Chapter 25


“Bulma!” Kuririn cried excitedly, jumping up and hugging her forcefully. “I can’t believe you’re okay! Piccolo’s timing was perfect!”

Bulma frowned and waited for him to let go. She wasn’t in the mood to celebrate. “I’m glad he was there to help me,” she said, glancing up at a
very confident-looking Piccolo, who was already facing off against Freeza. “But I wish he wasn’t here. He doesn’t have a prayer against Freeza, but
he seems to think otherwise. I wish he would listen to reason.” Kuririn stepped back away from her and looked up at Piccolo too.

“I know what you mean,” he said quietly.

Gohan smiled calmly at them. “There’s no need to worry, guys,” he said, turning to watch his sensei with pure adoration. “Piccolo-san will be all
right. He knows how important it is for him to stay alive, and he wouldn’t be doing this if he didn’t really believe that he could win. And I know
Piccolo well enough to assure you that he wouldn’t believe such a thing if it wasn’t true. He’s stronger, guys. Much stronger. I can feel it. Piccolo is
hiding something big, and I have a feeling that Freeza isn’t going to like it at all.”

Bulma could tell from the tone of his voice that Gohan had utter confidence in his Namek sensei. That, coupled with his simple, earnest words,
caused Bulma to second-guess her previous assumptions about Piccolo’s capability. Was it possible that he had really become that much stronger?
She looked up and watched him while the others did the same.

Piccolo sneered and said something to Freeza. Bulma, Kuririn, and Gohan were too far away to hear the conversation, but they could tell from the
expression on Freeza’s face that he definitely was not pleased. Then the two assumed fighting stances, and in a split second they disappeared from
view altogether. Bulma could sense the impact each time they collided after that, but they moved too fast for her to keep up with much else.
Gohan and Kuririn were having the same problem she was.

“Geez!” Kuririn said. “How did Piccolo get so fast all of the sudden? Even Goku wasn’t this good after Kaio-sama’s training!”

“I don’t know what it means,” Gohan said quietly, frowning in concentration, “but Piccolo is… different somehow. He feels like himself, I suppose,
but there is something else. I don’t really know how to describe it exactly, but it’s almost as if he’s having help of some kind up there. It almost
feels like there are two people fighting Freeza at once!”

“Now that you mention it,” Bulma said, concentrating fiercely on Piccolo’s ki signature, “he does feel a bit strange. Do you sense that too, Kuririn?”

“They’re moving a bit too fast for me to keep up with either of them,” Kuririn said in frustration. “I’ll just take your word for it.”

Bulma looked down at Gohan. He was concentrating very hard on Piccolo’s movements, but a slight grin played at his lips. Gohan had a very strong
connection to Piccolo; that much she knew for certain. Gohan was brimming with confidence, just like Piccolo had been. It was as if the two shared
the same heart just now. Bulma wondered how badly Gohan would take it if Piccolo got killed again. She shook her head to ward off the unpleasant
thought. She didn’t want to think of such things. Besides, it was almost as if Gohan’s confidence was contagious; she found herself doubting the
likelihood that Freeza would be able to kill Piccolo, at least with ease. Piccolo was really giving him a run for his money up there. And guessing from
the frustrated shouts that accompanied his attacks, Freeza wasn’t used to being challenged like this. Bulma cracked a grin, and she hoped with all
her might that Piccolo would be the one to finish Freeza. It just seemed fitting.

Finally, Freeza and Piccolo stopped zipping around and came to a stop less than twenty feet away from each other. They both were sweating a
little, but neither one was winded. They really hadn’t made any substantial progress since they had begun, but Bulma decided that Piccolo’s not
being even the slightest bit injured was progress enough for her. She knew that he wasn’t using his full power, either, which made her all the more
excited. As long as Freeza didn’t have any more drastic items in his bag of tricks, Piccolo stood a fair chance of winning. Bulma sighed. Goku would
give his right arm to see this. But she didn’t think it would be a good idea to bring him out here. Even with Piccolo here, she didn’t trust Freeza not
to try something else. This guy couldn’t have built up an intergalactic empire on his power alone – unless he was something really amazing, that is.
She hoped for all she was worth that this was all that Freeza was, but she had to listen to her mind, which told her to be cautious. Even now,
Freeza was grinning like he knew something they didn’t. She didn’t like that look.

While she was considering these things, Vegita flew over to join them. Kuririn and Gohan stepped back nervously, and Bulma would have too, if she
had noticed him, that is. Her mind was too preoccupied with other things, and he literally snuck up on her. He was standing right next to her when
she caught his movements in the corner of her eye. Then she realized whom it was that she had noticed, and it startled her.

“Gah!” She yelped, jumping back away from him. “Where did you come from?!”

“Never mind!” Vegita snapped impatiently. “What the hell is going on here? Where did that Namek come from, and why is he so powerful?”

“Get away from me!” Bulma said crossly. “I don’t have to tell you anything, you big jerk!”

Vegita half-growled/half-groaned at her. “Quit being difficult!” He snapped. “I just asked you a simple question, you stupid girl!”

“Nyaaah!” Bulma said, sticking her tongue out at him childishly. “If you had half my brains, you’d be able to figure it out for yourself anyway! You
and Nappa were the ones who killed him to begin with!”

