"Hyaaaah!" Goku shouted, igniting his ki all around him and releasing a devastating explosion towards Freeza, who shrieked as he was thrown against the ground. Goku quickly dropped down and began to beat down on him, but in a way, Freeza had the advantage in hand-to-hand. The Arcosian's greater agility, not to mention his deadly tail, soon evened the odds between them.
Goku blocked a punch, only to be grabbed by a foot and thrown into the path of a tail-slap. Somersaulting away, Goku breathed deeply as he reached for the ki of the world, building a Spirit Bomb in his hand. He didn't get much time to concentrate, and the Namekian world was quite barren in terms of life forms. In fact, most of the ki that went into the hastily-built bomb was coming from Freeza and himself. As it was, the ball was barely larger than a car before Freeza peppered it with red-hot ki bolts, triggering the explosion to go off early.
The Arcosian was shocked at the size of the explosion, and didn't get out of range fast enough to not get singed, but was much better off than he would have been if he let it get any larger, or if it landed a direct hit. Freeza watched the slowly-clearing dust cloud, waiting to see whether Goku survived the point-blank explosion. His outfit was even further damaged, but it seemed that the blast only left a few more burns on top of Goku's already bruised torso.
Goku dashed forward, and Freeza retreated, deflecting any ki bolts Goku sent flying his way. "I mustn't let him keep the offensive." Freeza muttered, knocking away a blast that had come far too close to his eye for his liking. "Super Saiyan!" Freeza shouted.
"What?!" Goku yelled back, not hesitating as he closed the gap between himself and Freeza.
"Your mongrel breed is a bloodthirsty sort, aren't you?! Don't you want to face me at my best?!"
"What, do you have another form?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't. Any modification I did to my true form would only decrease my ability." Freeza said, avoiding a swing by Goku, and replying in kind, his own blow more accurate, but not enough to stagger the Saiyan. Freeza could scarcely believe it. It was like he was child again, fighting uselessly against his father! "But as I am now, you're barely seeing seventy percent of my true strength!" At that, Goku looked interested.
"You're holding back, even now?"
"Not holding back, per se." Freeza grumbled, spitting out blood as Goku gave him a kick he didn't see coming, "It's simply been decades since I've had to resort to this form! My body hasn't yet acclimated to being released in its entirety!"
"Well then..."
[Nononono!] King Kai's voice shouted into the depths of Goku's rage-filled brain.
"...Let's see it." Goku said, smirking and backing off, crossing his arms.
[AH ME, DAMN IT!] King Kai screamed.
[Trust me on this King Kai. I can handle him. And if he's fighting me, he won't have a chance to interfere with the wishes!]
[Fine! But don't get carried away!]
[Kami, have you gathered the Balls?!]
"It is done, North Kai." Kami said reverently. "Should I begin the wish?"
[If you've got the right wording, go ahead. Time is of the essence!]
"As you will, North Kai." Kami said, before giving the go-ahead to Mr. Popo.
"Eternal Dragon! Come forth!" Mr. Popo cried, and the balls began to glow, the massive emerald serpent extending far into the sky.
"STATE YOUR WISH."
"With the exception of the warrior Tien, return to life every being who was killed by Freeza, Vegeta, Nappa, or anyone else who was working for Freeza! Even those on other worlds!"
"I HAVE NEVER GRANTED A WISH WITH SUCH SCOPE, I AM NOT SURE, BUT I WILL TRY..." Kami and Popo looked to each other nervously, was it asking too much of Shenlong? "IT IS DONE." Shenlong said, after a few moments, his tone showing that he was quite proud of himself, "BUT IF YOU CAN, AFTER SOMETHING SO STRENUOUS... PLEASE GIVE ME A YEAR AND A HALF TO REST. AHH, HOW I MISS THE DAYS WHEN DECADES PASSED BETWEEN WISHES." with that, the balls turned to stone, flying to the corners of the Earth, the sky returning to its previous state of light.
"And this, is me at my 100%!" Freeza declared, having bulked up significantly. "You were foolish to allow this, Super Saiyan! It just means you'll die all too soon!"
"Hmph. We'll see!" the two of them began to furiously attack and defend, every move made by the other was blocked, countered, and returned in a deadly dance. Goku smiled ferociously, enjoying the chance to push himself. But something was keeping him from enjoying it to its max, the niggling of concern in the back of his mind. [I still can't sense Gohan! What's taking them with the Dragon Balls?]
[The Dragon said the wish was strenuous... but it should be any moment now!]
Soon enough, Goku felt the ki of almost a hundred lives return from nothing. [Gohan! He's, my boy is alive!] Goku froze in place, smiling genuinely, and for a dangerous second, his hair almost turned black as the rage in his heart transformed to relief all at once. Freeza, seeing the distraction, and the momentary lapse in the golden glow, grinned just as much, and renewed his attack, feeling hopeful that he now was the more powerful one. Goku took several hard attacks, before his rage returned enough for him to give his all in fighting Freeza once more.
