A/N:

Not really a lot to truly discuss this time. Though I am at least managing to update close to when I wanted to, so there is that at least.

I'm hoping that I at least changed things up enough to keep this fresh whilst not going to far off the rails with the characters.

On to the reviews for the moment.

ShadowLDrago: I know I replied via PM, but while training for the Saiyan's the Earthlings did share and discuss techniques. And what Yamcha did there was move he's done in the past, combining the Dodon Ray and the Kamehameha.

You can say Wookies might exist in this, though to Frieza he likely only knows of them in passing.

maximusrexmundi: Indeed. And belated happy holidays to you. And since it's technically a new year still, here is the newest chapter.

super mystic gohan: More along the lines of me changing some power scaling dynamics to keep numbers from getting too out of hand. Of course some characters will be stronger or even weaker relative to how they matched up in canon. And speaking of canon, that is something I plan on changing, with regards to the humans. They won't keep up in raw power forever, but they will be stronger than in DBZ, and will be able to come up with techniques at fighting styles to make up for their lack of raw power.

Anon: Thanks. And no, not on 3rd form Frieza levle, though you might be on to something with him being stronger relative to canon when compared to Frieza. Of course I am doing the power dynamic differently, so expect different numbers, but still imagine them having similar destructive potential as in canon.

Boby335: I am glad to hear that. Truth be told I made this story because there just seemed to be other things missing from other stories at the time. And while I don't think it's the cream of the crop in the fandom, I do think it's came a long way from where I started.

Vegeta felt cold sweat all over him. This was far worse than he'd dare to fear. Before at least some of his goals might've been within sight...now it seemed as though Frieza was completely untouchable. To make matters worse the proud Saiyan was feeling pretty certain that this wasn't close to his full power, that the monstrous tyrant was holding a significant chunk in reserve.

Meanwhile said ruler was simply standing in place, arms crossed over his chest. To say he looked bored wouldn't be a bad guess. A smirk was on his lips as he observed every horrified reaction of the gathering opposing him. Each subtle twitch was not lost on on the villian. Slowly but surely he glanced to one in particular. His rebellious little pet.

"Feeling it now?" Allowing his arms to fall to the side in a deliberate manner, the smirk morphed into something between a sneer and a harsh glare. "The futility of daring to think yourselves above your station? To meddle into my affairs, sending an operation of such magnitude into a tailspin...I know you must be absolutely beside yourselves with emotions,...terror...bewilderment...unable to really describe the sensation..I can't say I'll alleviate that worry...but to put this all into perspective...how about I put a number to what you're feeling?"

Cold, hard numbers were a bit of an obsession of his if he were being honest. "Not one of you could match my previous form at two hundred forty thousand...though as a group you were a measurable threat. I'm nothing like I was before though...so, care to guess what my power is now?" When he received a mixture of scowls and gasps of horror, he naturally saw that was his sign to continue. "Right now my current output is in excess of three hundred thousand...and while this might sound far fetched...the true battle power this current form possesses the last time I clocked it in was at nearly half a million."

Finally Vegeta at least found his voice. Needless to say he wasn't going to be able to mask the tremor in his tone. "No! N-no...you're lying, you cannot be so strong! No one is!"

"Am I deceiving you prince?-" At that point the emperor raised a single closed fist, over his head."-Am I really?" Opening his left hand a mighty as well as nearly deafening pulse of energy blasted out. Every single person was knocked back considerably as hypercane force winds hammered the surrounding area for nearly a thousand miles, with a giant aura of purple energy so massive, stretching so far and high it could easily be spotted from space.

Piccolo did as he'd been told. Placing his hand on the dying Namekian's shoulder, he took a deep breath. The last he'd take while he was still himself.

"Now...just center your mind..." More than likely Nail meant do as he would when preparing to meditate. In less than a second he felt their energies and even consciousnesses begin to intertwine. Then a bright light engulfed the other, quickly spreading up his own arm, covering his whole body in the strange ethereal glow.

Then Piccolo felt it. A powerful sensation, almost like molten metal was being injected into his veins, the burning flooding through his fingers before spreading though every artery, seemingly searing across all his nerves.

His muscles seemed to have locked up, and Piccolo felt as if his body was becoming denser..and seemingly far heavier than any of King Kai's weights ever made him. Nail's form was becoming harder to discern; by this point it was hard to tell where his body ended and the steadily brightening white flames began. The sensation was creeping beyond his arms, towards his neck...then into his brain...the very core of his essence. In that pain there was knowledge...only the task of focusing on anything else was impossible.

The physical form of the warrior Namek was completely translucent, almost like a seething mass of raw energy. In one last dramatic pulse all that energy merged fully with Piccolo, with that one nanosecond in time having more pain packed into it than the last few months of his existence combined.