“What are you talking about, you fool woman? Are you calling ME stupid now?” Vegita hissed furiously at her. Bulma turned around and pretended to
ignore him.

Kuririn thought he’d better intervene before they started their own little battle down here to complement the one above. “That’s Piccolo,” he said
quickly, pointing up at him. “We wished him back to life, and then we wished him here to Namek, as per his request. We don’t exactly know how he
got so powerful, but we do know that he did a lot of training in the afterlife before we wished him back.”

“What?!” Vegita hissed. “You’d waste TWO wishes on that weakling, and yet you wouldn’t use a single wish to make me immortal?!”

“That ‘weakling’ is over twenty times your senior in raw power right now,” Bulma said coldly. “I don’t consider it a waste, thank you very much!”

Vegita shot her a nasty look. But suddenly his face brightened. “That won’t last long,” he said with a sneer. “I’m going to see to it.”

Piccolo and Freeza had finally stopped throwing taunts and insults at one another. Then something extraordinary happened. Freeza suddenly
hunched over and began to yell, and Bulma felt his ki grow another fifty thousand or so degrees. She could have sworn she saw him increase in size
a little too. She gulped. What now?

Piccolo smirked insolently at Freeza. Then he slowly removed his cape and turban, which he let drop to the ground below him. The immensely heavy
garments landed with a loud thud, and created a nice indentation in the soil. Piccolo stretched a little, cricked his neck, and then assumed a
fighting stance. By now, his ki had risen quite admirably as well, but not quite as much as Freeza’s had. Still, such minor differences could be made
insignificant with cunning and intelligence, and Bulma was well aware that Piccolo had been blessed with his share of both.

Bulma glanced smugly at Vegita. He was glaring at Piccolo with a look not unlike the one he had shown while Goku was fighting Jees and Baata.
Vegita certainly didn’t enjoy meeting opponents who were stronger than he was! She almost giggled then, but Freeza and Piccolo began to fight
again, and her thoughts were diverted.

Freeza started them off by going on the offensive. He charged at Piccolo with tremendous speed, and when the two collided it was as if the very
heavens were shaking. Then they began to exchange blows, and it was immediately apparent that they were more evenly matched than anyone
had predicted, except for Piccolo, of course. He had known it all along. Freeza fought him with an intense scowl on his face that deepened with
each unsuccessful bout. He was getting pretty tired of being humiliated by this Namek. It wasn’t as if Piccolo was beating him; neither one seemed
to be winning. It was just the fact that this pathetic Namek fool was actually able to keep up with him that really irked Freeza. Finally, Freeza
managed to land a sharp blow to Piccolo’s stomach, and he sent him flying down into the side of the hill. Not wasting any time, he then shot an
enormous blast after him, which began disintegrating the hill as it exploded on top of him. Bulma looked on in concern as Freeza’s blast tore away at
Dende’s hiding place. If this continued for much longer, she’d have to go move the kid before he got hurt.

Finally, Freeza allowed his steady wave of ki to subside, and when the dust and smoke cleared all that remained of that side of the hill was a short
pile of rubble that fanned out on either side of what was left of the hill. There was no visible sign of Piccolo.

“Well,” Freeza said, suddenly very impressed with himself. “I must have overestimated him! He wasn’t that much at all!”

Bulma grinned. “Wanna bet?” She called up at him. She could tell that Freeza had spoken too soon. And just then Freeza realized it too, as the top
of the pile of rubble began to glow. Suddenly it disintegrated as a bright burst of energy and light shot outward, temporarily blinding everyone.
Bulma tried to resolve the nebulous figure inside the bright orb of ki at the center of the explosion, despite the fact that she already knew who it
was.

Freeza was not pleased. This pesky little insect needed to be swatted, and he didn’t particularly enjoy the fact that it was taking him so much time
and effort to do it. These people were beginning to lose sight of just how much trouble they were in, and he decided that it was time to remind
them.

“I do believe it’s time for my second transformation,” he announced suddenly, fairly surprising everyone. “I wouldn’t want you to feel unchallenged
by me,” he added with contempt at Piccolo. He shot down to the ground, a little way off into the distance, and Bulma shook her head in horrified
disbelief as he began his second metamorphosis.

“No!” She cried, beginning to shake. “This can’t be! There’s another one?!”

No one answered her. They were all too shocked and petrified to utter a sound. Even Vegita was shocked speechless. Piccolo frowned grimly and
glanced down at them very briefly. He definitely looked concerned by this new turn of events, and Bulma could tell by the way that he had glanced
at them that he was worried about their safety too. Why did things always have such a tendency to take a turn for the worse around here?

Gohan looked just as worried as Piccolo. Suddenly he shot up to join him, and Piccolo regarded him with a kind of reluctant anger. Bulma knew he
must have missed Gohan just a little bit while he’d been away. No one could ever convince her otherwise.

“Piccolo-san!” Gohan cried, rushing into Piccolo’s arms, completely taking the Namek off guard. He looked down at him in surprise, his face the very
image of absurdity. “Uh oh,” Bulma thought silently. “Here it comes.”

Piccolo didn’t blow up at him like Bulma expected him to, though. Instead he just sighed and patted Gohan gently on the head.

“What is it, kid?” He asked, not too gruffly. Gohan looked up at him hopefully.

“Let me help you, Piccolo-san!” He cried, jumping back and balling his hands into fists. “I’m a lot stronger now, and I can help you beat him!”