[Damn it Goku! You nearly got yourself killed just now!]
[But I'm just so damn happy! Gohan's alive, and, if everything goes right, Chi Chi doesn't have to know he died!]
[It's more than just Gohan and the Namekians...] King Kai said, his voice filled with wonder, [Every... every single person across the galaxy who had been killed by Freeza or his men over the last year, has returned to life!]
[That's great, King Kai!]
[Oh, Lord Yemma is gonna be pissed, but this is amazing! That wish reversed a year's worth of death reaped by the Arcosian! There are empty worlds once more filled with life!]
The joy in his trainer's voice was enough to give Goku the boost he needed to push the advantage once again on Freeza. [Now, about my plan?]
[It should work.] King Kai said. [I'll contact the one closest to the Namekian Dragon Balls! But, in the meantime?]
[Yeah King Kai?]
[Don't die.]
[Got it!]
[And Goku?]
[Yeah, King Kai?]
[DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID, EITHER!] The sudden shout was enough to distract Goku once more, and for his trouble he got a full-power deck in the face from Freeza, crashing through a mountain.
"Ugh, he tells me not to get in trouble, and then he distracts me!" Goku complained, jumping back into the brawl.
"What is this?" Guru asked, looking back on the world of the living, all the pains of his failing body returned to him. The sky was dark, and not simply because of Porunga.
[Lord Guru, I am the North Kai, a deity who runs your section of the galaxy. It is very important that you listen to me.]
"I... of course. How might I help, I am afraid I am not long for this world."
[We just need you to make a wish! Send every living thing on planet Namek except Freeza to the planet known as Earth! Actually, uh, that should be your third wish. For the second wish, Goku had the suggestion.]
"Goku?"
[A warrior from Earth. Right now, he's fighting against Freeza. You've met his son.]
"Then I will gladly make his wish in the little time I have left. What is it?"
Gohan's eyes snapped open as he looked out over the truly massive crater before them. The last few minutes came back in a flash, and Gohan shivered. "So... that's what dying feels like."
"Nail! You're alive!" Dende cried, grabbing onto the leg of the larger Namekian.
"We were wished back with Earth's Dragon Balls! I told you it would work."
"The sky... Dende! The sky!"
"It's dark... the Dragon! The Elder!"
"They brought him back to life." Nail said, unbelieving, tears running down his face.
"Bwahahaha!" Vegeta cackled, getting up from where he was sitting, "Not even death can stop me!" Vegeta declared, looking over their motley group, and self-consciously feeling the hole in his armor where the Death Beam incinerated his heart. Underneath the hole in the plating was simply flesh, and Vegeta was glad to know that he didn't be stay long in the dreadful place on the other side.
"Vegeta..." Aspara weakly called.
The Saiyan prince ran over to her, lifting her up, "What happened? Where's Freeza?" He demanded.
"He's... fighting Kakarot."
"Kakarot, you mean my Dad?" Gohan asked, shocked, "All by himself! We need to go help him!"
"Don't bother." She said with a smile, "He's entered into the legend, Vegeta. He's the true Super Saiyan, and it's more beautiful than anything I've ever seen."
"You're delusional from blood loss, woman. Whatever Kakarot's latest zenkai increased him by, it's nowhere we can't follow." Vegeta glared over at Dende, "Well? Help her, Namek brat!"
"It wasn't a zenkai, it was a transformation." she said as Dende's healing hands worked their magic.
"He became an ape?"
"No." she said, her voice taking on a mystified tone, "He became a God."
"Feh." Vegeta dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
"Feel his ki, Vegeta. He's fighting Freeza to a standstill, right now."
Vegeta concentrated only for a half-second, before the magnitude of the two of them bombarded his senses. "Oh gods..." he muttered, "That's..."
"He's magnificent, Vegeta. I've decided."
"Decided what, woman?" Vegeta asked suspiciously.
"That Kakarot is the next King of the Saiyans." she said, utterly sure of herself.
"How dare you!" Vegeta growled.
"I'm going to make him an Emperor the likes of which the galaxy has never known, and I'll rule at his side. The moment I get him alone, I'm going to-" she said, her face beginning to flush.
Gohan was outraged, kicking her, "Don't talk like that about my Dad! He'd never do something like that! Besides, he's not evil like the rest of you! He wouldn't want to be an emperor of anything!"
"I agree with the brat, on all accounts. I don't need to hear a damn thing about what you're going to do with Kakarot while alone. And Kakarot's too soft to conquer any world let alone the universe, he has no pride, wants no glory, he hasn't even conquered his home planet filled with nothing but easily ruled weaklings!"
