Rayden and the others didn't want to be overwhelmed by Frieza's soldiers again, so they all activated their signature moves at once.
"Kamehameha Wave!"
"Afterburner!"
"Destructo Disc!"
"Masenko!"
"Heaven Splitter Bomb!"
"Ahhh—!!"
A storm of colorful energy surged forward, engulfing Frieza's army. One by one, the soldiers screamed in agony as they were swallowed by the overwhelming power.
In just seconds, all of Frieza's underlings had been wiped out.
Only the Emperor of the Universe, Frieza, remained—calmly hovering in his hoverchair.
Rayden smirked. "Well, Frieza. Looks like you're the last one standing."
"Good. Very good," Frieza sneered. "You've managed to make me angry."
He floated into the air, then kicked away his hoverchair, letting it crash to the ground.
Frieza raised his right hand. A sharp glint of energy gathered at his fingertips.
"Death Beam!"
Beams of red-hot energy, like lasers, shot out from his fingers one after another.
Rayden, Goku, and Gohan swiftly dodged the attacks with ease.
But Krillin and Yamcha, their combat abilities significantly lower, couldn't evade them in time.
Zzt—!!
The beams pierced their chests. Both men coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.
"Krillin! Yamcha!" Goku rushed over, eyes wide with panic.
With trembling hands, Krillin and Yamcha pulled out Senzu Beans from their pockets. After swallowing the beans, their injuries began to heal instantly.
Rayden approached and spoke seriously.
"Krillin, Yamcha—take the Dragon Radar and Dende. Find the remaining Dragon Balls. Leave Frieza to us."
Krillin clenched his fists, frustrated. "Sorry… we're no help here."
Yamcha nodded. "He's right. If we stay, we'll only slow you down."
"Alright," Krillin said after a deep breath. "We'll go. Be careful."
After a brief goodbye, they took off.
"Oh? They survived?" Frieza raised an eyebrow.
Goku's aura flared wildly. "You'll pay for what you did to them!"
Rayden turned to Gohan. "Let's go, Gohan!"
"Yes, Uncle Rayden!"
The three fighters erupted with intense power, their energy roaring into the sky like a raging storm.
"What?!"
Frieza stared at them in shock. The power radiating from them—it exceeded his first form!
"Where did these monsters come from? When did such powerful warriors appear in my domain?"
Before he could react further, Goku vanished from sight, then reappeared in front of Frieza with a punch to the gut.
"AHHH!"
Frieza gasped, his body curling like a shrimp as he flew backwards.
Rayden shot up, intercepting Frieza in mid-air and launching him toward Gohan.
"Take this!"
Bang!
Gohan met Frieza's incoming body with a punch of his own. The shockwave from the impact shook the skies.
Frieza managed to regain control and blocked Gohan's follow-up strike.
BOOM!
Their fists collided, forcing both to step back.
Frieza growled and lunged at Gohan, only for Rayden to kick him hard in the ribs.
"Arghhh!"
The Emperor spiraled through the air again. He was being completely outmatched. Fighting all three of them at once was proving impossible.
---
Meanwhile...
With Frieza distracted, Krillin, Yamcha, and Dende used the Dragon Radar to continue the search for Dragon Balls.
As they flew across Namek, they saw destroyed villages and lifeless Namekian bodies.
Dende couldn't hold back his tears.
"It's okay, Dende," Krillin said gently. "We'll bring them back with the Dragon Balls!"
"No… it won't work," Dende said through sobs. "Porunga can only revive one person at a time. Even with three wishes, that's just three people."
Krillin nodded. "Don't worry! Earth's Dragon Balls can revive everyone at once."
"As long as Piccolo is revived, Earth's Dragon Balls will work again."
"Really?" Dende wiped his tears, eyes lighting up. "Thank you!"
Yamcha spoke up. "Come on! Let's find the rest of the Dragon Balls!"
"Right!"
Whoosh!
The trio sped off and soon arrived at another village, recovering a third Dragon Ball.
Beep!
Krillin checked the radar. "The last four Dragon Balls… Frieza has them!"
Yamcha clenched his fists. "Then we need to move fast—before Frieza gets his wish!"
As they prepared to return, a loud BOOM shook the sky.
Two round space pods came crashing down nearby, slamming into the ground and raising clouds of dust.
"More people?! Now?"
They looked on in confusion as the pods' hatches opened.
Out stepped Vegeta, fuming with rage.
"That damn Frieza! How dare he take my Dragon Balls!"
From the other pod emerged Cui, one of Frieza's lackeys—and Vegeta's rival.
Cui smirked. "Vegeta, still alive after Earth? I heard you got your butt kicked by some low-level Earthlings."
Vegeta snarled. "You want to die today, Cui?"
Cui laughed. "Your power level's 18,000. Mine's 19,000. You've never beaten me before."
He grabbed Vegeta's shoulder, stopping him. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Let go of me, Cui!" Vegeta snapped.
"You're not going anywhere near Lord Frieza," Cui said smugly. "He doesn't need you screwing things up."
"You're asking for it!"
Vegeta exploded with energy and pushed Cui back.
He launched a barrage of punches and kicks, but Cui blocked with ease.
"You're just as weak as always, Vegeta," he taunted. "And there's no moon here for you to go ape."
"Hmph. You think that's my full power?"
Vegeta let out a yell, his energy skyrocketing.
24,000!
Cui's scouter beeped wildly, then shattered.
"W-what?! 24,000?!"
Panic spread across Cui's face as he backed away. "W-wait! I hate Frieza too! Let's join forces! We can kill him together!"
Vegeta narrowed his eyes. He wasn't fooled. Cui was obviously bluffing.
Suddenly, Cui pointed and shouted, "Frieza! He's here!"
Vegeta reflexively looked—a fatal mistake.
"Hahaha! Die, Vegeta!"
Cui charged up a blast and fired it.
But Vegeta wasn't fooled for long. He turned, slapped the blast away with one hand, and charged Cui.
After a flurry of blows, Cui was on the ground—defeated and broken.
Vegeta held up both hands, gathering energy.
"Afterburner!"
BOOM!
Cui was obliterated on the spot.
Just as Vegeta turned to leave, he felt a strange energy nearby.
Having studied Earth's energy sensing technique, Vegeta was able to pick up a faint aura.
He turned and spotted three figures watching him from a small island.
He took off and flew toward them.
"That guy's coming!" Dende gasped, trembling.
"That's Vegeta," Krillin muttered. "He's dangerous. Stay alert."
Yamcha placed a reassuring hand on Dende's shoulder. "Don't worry. Krillin and I are way stronger now."
"Let's see what he wants."
Vegeta landed in front of them, suspicious.
"Why are Earthlings here?" he asked, eyeing the objects in their hands. "And what are those round balls?"
Krillin whispered, "Yamcha, I think… he doesn't know they're Dragon Balls."
"Dragon Balls?" Vegeta repeated, having caught the word.
His eyes widened in recognition. "So that's what they are… The golden balls with stars inside! You have three already... That means they're mine!"
Vegeta pointed at them arrogantly. "Hand over the Dragon Balls. Now."
Dende trembled. "Krillin… what do we do?"
"I've had enough!" Yamcha shouted, his aura flaring. "I'm gonna settle the score for Tien, Chiaotzu, and the others!"
"You?" Vegeta laughed. "You were weak before—and I doubt you've changed."
He stood tall, not the least bit threatened.
Øóffer going on for diamond tier
pàtreøn (Gk31)