Piccolo sighed again. “No, Gohan,” he said firmly. “I don’t want you to do that. You’ll only get in my way, and besides, I want to beat him myself, if
it’s possible.”

Gohan looked at him with a hurt expression, but it lasted for only a few seconds – just long enough for him to translate Piccolo’s words into what
they really meant.

“Are you sure?” Gohan said insistently. “I really am stronger, Piccolo-san!”

Piccolo allowed a trace of a grin to flash briefly on his face. “I know,” he said. “I can tell.”

Gohan beamed with pride. It meant a lot for him to hear Piccolo say that.

“But I want you to help protect the others,” Piccolo continued. “There’s less of a chance that Freeza can do any damage to you if you stick
together as a group. And I think they’d agree with me when I say that they need you, Gohan.”

“All right,” Gohan sighed. “I’ll do it. I won’t let you down, Piccolo-san.”

“I know that,” Piccolo said, tousling his hair. “I’d never worry about that.”

Gohan grinned proudly, and then he flew back down to join his companions. Bulma smiled at him. It really was remarkable how kindly Piccolo acted
toward the boy. She had never known him to be anything but the Ma Junior that they had known back before all this Saiyan business. But somehow
Goku, and especially Gohan, had changed his personality dramatically. One thing was certain in Bulma’s mind, though. She was overjoyed that he
was now a part of their team. They needed his help, now more than ever. And as she witnessed the completion of Freeza’s transformation, Bulma
had the sickening feeling that they needed a lot more than that. Maybe they ought to go get Goku after all…

“Bulma, can you feel this?” Kuririn asked, trembling violently. “Can you feel the sheer power of that … thing?”

“You have no idea how much I’d give to be able to say no,” Bulma gulped, staring in horror at Freeza’s new form. He had not only drastically
increased his ki power, but he had truly undergone a metamorphosis. His old shape had been exchanged for an entirely different one. He was still
anthropomorphic – or somewhat, at least – but the way this new form seemed to slouch over almost didn’t allow him to qualify as a biped. His head
was perhaps the most notably altered, though, due to its huge size in relation to the rest of his body, as well as its change in shape. It was much
more elongated, and it now had two sets of horns, which were no longer black and shiny. Instead, they were a rough white, and were very much
just an outcropping of his helmet-like skin. Bulma figured that any good head-smashing would be out of the question now. Not that a creature this
powerful need ever worry about such a thing. With such a drastic increase in power at his disposal, it was a given that Freeza’s speed must now be
fantastic. Bulma groaned. There was no way Piccolo was going to be able to handle Freeza on his own. And judging from the grim expression on his
face, Piccolo knew it.

“Guys,” Bulma sighed as Freeza floated up towards Piccolo. “I don’t know how much good it will do, but I think we’d better go heal Goku now and
bring him here. It’s obvious that Piccolo won’t last long at all against Freeza now. I truthfully don’t think we’ll have a prayer against Freeza no
matter what we do, but our most effective plan of action will be for all of us to attack him at once, and for that we’ll need Goku. But even then, it’s
doubtful that we’ll make it. I’m just hoping that Goku’s strength increase will be enough. Right now I’d say it’s our only chance.”

Kuririn and Gohan nodded solemnly. “Do you want us to go too?” Kuririn asked.

“No,” Bulma said, after a hesitant pause. “It’s better if you stay here. Freeza will be less likely to notice one of us is gone if that’s all that’s gone.
And I don’t want him to go ballistic here. The smoother we can make this thing go, the better. Besides, you’ll just be more for me to teleport back
once he’s healed.”

“Good point,” Kuririn agreed. “Are you going now?”

“Soon,” she replied, eyeing Freeza cautiously. “As soon as his guard is down, I’ll make my move. But right now he’s too guarded. He’s watching us
too. I’ll have to wait until he and Piccolo start fighting, I’m afraid.”

Suddenly Vegita snorted. “You’ll be wasting your time,” he said casually. “Waking that half-wit up won’t do any good. He’ll still be a half-wit.”

“I don’t see how adding a newly-recovered Saiyan to our arsenal will do us any harm,” Bulma said impatiently. “I know you don’t care much for
Goku, Vegita, but even you have to admit that he’ll have become much stronger by now – probably a lot stronger than Piccolo. We’ll need all the
help we can get.”

“There’s a better way of handling this,” Vegita said slyly. “If one of you three was to wound me to the point of death and then make that little
Namek kid restore my health, my strength would increase ten times over. At that level, I would be able to attain the Saiyan race’s highest form
possible – that of the Super Saiyan! And when that happens, my friends, Freeza won’t stand a chance!” His eyes gleamed with intense delight
then, and Bulma was, to say the least, rather disturbed by his words and tone of voice.

“A… Super Saiyan?” She asked skeptically. “What is that? And why would increasing your power only ten-fold make you stronger than Freeza?”

“Heh,” Vegita snorted, straightening up. “Becoming a Super Saiyan is like going through one of Freeza’s transformations, only it’s much more
powerful than that. There was another reason why Freeza destroyed Planet Vegita, you know. It was his fear that one day another Super Saiyan
would emerge. If that ever happened, his reign would come to an abrupt end, and he knew it. The last Super Saiyan appeared a thousand years
ago, and it’s time for another one. It is common belief that only those of the royal bloodline can become Super Saiyans, and since I’m the most
powerful Saiyan to emerge in a thousand years, it will most likely be me who is to become one. I will be the one to succeed! Freeza will be groveling
at my feet when I reach my goal!”