"Irrelevant." She said with a smirk, "We'll begin with children, that'll be the easy part." she ignored Gohan's glare, "And then I'll lead him to his glorious destiny, one step at a time. I'll find a way to make him see sense."
"Hah! I'd like to see you make the attempt." Vegeta dismissed, before taking off into the air, flying towards the battle.
Aspara smirked, patting Gohan on the head as she passed, "I hope we'll become good friends." she said, prompting him to glare at her, before she laughed and took off after Vegeta.
Gohan sighed, looking behind him at the two Namekians, before realizing why they had been so quiet. Krillin's body laid there on the ground, lifeless. "Oh... Krillin." Gohan said sadly. "He's already been brought back once by the Earth's Dragon Balls."
"Why wouldn't they bring him back a second time?" Nail asked, respectfully picking up the body.
"That's just how Earth's Dragon Balls work." Gohan said with a sad smile. "Let's see about getting to the Grand Elder and fixing this, then."
"Right." Dende said. "There should be two more wishes left!"
[Hello?] All three of them froze in place as they looked around for the source of the voice, [Don't bother, this is the North Lord of Worlds. The truth is, both wishes are going to be used. It's the only way to save Namek. Err... the Namekians. The plan was, surprisingly, Son Goku's.]
"My Dad's plan?"
Nail narrowed his eyes. "Wait, you said it would save the Namekians... but not Namek itself?"
[Look, the planet's doomed anyway! Freeza's destroyed the world's core.]
"Our home..." Dende said quietly.
[Don't cry! Come on, chin up! Goku's going to send you all to Earth!]
"Earth? With the wish?" Nail asked, "I suppose, if there's no other choice. Why hasn't it happened already?"
[Goku wants to beat Freeza first.] King Kai muttered, his voice dripping with irritation.
"Ah, that makes sense." Gohan said, smiling a little.
[I contacted you to tell you that you need to hold onto Krillin when the teleportation happens, or else when we do revive him, he'll just come to life in the middle of Goku's trap and die instantly again.]
"Goku's trap?"
"Let's see how you like it!" Freeza cried, sending the spinning discs of energy after Goku, who avoided them easily, vanishing and reappearing throughout the air over the hole in the planet, leaving afterimages behind.
"I'm getting bored, Freeza." Goku said simply. "At your maximum power, this battle was fun, but you've just been getting weaker and weaker. You're not a threat any more." his hair fell back down, the gold light vanishing away.
"Liar!" Freeza cried, abandoning the Kienzan to swipe at Goku, but his hand merely passed through the after-image. "I... I can't lose! Not like this."
"I'll give you one last chance, Freeza." Goku said, his voice hard. "And only one. If you value your life, disappear. Don't hurt anyone ever again, and I'll let you escape this world."
"Fool! I don't need to escape, it's you who needs a way out! I'll survive the explosion, and it'll be only a matter of time until my loyal soldiers retrieve me from space! But you, and every life form on this world will perish!"
"You're wrong." Goku said, "Can't you see the sky?"
"The death spasms of Namek are messing with the atmosphere, what of it?"
"I keep forgetting, you can't sense other's energy. It's strange, that you could grow so powerful without ever being able to feel the power of others... but I suppose it just goes to show what kind of person you are that you can't."
"What does this prattle have to do with anything?"
"Our first wish brought back the Dragon Balls on my homeworld."
"The- then my dream of immortality-"
"We used that wish right away. Every Namekian who you murdered, as well as anyone else you've killed, was resurrected. My son is alive again. And you should be very grateful for that. If he was lost forever... well, I would have just tormented you before abandoning you to your fate."
Freeza gulped, "Get on with it, Saiyan!"
"Well, by bringing back the Guru, we brought back Namek's Dragon Balls, which have three wishes. We used one to lay a trap for you. A final ultimatum. You said there was one thing that could kill you."
"I did?"
"Didn't you? Earlier you said nothing less than a black hole would be able to kill you." Goku shrugged, "I really hope that wasn't just some kind of alien turn-of-phrase or something. It'd really suck if we went through all this trouble, and you could live through one anyway."
"A... a black hole?!" Freeza asked, incredulous, "Impossible. We're nowhere near one!"
"So you are scared then? That's good. Our second wish was that if Planet Namek was destroyed, it would turn into a black hole."
"N-no. Nonononono!" Freeza panicked, looking around him, "My ship, I need to get to, no, it would still pull me in, I need to... you would die too, you filthy brute! And all the Namekians! Your son, he would die a second time!"
"And that brings us to the last wish, the only one yet to be made... is to transport every living thing on Namek to my homeworld, Earth. With a potential exception. You."
"Why haven't you done it already?" Freeza asked, "You said earlier I couldn't be forgiven!" the tyrant dared to hope, searching Goku's eyes.
