Inside the dim cave, the air itself seemed to vibrate with a second, impossible presence.
Gohan shot upright, eyes wide.
"Mr. Piccolo?!"
Krillin spun around so fast he nearly tripped over Dende.
"Piccolo?!"
Bulma clutched the Dragon Radar like a lifeline.
A familiar, gruff voice filled the cave, coming from everywhere and nowhere.
[Yeah, it's me, kid. Stop yelling; my ears still work in the afterlife.]
Gohan's lip trembled. Tears welled instantly.
"You're really alive… somewhere…"
[Technically dead, but details. King Kai's letting me piggy-back on his frequency. Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu are here too.]
Yamcha's voice chimed in, bright and a little sheepish.
"Hey, guys! Miss me?"
Bulma's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.
"Yamcha. One more chance after we bring you back. One. If I even smell another girl on you, I'm feeding you to the dragon and asking for a refund. Got it?"
A long, suffering silence from the afterlife.
[…Yes, ma'am.]
Krillin wiped his eyes, laughing through the tears.
"It's really them…"
Piccolo's voice cut back in, sharp as ever.
[Enough romance. Status report. Now.]
The mood snapped cold.
Krillin swallowed.
"It's… bad. Frieza's already got five Dragon Balls. Vegeta…" He glanced at Gohan, voice dropping. "Vegeta's not the same anymore. A couple hours ago his ki went insane. We thought the planet was ending. Whatever he did out there… he's on a whole different level now."
Gohan's fists shook.
"I've never felt anything like it. Not even close."
A long pause from the afterlife.
King Kai's voice finally crackled through, unusually grave.
[That surge I felt… that was Super Saiyan, wasn't it? The legend actually awakened… and it's Vegeta.]
Piccolo again, quieter.
[Listen carefully. Do not move. Do not engage. Not Frieza. Not Vegeta. Neither of them is playing by the old rules anymore.]
Krillin's face went pale.
"You felt it all the way from the afterlife?"
[We all did. The whole quadrant did. Something just became a god on that planet, and it's wearing Saiyan armor.]
Bulma hugged her knees, voice small.
"So what do we do? Just sit here and wait for Goku?"
[Exactly,] Piccolo said. [Goku has five days left. You have one job: survive until he lands. If either monster starts moving toward you, Bulma, you grab the kids and you launch. No hesitation. No heroics. Understand?]
Gohan opened his mouth to protest.
Piccolo cut him off.
[That's an order, Gohan.]
The boy closed his mouth, eyes burning.
Krillin stared at the cave ceiling, feeling suddenly very small.
Two gods were walking on Namek now.
And neither of them cared if ants got stepped on.
Far away, golden eyes opened.
Vegeta felt the faint, familiar ki signatures flicker with panic.
He smirked.
"Scared already?"
His aura flared once, just enough to remind the planet who its new master was.
Then he vanished, a golden streak slicing toward Frieza's ship.
Five days early.
The final act was about to begin.
And the audience was terrified.