Bulma had mixed feelings about all of this. She didn’t like the idea of making Vegita so powerful. He might be even worse than Freeza if they did
that. Despite that, she was intrigued nonetheless. A Super Saiyan? The concept had promise, especially if it was something that was possible for all
Saiyans. Vegita had forgotten one thing. He was NOT the most powerful Saiyan. Goku was. And if Vegita only needed one power-up to become this
Super Saiyan thing, then it made perfect sense that healing Goku could achieve the same thing. And then they wouldn’t have to worry about
Freeza or Vegita’s being too powerful. There was only one thing that bothered her, and that was that bit that Vegita had said about needing to be
of the royal bloodline. Goku, as she understood it, was just a low-class warrior – in Saiyan society, at least. If that really was a requirement, then
they were out of luck there. Vegita would have to be made stronger; otherwise they probably wouldn’t be able to handle Freeza. She had qualms
about her first plan anyway. It was too risky. But then again, so was this. God, she didn’t know what they should do!

Kuririn abruptly interrupted her thoughts. “No,” he said firmly. “I like Bulma’s plan a heck of a lot better than that one. There’s no way in hell that I’ll
consent to making you even stronger than you already are! What, do you think we’re that stupid, Vegita?”

Vegita clenched his teeth, making a valiant effort to contain the retort that was threatening to fly out at them. But suddenly, his face changed and
his expression became much less infuriated. The way he could swing his moods like that really bothered Bulma. “Very well,” he said, turning his back
to them and crossing his arms. “Go ahead with your little plan if you like. Just keep in mind that the Namek, along with you two, will be dead by the
time she gets back with Kakkorot. Freeza’s ready to kill now, and there’s no way her disappearance will escape his watchful eye. He’s not stupid.
He’ll figure out that there’s something going on, and he’ll also figure out that she’ll be back. Knowing Freeza, he’ll just kill you three off as quickly as
he can so that she’ll be able to see you dead when she returns. Of course, he’ll probably toy with me a bit in the meantime. He hates me even more
than he hates her, which is saying quite a bit, I might add,” he said, flashing an evil grin back at Bulma. “I don’t know how you always manage to
be the biggest pain in the ass imaginable, woman, but you’ve got Freeza angrier at you than I’ve seen him in years!” He laughed softly and turned
back around to watch Freeza again.

Bulma frowned and ignored his last statement. “I wouldn’t put it past Freeza to do something like that,” she muttered. “He’d do it just to affect me;
that’s certain. Freeza does hate my guts, and it’d give him a lot of joy to see me upset about his killing my friends.”

“Well, we have to do something!” Gohan said in exasperation. “We’re certain to die WITHOUT my dad anyway, aren’t we? I say you go get him
anyway, Bulma!”

“Well, yeah…” Kuririn said, his voice having become a little whiny. Bulma could see that the prospect of dying didn’t really appeal to him. Well, he
should know. He’d been through it once before. Bulma sighed. She didn’t really feel like leaving her friends to die either.

“Fine,” she said finally, feeling rather defeated. “You win, Vegita. If we help you, will you hold Freeza off long enough for me to get Goku healed and
bring him here?”

Kuririn drew in his breath sharply to protest, but almost instantly decided against it. Being alive did hold a bit of value to him, and besides, he knew
it was killing Bulma to have to ask Vegita for help again. She’d only do something that drastic if she knew they were out of other options, and he
trusted her judgment enough to agree with her.

“Well?” She said impatiently, beginning to glare at Vegita. Why did all their plans end up in their relying on his help?

Vegita scowled at her. “If you do what I tell you,” he said sternly, “then you won’t need Kakkorot. That’s a promise.”

Bulma nodded gravely. “Need him or not, though,” she continued, “I still intend to bring him here. That’s one point I refuse to bend on.” She stared
at him with a strong finality in her expression; one that Kuririn and Goku had learned long ago that you NEVER want to challenge.

Surprisingly, though, Vegita didn’t disagree. He simply smiled smugly at her and shrugged. “If that’s what you want then I won’t object,” he said
graciously. “Let him come and watch the show if you want. But you can tell him in advance that he’ll be doing nothing but watching. I won’t want
his help, and I certainly won’t need it!”

“I hope you’re right,” Bulma sighed, shaking her head at him, “for all our sakes.”

“Guys,” Gohan said nervously, tugging on her arm and pointing up. “Could you hurry this up? Piccolo’s losing!”

They looked up and saw that he was right. Piccolo had definitely seen better days. Freeza had beaten him nearly senseless, and now he was
playing a one-person game of badminton up there – with Piccolo as the birdie!

Bulma groaned. “Gohan!” She ordered. “Keep an eye on Piccolo and Freeza. I know it’ll be hard for you, but you mustn’t interfere with them unless
Freeza’s about to deal the final blow. Don’t worry; we’ll take care of the rest! C’mere, Kuririn!” She barked, grabbing his arm. She yanked him over
to Vegita, and then she grabbed HIS arm. With the two protesting men in tow, she teleported with them over the hill to where Dende was.