"You were so powerful... and your potential is even greater. You could have been such a powerful force for good, and you threw it away... but I want to believe, after seeing that strength for myself, that you should be given a second chance anyway. Besides..." he grinned, jerking his thumb at his own face, "I'm a Saiyan after all! I love a good fight more than almost anything, and how I am now, who else can give me a challenge?"
"Fine." Freeza said, "I'll be a 'force of good'. Now get me off of this rock!"
Goku shook his head, "Convince me."
"We have only minutes! Perhaps seconds! Before this world is gone and you damn us to crushing death in a singularity!" Freeza growled.
The Super Saiyan walked forward, and placed his hand on Freeza's head, the Arcosian was about to back away, but he didn't sense any malice in it.
He's in my thoughts! Freeza realized. "Get out of my head!"
"This is your chance to convince me. Convince yourself. You're done with destroying worlds and killing innocents, one way or another. Either you make yourself believe that right now, or you die."
"I..." I'll be good. I promise. My father will destroy you- no no! I'll convince him and Cooler- No! I, I can be a good person, really! It's just pointless for other beings to exist if they aren't useful! No! I didn't mean that! Filthy monkey trash, I mean, you're disgusting brutes by nature but, no I can change I can help I can be good I'll kill you I don't want to die- NO! NO! I hate you! I promise that I'll pretend, NO, I will! I will until you're no longer suspicious and DAMN IT ME. I don't want to die!
Goku sighed, pulling his hand away. "Too bad. A lot of the people I know, used to be villains. Killers. But when they see there's another way, that someone can become stronger without being a monster... they realize they were going about things wrong. Some of them took time, like Piccolo, but you're a worse person than he was."
"Don't leave me here to die!" Freeza begged.
[Goku don't you dare.] King Kai chastised, [You gave him far more of a chance than he deserved already!]
Goku only hesitated another moment, before looking to the sky, "It's just. Go ahead, King Kai."
"NO!" Freeza shouted.
The two other Saiyans were only just beginning to appear on the horizon, seeing Goku and Freeza as two tiny dots hovering over the great hole in the world. They felt it as Freeza called upon every last bit of his reserves, unleashing a wave the likes of which could have destroyed Namek all over again, this time in an instant.
Vegeta flinched in mid-air, instinctually backing away from it, but Aspara grabbed him. "Just watch."
"Darn it Freeza!" Goku cried, his hair flaring gold once more, his aura's brightness making him a spot of yellow in the crashing wall of red. Goku wrenched his hands to the side, pouring out his own ki and weaving it into Freeza's blast, taking control and redirecting it away from the planet and out into space.
When Freeza was spent, Goku dropped the Super Saiyan transformation once more, looking bruised but not beaten. With a ruthless strike with his foot, Freeza was sent flying downwards, into the deep chasm, where the unraveling molten core of Namek coming apart deep inside it.
"NO!" Freeza cried, staring up at Goku getting farther and farther away as he descended into darkness.
Then Goku vanished, along with every other life form on Namek.
Besides Freeza.
The Arcosian looked away from the light above him, instead looking at the light below him. The core was shaking, writhing, and then promptly collapsed. Freeza watched as the crust of Namek was eaten away by the explosion, the outer surface breaking up around the upwelling of magma, before suddenly everything stopped. The force of the explosion, pushing everything away, stilled, and then reversed. Freeza felt the pull like nothing else, and he tried to fly upward, struggling to rise away from the retreating magma and crumbling stone. Soon, the red light of Namek's innards was snuffed out, vanishing into the center and being compressed to nearly nothing.
"No no no no no!" Freeza screamed into the void, chanting the mantra as he tried to escape the pull. He began to go deaf as all the air vanished into the singularity below, nothing left to carry sound. He went blind as the light of the three nearby stars began to get pulled in, only his immense power, his remaining ki, and his absolute determination to not die keeping him from sinking into the black hole with it. But he couldn't escape. He could keep himself from disappearing only by pressing forward to his very limits.
He bit back the urge to simply fall and end it, his hands curling in pain and effort. He was willing his body to push forward, ever forward. He would not dip over the edge into the black hole!
But even that determination wasn't enough to escape.
Aspara blinked at the blue sky over her head, and the clean air in her lungs. They were in a wide open field, almost a reversal of Namek. Rich green grass where Namek had blue, deep blue skies where Namek had a shade of green.
"Where are we?" Vegeta asked, looking to her as more and more people began to appear. Over a hundred Namekians suddenly dotted the hills, and countless animals and strange amphibians began to slowly wander away, exploring their new surroundings.
A distance away, she spotted a disruption where some Nameks were shouting at Bulma, who was trying to explain why they shouldn't take revenge on the pile of unconscious aliens in Freeza Force armor behind her. Aspara was about to head over, when Goku appeared behind her, breathing a sigh of relief at seeing his own world again.
