin meant and shook his head. "I know. But I really want to stay on Planet Namek and train for a while. Piccolo probably doesn't want to leave so soon, either. If we train here together, we should make twice the progress... And nobody can be sure that Frieza's death will stop his forces from coming back. If they invade again, we'll be here to fight them... Besides, Ron and Vegeta are here, too..."

"Heh! Son Goku, you've finally thought ahead for once." Piccolo's lips curled into a smile, and his gaze shifted to Ron.

Ron hadn't said a word, from the start until now.

Piccolo was curious about what the Grand Elder had said to him.

Or rather, what Ron had promised the Grand Elder in exchange for the privilege of using the Namekian Dragon Balls whenever he wanted.

Noticing Piccolo's gaze, Ron knew it was time to give his answer.

He didn't intend to hide anything, either. "Kakarot did guess that another crisis might be coming. According to the Grand Elder, members of the Frieza Clan will return to Planet Namek before long. So, even though I'd like to go to Earth, I can't leave just yet..."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked shocked.

Members of the Frieza Clan were coming back to Planet Namek.

"Looks like I was right to make this decision. I'd already been thinking that, even though Ron killed Frieza, he had so many men. If they came back, the Namekians probably wouldn't be strong enough to stop them." Son Goku took a deep breath and spoke gravely.

"Then let them come! I'll take on whatever they've got! I'll make sure none of them leave alive!" Piccolo's huge increase in strength had filled him with confidence.

Even if he couldn't beat Frieza, surely he could handle Frieza's men.

Ron didn't want to crush Piccolo's confidence.

Vegeta, who had clearly understood what Ron meant, began to tremble.

"Fool! Do you think the Frieza Clan are just Frieza's pathetic lackeys? I'm afraid the ones coming this time will be Frieza's father, King Cold, and his older brother, Cooler!"