“All right,” she said as she dropped their arms and let them stumble in the awkwardness of being teleported without warning. “I’m not going to do
this. I can’t mortally wound someone if it’s not in self-defense. I’m sorry, Kuririn, but I just don’t think I have the strength for this. This is something
I need your help with.”

“What? Me?!” Kuririn exclaimed, backing away from her and Vegita. “Is that what you brought me here for?”

“Kuririn, I have neither the experience nor the strength for this,” she said gently. “I’m sorry.”

“You two better decide this quick,” Vegita growled, pointing to the tip of the hill, which was all that was between them and Freeza’s view. “The
Namek doesn’t have much time, and we’re almost within Freeza’s view!”

“I can’t!” Kuririn cried, backing away. “I… I… I just can’t!”

Bulma had been afraid of this. She sighed. So it was up to her after all.

During all this commotion, Dende had managed to back himself up against the rock face, his entire body shaking violently. Bulma and Kuririn’s (and
especially Vegita’s) sudden appearance had shocked and terrified him. But what had him so worked up now was the strange things they were
saying. He didn’t know what they were talking about, but both Kuririn and Bulma were hesitating, so he had a feeling that he wasn’t going to like it.
He also had a feeling that it involved him.

Bulma noticed the distraught look on his face, and she smiled softly at him. He deserved an explanation. “Fine, Kuririn,” she said, trying not to
sound too upset. “I’ll do it then. Please go tell Dende what’s going on, will you? He’ll need to be ready in case I accidentally overdo it and Vegita
fades out too fast.”

Although she hadn’t really meant to, she made Kuririn feel guilty after that. He knew she’d never killed anyone before, and it would be that much
harder for her because of it. He felt like the biggest louse in the world.

Bulma saw the indecision in his face, and she knew that although he definitely didn’t want to have to do this, he would if she asked him to again.
Fortunately for him, though, she wasn’t that kind of person. She just frowned and ordered him to get a move on and fill Dende in on the details. He
did as she asked.

Bulma drew in a long, slow breath and studied Vegita. She didn’t like this. Even if it WAS Vegita, she didn’t like it. But it had to be done, so she
readied herself for the inevitable.

“Are you ready?” She asked Vegita emotionlessly.

“Are you?” He replied, watching her without too much concern. He seemed pretty sure of himself.

Bulma closed her eyes in concentration. She had to get into the right frame of mind for this. For that, she had to make herself hate him enough to
kill him. And strangely enough, that wasn’t as easy as it sounded. But she focused her thoughts on all the things he’d done to her – and even more
importantly – to her friends. He’d been responsible for the deaths of Piccolo, Tenshinhan, Chouzu, and Yamucha. Yamucha! Just thinking about the
awful way he had to die made her furious. But that wasn’t all Vegita had done. Oh no! On top of all that, he always seemed to be there whenever
she had gotten herself in major trouble. And not only was he there, but he was always quick to point her mistakes out to her, and rub them in her
face. First there was Dodoria. Then there was that time he traded her for their dragonballs. And then there was that whole disaster with Jees. And
even recently, when she’d nearly been killed by Freeza, there he was to criticize her right after she’d been healed by Dende. He always seemed to
enjoy rubbing her mistakes in her face! Always! She hated him for it!

Bulma had managed to work herself into a nice little rage by now, which was precisely what she wanted. She immediately channeled her anger as a
manifestation of her power, and she used it to charge up her ki. She opened her eyes and focused on Vegita’s middle.

“Ready!” She snarled, drawing her right fist back as she powered up.

“Strike!” Vegita cried, letting his arms fly out away from his body and tensing up. He was ready.

Bulma concentrated all the ki power she could at the end of her arm. She knew this beam would have to be fairly dense and powerful to penetrate
Vegita’s armor and skin, so she was working fiercely to achieve sufficient ki concentration at the end of her arm. Finally, she was sure that she had
gathered enough ki power to level a small city, and she prepared to blast him.

Freeza and Piccolo had by now moved their struggle until they were directly overhead, but only Kuririn and Dende had taken notice of this. They
were both too scared to speak, though, so Bulma and Vegita would have to remain oblivious.

Bulma yelled ferociously with the effort, and she shot her deadly blast at Vegita’s middle. It crunched almost effortlessly through his armor, and
Bulma could see right away that she’d been successful. Vegita’s eyes opened terribly wide, and his teeth and fists clenched as her blast pierced his
skin and seared its way completely through his stomach. The remnants of her blast that hadn’t been slowed sufficiently enough by Vegita’s body
cracked open the back of his armor and shot completely through the other side of him.

Vegita looked shakily down at the gaping hole in his middle. He smiled faintly, and looked approvingly back up at her. “You did it,” he said, a bit of
blood beginning to trickle down the corner of his mouth. Then his eyes rolled back a little, and he fell to the ground.

Bulma sank to her knees, having suddenly been overcome by an intense wave of nausea. She couldn’t believe she had just done that. She actually
shot straight through Vegita’s middle. For a moment she didn’t care why she had done it. She just wished she could take it back. It was an awful,
sickening feeling to know that she had just dealt a death blow to Vegita.

“Dende,” she croaked, still struggling with her own emotions. “Please heal him quickly! I wounded him far too badly for him to last long.”

“Um, Bulma?” Kuririn said nervously, eyeing the two fighters still grappling in the air above them. “There’s a slight hitch in the plan. Dende says he
can’t heal Vegita. He can’t bring himself to heal the man who was responsible for the deaths of so many of his people.”