"Where's Freeza?!" Vegeta demanded, "Please tell me you didn't force us all to run! He was weak, if we don't finish him now-"
"He's finished." Goku said definitively. Smiling a little at Vegeta. "You don't have to worry about seeing him again."
"How?!" Vegeta demanded.
"I wished on the Dragon Balls to turn Namek into a black hole once the planet exploded, which it was a few seconds away from doing." Vegeta stared at him, "Is that not going to be enough?" Goku asked, looking nervous.
"You know, I'd say turning the ground beneath their feet into a black hole would be overkill for fighting anyone, but against that power I felt at the end... Maybe it wasn't overkill." Vegeta grinned evilly, "But it was definitely good old-fashioned kill."
"Well... that's good." Goku said.
Aspara wrapped her arms around one of Goku's arms, pulling him close to her, "You defeated Freeza before we teleported away, even if he somehow survived it, you'd be able to defeat him easily. Especially if we can make you even more powerful."
Goku laughed nervously, before pulling away, to Aspara's disappointment and Vegeta's amusement, "Well, we'll just have to wait and see if he ever turns up. Though for now, I'm going to call today a win."
Aspara agreed wholeheartedly. "I'm going to check up on my men and the Ginyu Squad." she looked out over the crowd of Namekians, and noticed Gohan with Nail and Dende, "And there's your boy over there."
"Ah! Gohan!" Goku shouted, nearly tearing up. "Gohan!"
Aspara smiled as he met his son in the air, the boy, upon hearing his father's voice calling for him, flew straight for him, meeting half-way and gripping each other in a tight hug. Even Gohan's explanation of why they had brought Krillin's body was more hopeful than sad.
Dende soon had a reunion of his own, finding Cargo and embracing his younger brother. This one, Aspara was more than willing to break up, "Dende!" She shouted, and the Namekians around them suddenly weren't smiling any longer, inching back, terrified of her new level of power.
Dende slowly released his younger brother, and moved forward, "Yes?" he asked, looking behind him, glad that Nail was watching carefully.
"I want you to heal my men and the Ginyu Force."
"No!" a Namekian cried, and Aspara simply raised an eyebrow.
"You think you can stop me?"
"The Elder takes priority!" he shot back, and sure enough, the Grand Elder wasn't looking good. Aspara frowned, glancing at Dende's puppy-like expression, before sighing in disgust with her own sentimentality, waving him off.
"Fine, fine. I'm sure if they were going to croak they would have."
Nail watched, his heart strained, as Dende flew over to the Grand Elder, his healing magic covering the ancient Namek, before looking around, trying to take measure of the situation. "We were brought here to... well, my best guess is Earth... I suppose by the Dragon Balls. Why?"
"Freeza was going to destroy the planet, according to the Super Saiyan." Aspara answered, "We can assume he succeeded. He definitely had the power to."
Nail nodded, before focusing on something far away. "Some of your men are up and about."
"Are there other Namekian healers?"
"No, but- wait, the wish that was made to bring us all back, did it bring back the other soldiers?"
"It might well have."
"Then we have a problem." He said, gesturing towards a small group of perfectly-fine Freeza Force soldiers who were walking up from where they were hidden by a hill. At the sight of the advancing group, the Namekians began to bind together, the soldiers rushing to stand in front of the others. "I'm going to prevent a bloodbath." Nail said.
"Allow me." she said instead, hovering down so that the Freeza Force soldiers could see her. None of the ones she had killed on the ship were there, but she picked out Turmerc in the crowd well enough. "All of you! You are now under my command!"
"Where's Lord Freeza?!" One of them shouted, a lieutenant, Appule, rising up from the ground.
"He's dead." She said, and then smiled at their mixed reactions. Some didn't believe it, others looked elated, while others seemed terrified.
"Impossible." Appule shouted, "No one can kill Freeza!"
"Fine, believe me or not." Aspara said, "But I am more powerful than the lot of you! That's for sure! Do you see Captain Ginyu and his men's mangled bodies? I did that!" she said proudly, "And I could do it again even more easily. And whether or not Freeza is dead, he isn't here. And I am. Anyone who doesn't like it, can-"
"We'll build space ships for you to leave in." Goku interrupted, "My friend Bulma is great with technology, and her Dad built a ship fast enough to get to Namek in only six days."
"..." she looked at him in surprise, "Fine. Anyone who doesn't wish to follow me is free to go." she said, "It's beneath me to kill you all anyway."
Goku smiled at her, before looking to Freeza's remaining soldiers, "But don't any of you dare making trouble here on planet Earth." with the warning given, "Just be patient, we'll get around to helping everyone out!"
"They'll be patient." she promised to Goku, and a glare in the direction of the aliens was enough to send a shiver down their spines. "So, what's the big deal? If all of you who died were brought back to life, then there should be twice this number here... in fact, none of the soldiers I killed are here."