After that...well there weren't enough words in existence to describe the feeling. He was very much still himself, that was a fact. At the same time...he was also so much more. All that Nail possessed...knowledge about their...his race...the language and culture...as well as all of the other Namekian's memories of more recent events. Of the elder as well as the looming threat of Frieza...then of the tyrant's invasion for lack of a better term. Then the fight with the lizard, along with how he fought.

There was an almost serenity as well compared to how he'd felt prior...not that he'd found any inner peace...still Piccolo felt that his mind was far less tumultuous than before. His aggressive impulses were still there...only they felt subdued. Whether or not he'd like the long term implications were another matter, though the warrior had to admit it wasn't unpleasant.

Most of all...he could feel the new power within him...a power that he'd scarcely believed possible before. From Nail's own memories Piccolo knew that if he'd fought Frieza initially with this level of strength, wiping the tyrant out would have been hardly more than swatting a troublesome fly. As it was, all of the once separate being's techniques were now his...and the well of strength felt nearly limitless. His aura sparked to life around him, far more intense than ever before. Yet as the white hot energy blazed, there was a greater degree of control over the chaos that he'd expected...though he had to admit...he felt as if he could get lost in the depths if he allowed himself to.

A part of him even fancied himself nigh invincible, that he would be able to easily take out Frieza.

Dust and debris were falling all around. Not a single bit landed on the mighty Frieza, who still had a thin protective barrier about an inch thick surrounding his body. He didn't need that to protect himself from such a meager display of his own power. Rather, he simply knew that would be the best way of keeping his form pristine. Seeing not even a speck of dirt on him after such an explosion of raw power was bound to demoralize them even more.

The bit of ground he'd been standing on was the only thing remaining of what was once a flat plain. Other than a circle a couple meters in diameter the seas of Planet Namek were quickly rushing in to fill the now vacant crater of empty land.

With a smirk he allowed himself to slowly start ascending upwards. His demonstration packed a lot of power alright, but all he was doing was giving them a tiny preview of what he could do. A little flash with absolutely no intent to kill. Even the weakest should have survived. Which was exactly what Lord Frieza wanted. He had such big plans for all of them.

The majority of particulates had cleared, giving the mighty creature a high degree of visibility. About a couple hundred feet into the sky was the perfect moment to stop his climb. On the outskirts of the crater he clearly spotted a couple of the weaker humans getting to their feet. A little closer, hovering with a flared aura was the halfling bastard. And only a few hundred feet away was the overweight ronin who'd came very close to turning him to cold cuts. A few feet from that cretin, was his favorite little monkey.

In a flicker of motion he appeared to vanish, only to appear no more than fifteen feet from the prince. Seeing his old minion's initial look of horror was actually most satisfying. That exuberance would need to be tempered however. He was the one in control of his instincts, not the other way around. So instead of even attacking, he gave the prince a very sinister grin.

"Come now, little prince. Surely that wasn't too much for you..." Rubbing the underside of his lip, Frieza then continued. "After all, that was only just me saying...hello. It isn't often I have to use this form...in fact...I think this might be the first time I've assumed this state since the destruction of your home planet." Those words elicited a reaction indeed, snapping Vegeta right out of his terror induced stupor. Which was a very good thing...this would be a bit boring if the Saiyan lost his spirit too early.

"Just because you powered up doesn't mean I won't find a way to make you pay..." Grinding his teeth together, the proud warrior began thinking of something..anything to begin to level the playing field. He did have his Oozaru transformation...but Frieza would almost certainly cut him down the second he tried to do so. Or simply be too fast to lay a finger on...the Oozaru form added a lot of power...yet very little in the way of speed. Doing so was too much a risk.

Glancing away again with his arms crossed, Frieza saw that every one of his prospective opponents had taken to the sky. Perhaps they thought themselves clever in their attempt to back up the prince and flank him...if they were only stronger they might be able to make a difference. "Yes...between each one of you, I might manage to break a sweat in this form. I'm sure you lot fancy yourselves reasonably powerful in light of this...so I'm sure I might get a little dusted up before I get tired of your miserable existences."

"If only to show you exactly how outmatched you all are at this very moment...I think I'll give you an opportunity." The look he gave the prince was absolutely blood chilling. "Come now then...surely you want to take point little prince...you have more than enough reason to do so...so I'll allow you the honor of coming at me with everything you've got. However, I will warn you...if you waste it-" Vegeta took that as his chance to rush in. Moving like a ghost his opponent effortlessly dodged the rapid fire combo. Then with a burst of speed the prince finally got a lucky strike in, with a punch that actually managed to turned Frieza's head slightly to the side.