“What?!” Bulma gasped, looking up sharply. “No! But I’ve already hit him! He won’t survive this, Dende!”

“I’m sorry,” Dende said, shaking his head and looking down at the ground. “I can’t in good conscience do such a thing.”

“But he’ll die!” Bulma wailed, her voice becoming shrill and frantic. “Dende, please! You know I wouldn’t ask you for something like this if it wasn’t
absolutely necessary! We need Vegita’s boost in strength to save Piccolo!” She got to her feet then, and just as she did so, Piccolo’s nearly-lifeless
body fell next to her with a thump. She yelped in surprise and jumped back, looking up as she did so. Freeza was up there, and he was looking
down at them with a great deal of surprise.

Suddenly a distressed yell came from the other side of the hill. “Piccolo!” Gohan yelled, sailing over to their side and darting to his friend’s side. “No!
Piccolo, are you all right?”

Momentarily forgetting Vegita, Bulma glared up at Freeza. He was smirking now and he dropped down before them.

“What have we here?” He asked with a sneer. “Did I miss yet another get-together? Oh dear, and here I am improperly attired too! What shall I do
about this? I know! I’ll just slip into something more becoming!”

“What the hell are you babbling about?” Bulma asked crossly. “I’m getting tired of all your nonsense, Freeza!”

Freeza flashed her a grin. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this. “I was simply apologizing for the unpleasantness of this form,” he said politely.
“It is rather unbecoming, don’t you agree? Fortunately, though, I can remedy this situation! For as you shall see in a few moments, I have yet
another transformation to undergo before I am at full power. And I can assure you, it’s much easier to look at than this one is. Since you are
obviously a woman of taste, I am assuming that you would like to see my other form. Am I right?”

The sudden paling of Bulma’s face seemed to have the desired effect, because his grin widened. Bulma stepped back a bit and shook her head in
disbelief. “You’re kidding!” She exclaimed, horrified. “It can’t be true!”

“So you would enjoy that, wouldn’t you?” He laughed at her. He watched her gleefully as she began to shake out of fear and anger together. But
receiving no verbal response from her, he just continued. “Well, far be it from me to disappoint a lady!” He chuckled, bowing gracefully. “Just watch
this, and be the first beings alive to witness my transformation into my final – and ultimate – form!”

“No!” Bulma said in a barely audible voice. She balled her hands into fists and snarled at Freeza. “No!” She repeated, much louder this time. “You
can’t! I won’t let you!” Screaming in desperation and fury, she flew at him with all her might, fists raised and ki flaring. When she reached him, she
swung forcefully at his head, but found herself swinging through empty air. He rematerialized a good hundred yards away in a flat, rocky place that
was well within view. He laughed tauntingly at her, telling her to have patience; he’d give her a run for her money in his new form! Bulma screamed
in her rage, and tried to lunge at him, but Kuririn and Gohan darted in and held her back.

“Let me go!” She cried, struggling against them. “Don’t you see that we won’t have a snowball’s chance in hell if we let him transform again? We’ve
got to stop him before it’s too late!”

“What are we gonna do, huh?” Kuririn asked angrily, helping Gohan drag her back toward the others. “You think we stand a chance against him
now? Do you honestly think that there’s anything we can do to stop him from doing whatever the hell he wants? Well, I don’t! Now, dammit, Bulma,
calm down! We have to take care of Piccolo first! He’s going to die if we don’t, and you’re going to die if we let you go fight Freeza without any
help!”

They finally managed to get her to calm down, and as she stood watching Freeza helplessly, they got Dende to begin healing Piccolo. It was then
that she remembered Vegita.

“Oh God!” She exclaimed. “Vegita! I can’t believe I forgot!” She ran over to his side and looked down at him. He hadn’t moved since he fell. Bulma
gulped. She bent over and gently turned him over onto his back. He was still breathing, but he didn’t look like he had much time left. “Oh man,
Vegita, please don’t die!” She whispered. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know Dende wouldn’t heal you! This is all my fault!” She felt like crying. She’d never
killed anyone before, and even though Vegita had done a lot of bad things, he really hadn’t provoked her attack, so she had killed him unjustly. She
didn’t want to have to live with this. She didn’t want him to die! She had to try again. If only Dende would listen to her! Perhaps he might still be
persuaded to undo the harm she’d caused.

She trotted over to the others, who were all crowded around Piccolo, with Dende already halfway through the healing process. Bulma was pretty
glad that Freeza hadn’t totally killed Piccolo. They really needed him. But unfortunately, they really needed Vegita too, and unless she could get
Dende to help him, they could count him out.

Finally, Dende finished healing Piccolo, who sat up and smiled at him kindly. “Hello, Dende,” he said, giving Dende quite a start. It wasn’t Piccolo’s
voice that had said it. Rather, it was Nail’s voice that had come from Piccolo’s lips!

“Nail!?” Dende gasped, stepping back. “Wha-?!”

“It’s okay,” Piccolo – or Nail’s voice in Piccolo – said kindly. “I’m here, but not the same. Piccolo and I fused so that he could be made strong
enough to fight Freeza. We are now, essentially, one and the same person.” “So that was why Piccolo was so strong all of the sudden?” Kuririn
asked.