"I... I was killed by Vegeta." Appule said.
Cui nodded, "Same here."
"I got killed by Freeza!" another said nervously, one of the ones who only looked relieved at the news of Freeza's defeat.
Turmerc nodded, "I was killed by Vegeta too... but, Aspara, you need to know, I wasn't going to betray you because I wanted to! It's just Freeza was too powerful, there was no hope-"
"And yet I prevailed, didn't I?" she said, glowering at her traitorous soldier. She was about to knock his head off, but she was deeply aware of Goku not too far away. Perhaps Vegeta did have a bit of a point about Kakarot being too soft. "I've already said I wouldn't kill you. But the warning that man just gave, take it seriously. He's the man who killed Freeza! I don't care if you believe that or not, I can't prove it, but the knowledge that I acknowledge him as my superior should be enough to know he's not to be trifled with. No killing the natives of this world!"
Once she was sure she got enough confirmation from the group, she took back to the air, "Follow me. The Ginyu Force and my personal Squad are ahead."
The group flew to the other side of the field, joining Bulma where she looked somewhat relieved to see another woman, as well as others in Freeza Force uniforms.
"Hey there! We haven't met yet, uh, don't mind the armor, I'm an earthling, and a friend of Gohan and Goku's!"
"Good to meet you." Aspara said, "Thank you for protecting my men. I owe you. It'd be troublesome if the Namekians killed them while they were prone." The particularly wrathful Nameks, many of them victims of the half-dozen uniformed aliens with Aspara.
"No problem! Though... if we're talking favors, I stole this off of an asshole who blew up the ship me, Krillin, and Gohan came here in. He had an arm cannon, but it was left behind on Namek. I'd appreciate it if-"
"Turmerc." She said, smirking. With a sigh, the furry alien tossed her his arm cannon, to Bulma's glee. She wasn't going to kill him, but there'd be no harm in picking on him. Besides, it would be good to keep on the good side of people Goku trusted.
The angry Namekians as one seemed to calm down, shifting focus to the center of their congregation, where the Grand Elder said his last words, declaring the Elder Tsuno as his successor, he proclaimed his desire that the Dragon Balls glow once more, and that his people would find a place where they could be safe forever, before he passed, his body vanishing in recognition of his virtue.
Tsuno, suddenly finding himself the ultimate authority among Namekians, immediately sought out Bulma. With a nod of acknowledgment toward Aspara, still feeling grateful for her stopping Vegeta from destroying his village, whether she was ultimately on the same side as him or not, Tsuno gave a bow toward Bulma. "Earthling, If we could ask for your hospitality, can you show us a location where we might spend our time here on your world?"
"Sure! All of you aliens are personally invited to join me at the Capsule Corp. main building! We have plenty of space for all of you!"
Tsuno looked over Aspara's gang of murderers. "...We would be sharing this space with the invaders? No, I should not complain. We will accept your hospitality with gratitude."
Bulma looked awkwardly between the two groups, but was thankfully saved by the arrival of Piccolo, flying across the sky alongside his counterpart, Kami. "Is that..?" Dende asked, shocked at the presence of two entirely unfamiliar Namekians.
"Ah! Mister Piccolo!" Gohan shouted, breaking away from his father in order to embrace his sensei.
Piccolo smiled fondly down at Gohan, before chopping the boy on the head. "You got yourself killed!" Piccolo growled at him.
"B-But-" Gohan began to tear up, and Goku was about to intervene, when Piccolo ruffled the younger half-Saiyan's hair, calming him down.
"I sacrificed my life for you, Gohan. Don't go throwing it away so easily! I'd be even angrier, honestly, but it's... nice, to see so many other Namekians."
"Greetings, Son Goku. Welcome home."
"It's good to be back, Kami."
With that, Kami turned to Grand Elder Tsuno. "And greetings to you, too. To all of my forgotten people."
"You are the son of Katas!" Tsuno said, "We had thought that he must have died in space."
"No, in fact, I think we did quite well for ourselves on this world. If you are seeking a place to dwell, I offer my Lookout to you. But if any of you are planning to take an extended stay on this world, I know of a place that will suit you... the gods know that Yunzabit Heights is a barren place, but I spent my childhood there. There is remarkably clean water, it is isolated and naturally protected from earthling influence, and... it always felt nostalgic. I do not remember Namek, or carry my father's memories of our homeland, but I believe that it looked similar to Yunzabit."
Tsuno was touched, and he embraced the Earth's guardian. "Throughout my life, I have known countless brothers, and a father... but I am thrilled to find that we have a cousin!" He turned to address his one hundred and eight siblings. "Fellow Namekians, our long-lost cousin has offered us a place to dwell, here on his adopted world." Tsuno offered his hand to Bulma, who shook it, "Thank you for your generosity, but... It would not be good to create conflict in your home." Tsuno glared at the aliens behind Aspara.