“Yes,” Dende said. “When two Nameks join their bodies and minds as one, the result is a stronger, faster, smarter Namek warrior.”

“Well, now that Piccolo… er… Nail… whatever,” Bulma floundered. “Now that they’re healed, I have to ask you again to please heal Vegita, Dende.
It’s unfair for us to let him die, since he was unwilling to fight me back when I wounded him. He allowed me to hurt him because he knew we would
revive him. I’m begging you, Dende. Don’t let him die!”

Dende looked like he was about to refuse again, but Piccolo put his hand on the young Namek’s shoulder. “Heal him, Dende,” he said, this time with
his normal voice. “Try to put your feelings for him aside. We need his help.”

Dende sighed and nodded. It appeared that he respected Piccolo enough to do what he asked, much to everyone’s relief. He walked over to the
barely living Vegita and grudgingly began to heal him. Bulma breathed a sigh of relief and sank to the ground wearily. That was just too close for her
comfort. Thank goodness Piccolo had done that!

“Hey Piccolo,” she said, not bothering to lift her head as he got to his feet and watched Freeza off in the distance. “I think we need to bring Goku
here. I was hoping that once Dende was done healing Vegita I could take him back to Freeza’s compound so that he could finish healing Goku.”

“I think that’s a very good idea,” Piccolo said grimly. “We really do need his help here, especially now that Freeza’s transforming yet again.”

“Will you do this for us, Dende?” Bulma pleaded, looking up at him hopefully. “I know that it must seem like we’re just using you here, but it’s really
important that we make sure Goku’s here to help us.”

Dende just smiled briefly at her. He was too deep in his concentration to answer her yet. Finally, he finished healing Vegita, and as the Saiyan
warrior got to his feet, Bulma could sense the drastic improvement in his strength and power. But for a moment, she didn’t worry at all about it. She
was just so relieved that he was actually going to live. She stood up again and looked gratefully down at Dende.

“Thank you, Dende,” she said happily.

Dende just remained where he was, his fists clenched tightly at his sides and his teeth bared angrily. He had healed Vegita, but that didn’t mean
that any of his feelings for the Saiyan had changed. Vegita looked down at him with a fierce scowl. Suddenly and without warning, he drew back
his arm and swiftly backhanded Dende in the face. It was a fairly light blow – for Vegita, that is – but it was more than enough than was required
to knock the small boy roughly to the ground.

“Vegita!” Bulma shrieked, appalled at what he’d done. “Why the hell…?!”

“That was for trying to let me die,” Vegita said mildly, ignoring her. He walked away from Dende and looked at Freeza off in the distance. “I heard
every word that was said. I may have been dying, but I wasn’t deaf!”

Bulma started. “You heard everything?” She asked, suddenly rather embarrassed.

Vegita paused and, turning around, looked at her suddenly with an odd expression. “Yes,” he replied, giving her a look that made her very
uncomfortable indeed. “Everything.”

Without realizing it, Bulma blushed in her embarrassment. Boy, that figured. It seemed that he always got to see her whenever she was making a
fool of herself. What a jerk.

Vegita smirked, and then turned back around to watch Freeza again. Bulma frowned, and then sent a look of apology at Dende. He just shrugged at
her and got up to dust himself off. He didn’t seem too surprised by what Vegita had done to him, although he had the beginnings of a fine bruise on
the side of his face where he’d been struck. Piccolo kind of growled at Vegita, but Vegita was ignoring them altogether.

“You know,” he said suddenly, not even looking back at them. “Freeza saw every bit of that. Now he knows how we keep recovering from our
wounds, and I have a feeling he isn’t going to allow it to go on.”

Bulma gasped in horror and stared at Freeza. Vegita was right. He was right in the middle of his transformation, but it was more than obvious that
he had witnessed everything. He was staring straight at them with those cold eyes of his, and the look of hatred on his face was enough to take
one’s breath away. Bulma looked down at Dende, and he looked back as they shared the same thought. It wasn’t too difficult to see which one
would get the privilege of being Freeza’s first victim now. Dende was going to be the first to go. He gulped and looked up at Piccolo, who was
staring at Freeza sternly.

“Bulma,” Piccolo said abruptly, startling her. “I think you and Dende should go get Goku now. It’ll be better if you can get as much of a head start
as possible.”

Bulma nodded, fully understanding that Goku wasn’t the only reason she was taking Dende to Freeza’s compound. It was probably best for him to
remain out of sight from now on, and now that this hill had been compromised – the only place to hide for miles – it was time to move him to a safer
place.

“Come on, Dende,” Bulma said, reaching for his hand, which he gave to her without hesitation. “It’s time to make our exit. You four be careful,
okay? I know there’s really no need to say this, but try not to get killed until I get back. Dende won’t be able to help you if you’ve crossed over
into the afterlife.”

Piccolo smirked. “You just bring Goku here,” he said. “We’ll take care of Freeza.”

“Don’t bother,” Vegita said casually. “There won’t be anything left of Freeza to worry about when you get back.”

Bulma glanced up at him and frowned slightly. That cocky attitude of his just might get him killed. Sighing and shaking her head, she looked back
down at Dende.

“Are you ready?” She asked him with a light smile.

“Yes,” he said, nodding quickly. “Let’s hurry.”

“You’ve got it,” she said, nodding back. She stood up and, with a brief but reassuring nod at Kuririn and Gohan, she stopped time. She picked up
Dende and, cradling him in her arms like a baby, took off with him for Freeza’s compound. She knew that once she got there they’d have to work
fast. There was just no telling what might happen in the short span of time it would take to revive Goku. Coming back would be no problem. She’d
simply teleport him there as soon as he was healed. That would be best.

She finally arrived with Dende at the compound, and she didn’t bother to allow time to flow normally again until they were in the recovery room.
Then she halted her teleport and set Dende down gently on his feet.

“Goku’s in this tank here,” Bulma said, rushing over to examine the controls on the outside. “If I can figure out how to open this thing, we’ll be in
business!”

“Okay, but please hurry!” Dende cried, fidgeting nervously. “Freeza’s finished with his transformation!”

“You don’t have to tell me that,” Bulma said grimly. “I can feel it too.” Freeza was so powerful right now that the very feel of him so overwhelmed
her ki sense that it made her head hurt. “Oh hell!” She cursed angrily, giving up on the indecipherable control panel. “There’s no time for this! Stand
back, Dende!”

He did as she ordered, and Bulma carefully punched through the view port, shattering the glass and causing the blue liquid to come pouring out of
the hole. She reached in and grabbed the inside rim of the viewport with both hands. Then, pulling with all her might, she slowly tore the door
away, allowing the rest of the liquid inside to pour out all over the floor – and herself. “Okay,” she said, tossing the door aside and reaching in to
detach the breathing apparatus from Goku’s face. “I’m going to lay him down on the floor here, okay, Dende?” She said, pulling him gently out of
the tank and hoisting him onto her shoulders.

“All right,” Dende replied, stepping back to give her some more space. She laid Goku gently at his feet, and Dende knelt down beside him and placed
his hands on Goku’s chest.

“This shouldn’t take long,” Dende said, as he began to concentrate.

“All right,” Bulma sighed. They were halfway there. She concentrated her senses on what was happening out on the battlefield. Everyone was still
out there – and pretty healthy, as far as she could tell – but only Vegita and Freeza’s ki signatures were flaring and active. Vegita and Freeza had
begun to fight. Bulma could tell right away that unless that whole “Super Saiyan” mumbo jumbo took effect soon, Vegita was in for a real beating.
Although his ki and battle power were now truly magnificent, he was still insanely inferior to Freeza in both respects. Bulma shifted her weight
around from one foot to the other in her nervousness. So far Freeza had only been toying with Vegita, but suddenly she felt a huge rush of ki as he
turned up the juice. He then proceeded to beat the living snot out of the hapless Saiyan prince, and Bulma could sense each distinct blow as well
as the toll it took on Vegita’s strength. It wouldn’t take very much more of this to put Vegita out of commission for good.

“All done!” Dende said suddenly, sitting back. Bulma spun around and saw – with no small degree of relief – that Goku was sitting up and lively as
ever.

“Hey, thanks!” Goku said, patting Dende on the head. “You put all the doctors back on Earth to shame, Dende!”

Dende giggled, and he grinned at Bulma. He liked Goku already.

Goku got up onto his feet and stretched a bit. “Man, I feel great!” He said happily.

“Um, Goku?” Bulma said apprehensively. She could feel Veigta’s signal dwindling. There was no time for this. They had to go now!

Goku must have known what she was thinking. “Right,” he said. He was all business now. “I already know what’s been going on, Bulma. I’ve been
keeping up with things with my ki sense. Believe it or not, I was awake for everything after you guys finished your wishes and Freeza appeared.”

“Um,” Bulma said nervously, “we never did get to finish our wishes, Goku. I guess you’d better read my thoughts so you’ll know what’s going on. But
hurry! We need to get out there quick, because Freeza’s killing Vegita!”

“Right!” Goku said, his expression hardening. He put his hand on her head, and Bulma felt a slight tingling sensation on the back of her neck. It felt
different when Goku read her mind. But he was done in much less time than it took Saichorou. “Okay, Bulma,” he said when he was done. “Take me
there now. You’re right. I can feel Vegita’s life slipping away.”

“Should I go too?” Dende asked calmly.

“No!” Goku said right away. “It’s much too dangerous for you! Freeza will kill you on sight if he sees you again! No, I think it’s best that we just
leave you here. If we need your help, I’ll send Bulma with whoever needs healing.”

“But what if Bulma’s the one who needs healing?” Dende asked worriedly.

Goku was at a loss for words. He scratched his head in consternation. Bulma almost giggled at him. Goku never was one for coming up with ideas.

“Ah well!” He said decisively and shrugging. “I’ll just see to it that she doesn’t have to fight!”

Bulma sighed. Oh yeah, that sounded easy enough! Leave it to Goku to think of a foolproof plan. “Don’t worry Dende,” she said reassuringly. “I’ll be
careful. We’ll be all right. You just wait. In no time at all we’ll all come back to tell you the good news!”

“Ready, Goku?” She said quickly. Vegita was nearly gone.

“Ready!” He said. “Let’s go, Bulma!”

She grabbed onto Goku’s right arm. “Rapid Teleport!” She cried. She took off with him through the ship and in no time – literally – they were outside
and she was flying him toward the battlefield. She was too deep in concentration and worry to realize that this time Vegita was the one who
needed rescuing.



On To Chapter 26 ~~~>