"Welp." Bulma said, looking to Aspara's much smaller group, as well as Vegeta, who had been watching the proceeds quietly while leaning on a nearby tree, "I guess I'll only have to prepare a couple Capsule Houses rather than forty of them."
"Thank you. I suppose I'll owe you another favor?" Aspara asked.
"Nah, this one's on the house!" Bulma said cheerfully. "Besides, I'm already building you guys' space ships. It'd be for the best if you stayed nearby."
Aspara nodded. "Ah! I nearly forgot! Dende!" she shouted, before the Namekian group could take off to follow Kami to the land he wanted to show them.
"Yeah?"
"My men? And the Ginyu Force?"
"Oh! Got it, sorry!" the diminutive Namekian flew past her, and made quick work of healing each of the soldiers, before backing off and flying back to the rest of his people, waving back to her.
Goku and Gohan waved back, watching the Nameks take off for Yunzabit Heights.
Piccolo frowned at the alien soldiers, before looking to Goku and Gohan. "Should I stick around in case they're trouble? Kami can handle giving the tour to my cousins."
"No, we'll make sure they know not to mess with things." Goku said, sure of himself. "But before you go, it's good to see you again, Piccolo."
The Namekian smirked, before flying off to join his brethren.
Captain Ginyu was the first to stir, jumping to his feet, and looking around him in confusion, the first thing he noticed being the still-unconscious bodies of his squad, as well as the unconscious bodies of Aspara's squad and then- he froze in fear, staring at Gohan, Goku, Aspara, and Vegeta, watching him. He immediately assumed a fighting stance, looking first to the sky to make sure there was no full moon. "What... what do you want?" he asked, looking between them, "Why am I still alive! Know that I won't give you any information belonging to Lord Freeza, no matter how much you torture me!"
"Freeza is dead, Ginyu." Vegeta snarled.
"What?" he asked, shocked. "You're lying!" it was only then, finally, that he realized he was on a completely different planet. "What the hell?"
"I'm not lying." Vegeta said, "Check your damn scouter, why don't you?"
"Fine." Ginyu turned his scouter on, and was baffled by the sheer number of life forms on the planet. He had been conquering Yardrat, before he was pulled away to help on Namek, and that planet had a population of only a few million. Namek only a few hundred, but on this world... billions. Shaking his head free from the irrelevant thought, he turned his scouter on, and told it to find the highest power level there at- "Th-th-th-three million..." he stammered, utterly terrified by the number on his scouter, as he read Goku. He knew Freeza had other forms, more powerful than the one that Ginyu knew, but even that weakest form had a strength of over 500,000! He had thought only a Saiyan in an Oozaru form could hope of reaching it, but now... it had been surpassed utterly. He didn't think his scouter was broken either, for some reason. The beings in front of him just... radiated strength.
"Yep." Vegeta said, gleeful at Ginyu's distress. "Kakarot was the one to do the last blow, but me and Aspara aren't far behind this whelp! So, Ginyu, do you understand the situation you're in?"
Ginyu looked between them, then turned to his men, shaking them awake, in the process, accidently waking Aspara's four. He silenced the round of questions bubbling up from the confused soldiers, but Aspara's squad quickly ran over to take their places behind their Captain.
"Cap'n Ginyu?" Recoome asked.
Ginyu, making sure his people were properly awake, turned back to the Saiyans. And promptly dropped to the ground, putting his forehead against the green grass. "I Captain Ginyu, formerly of the Planet Trade Organization, hereby pledge my allegiance to-" he then hesitated, looking between the three full-blooded Saiyans.
"The Legendary Super Saiyan, and King of all Saiyans." Aspara said, gesturing to Goku. "Kakarot."
"I pledge my services to King Kakarot!" he said, and with a quick glare back at his team, they did the same, repeating the mantra.
"WHAT?!" Goku and Vegeta shouted at once, and Gohan looked annoyed.
"I told you, Dad doesn't want to be a King!" Gohan shouted back.
"Too late." Aspara said, "He has a followers who pledged loyalty to him now."
"I uh, really don't want it." Goku said, looking confused. "I don't want to rule anybody. As long as you promise not to harm the earth in any way, you're free to go."
"We have pledged our lives to you!" Ginyu said, determined. "The Ginyu Force don't go back on their word!"
"Well, Captain, if he doesn't want our services, maybe we should just take his offer and go-" Guldo began.
"It's a matter of the honor of the Ginyu Force's good name!" Captain Ginyu shouted.
"You pledged allegiance to the King of all Saiyans, which doesn't exist. No breach of honor exists." Vegeta snarled, narrowing his eyes at Aspara. "My father was the King."
"The strongest Saiyan has a right to be the king, if he is acknowledged." Aspara said, and Vegeta flinched, "Feel free to challenge him for the title, if you think you can defeat the Legendary Super Saiyan."
"Hey!" Goku said, the group directing their attention to him, "I don't want to be king." he said, "Period."
"See! He doesn't care about the title in the first place!"
Aspara frowned at Goku, "Why not accept the title?"
"I just don't feel right doing it. I'm not interested." He said, looking at her with less amusement now.
"It's Saiyan tradition and law. The strongest have the right to rule. All the Saiyans acknowledge you as the strongest, even if there are only the three of us. You're our king, whether you like it or not."
"He's not my king!" Vegeta growled, walking away from the group, over to Bulma, "It's only a matter of time before I overcome you, Kakarot! I don't acknowledge you! And as for you, sister, I won't forget this." he walked over to Bulma and looked down at her, "Earth woman, you were offering dwellings?"
"Go ahead with him." Aspara ordered to the half-dozen survivors of Freeza's Namek invasion force, as well as her own four squad mates. "Eenud, you're in command. Everyone present-" she gestured at the survivors, "-is now a member of the Aspara Squad, until we get a better name for it. Eenud, be gracious to our new host, and make sure everyone else is too... and all of you are loyal to me, not to Vegeta, understood?!"
"Yes Ma'am!" Eenud said cheerfully, before sheparding the newly-revitalized Aspara Squadron to follow after Vegeta and Bulma.
Goku and Gohan watched the display, and Goku was quickly picking up on Gohan's dislike of Aspara. That didn't bode well, she decided, "Kakarot?" she asked.
"I'm not going to be your King."
"Just... just bear with me for a second." she said, "It's a title, and an important one, but for Saiyans, it's not something you can choose. It's something that you are. I'm sorry for thrusting it onto you, but you're already... my king, at least."
Goku sighed, "Can't Vegeta be your king?"
"He can't. He's not stronger than me, not by enough." she smiled hopefully, "Besides, is it really a bad thing to have the Ginyu Force, and myself, loyal to you? Behind Freeza, these fellows were some of the most powerful warriors in the galaxy. As for myself, I'm the second, possibly third, strongest thing in the universe. No matter what you're setting out to accomplish, we can help."
Goku pulled his hand through his hair in frustration. "I... I guess you have a point. But can you please not call me your king? It's weird!"
"What would you have us call you then?" Ginyu asked, standing up, giving the sign to his team that they could stand up as well.
"Not King Kakarot, for starters." Goku said. "My name is Son Goku. I don't care what I was named at my birth, the person who raised me named me that."
She disliked that he was throwing away his Saiyan name, but she supposed in the long run it'd be better if she accepted it.
"Son Goku it is."
Q & A!
As always, thanks for all the great response!
So, last chapter I asked everyone if they wanted me to continue power levels, and got 2 against and 4 for it, so Power Levels are here to stay for now, though I think I'll only include the ones I consider relevant.
Now, to answer questions!
To JimmyHall24, Aspara will eventually become a Super Saiyan, no need to worry.
To Talonsen, I am in fact planning on continuing the story all the way through Dragon Ball Super, as well as whatever comes after it. I'm already full of ideas for Resurrection F and Battle of Gods in particular, which the events of this chapter are setting up, if you believe it. It won't be so easy for the Z-Warriors to defeat him this time around.
Chi Chi and Aspara will finally meet next chapter, "battles" between them included. I will also be giving plenty of background on Aspara's own experience with her parent's dynamic. If people are open to it, in the future I might spend a chapter devoted to exploring Aspara's early childhood on Planet Vegeta, and her experience with her and her sibling's mothers, as well as the "Traditional Saiyan" views of the universe.
To 55 I'm glad you like it. I just didn't really see a point where the Spirit Bomb would be something they'd try, with Freeza bypassing his period of holding back and testing them.
To travass99, bighapfam05, TheHolyBlade, zenotai123, NinjaGogeta, chris009, TheRealCacto, Golden Dragon King, and Docron, as well as the guests who left reviews, thank you for continuing to read my story, I'm having a lot of fun with it.
Power Levels
Goku: 3,000,000 SS1: 150,000,000
Freeza: 70%) 84,000,000 100%) 120,000,000 Weakening) 70,000,000
Piccolo: 300,000
Nail: 50,000
Gohan: 200,000
Vegeta: 2,000,000
Aspara: 2,000,000
New Aspara Squadron
Eenud: 10,000
Okra: 8,000
Mering: 10,000
Cui: 18,000
Appule: 6,000
Turmerc: 1,500
Blueberry: 2,000
Raspberry: 1,600
Ginyu Force
Captain Ginyu: 120,000
Recoome: 65,000
Burter: 55,000
Jeice: 50,000
Guldo: 11,000