To the pure Saiyan's dismay he heard only soft laughter. Then, despite all the strength in his body being thrown into the the blow, Frieza merely turned to face him once more. The fist pressed firmly to his flesh wasn't a hindrance in the slightest. -"You're going to regret it."

The very next millisecond a terrible pain erupted in his gut as a large foot, courtesy of one amused tyrant, found it's new home. Vegeta gagged in pain, recoiling quickly. Frieza then nimbly dodged both a furious Gohan as well as a Kaioken enhanced Yajirobe. "Two on one you say? Adorable if nothing else." With a swing of his mighty arm he sent out a low density blast of violet energy that thoroughly overwhelmed the human and half Saiyan.

Feigning a look of shock when the last human actually made to strike out at him physically, at the last second before impact all that was needed was a simple movement of his arm to block the blow. Then a flurry of follow ups that he effortlessly managed to deal with. Swiping Yamcha away with a flick of the tail, Frieza noted something odd. His muscles seemed to be wanting to lock up, along with his energy feeling strangely bottlenecked. That actually manage to be slightly annoying.

In the second spent realizing what happened a boot struck the side of his head managing to stagger him a couple feet. Which since they were still dozens of meters in the sky, really wasn't all that impressive.

"How rude, little Vegeta." Tilting his head to face the stunned Prince, Frieza shot him a cold frown. Then with nothing more than a dismissive flick of the wrist Vegeta was sent crashing into the green Namekian sea. Then he focused for an instant on the arm struck by that strange ability...before amplifying his energy throughout the limb. Ridding it of any lingering discomfort.

After that the all power being's attention was right back on the former desert bandit. Then he flashed a toothy grin before appearing a few feet away. "What a clever, novel trick you tried to pull on me...while I'm not precisely sure how, you tried to lock all of my energy. Such a pity that it failed so miserably...though it is what can be expected when one challenges such a superior being." The clear fact that it allowed the human to punch so far above his weight class was impressive though...had he still been in his first form...

Yamcha wasn't sure how this happened. His Wolf Fang Strike had never failed before...perhaps if a foe had a big enough power advantage..."Can't say I had much of a choice...either I just sit back and let all of us get killed, or I can take a stand."

That made Frieza chuckle. "Yet one doomed to fail...because you made one critical mistake." Then his expression turned harsh. "The foolish, obstinate decision to continue to stand in my way. To be honest however, I doubt you'll be standing for much longer-" Thrusting his hand forward, he fired a purple beam of piercing of hot ki right through the human's chest and out his back. "-might I also point out that those situations you mentioned are in no way mutually exclusive."

Gasping as he clutched his chest, through blurring vision the long haired warrior prepared for the absolute worst. Only to see Krillin quickly come to his defense. "No, get out of here...he's way too much..." Whether the shot was mortal wasn't something he'd wanted to consider, especially given that one of his lungs felt like liquid fire was spreading about inside.

Seeing one of his best friend's in such a dire predicament was infuriating...yet the being in front of him was so far beyond him that he felt like an ant staring up at a mountain. "You have no room to talk, just stay away for now and I'll deal with this."

"Cute. You actually think you can accomplish something of note where he failed so miserably?" Gulping, Krillin had only one idea that might work. Closing his eyes and holding his hands in front of his face with his finger tips less than an inch apart. Then he had just two simple words that Frieza wasn't going to forget anytime soon.

"Solar Flare!"

With more than one sun in the sky the technique was even brighter than before. Enough so that everyone else in range were nearly blinded, even with their eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"Impudent pest!" the monster practically screeched. His eyes were in more pain that he'd previously convinced possible. Yet he didn't dare drop his guard. Frieza heard the word "Kienzan!" shouted out and instinctively started to move. A most fortunate thing he did so as he heard several whirring bolts of energy zipping by all around him. As he thought he was entirely in the clear, he felt it. His tail. Burning hot, no doubt in his mind that whatever had been launched at him was far more deadly than any conventional blast.

With nothing but sheer willpower he opened his eyes, far earlier than he should have been able to. Were it not for the last half foot of his tail being lopped off, he'd dare say he enjoyed the look of terror on the foolish human's face. As things were all the massive alien felt was rage.

"You insolent, contemptible little bastard!" Frieza only raised his voice slightly. More so the volume, his tone was what was actually the most horrifying. "I should rip your head right off, then mount it where my tail used to be!" He was extremely angry. Though to just give in to the barbaric threat, tempting as the option was, submitting to his base urges would be unbecoming. Still, inflicting such damage would never do.

So instead his expression morphed into one of sadistic glee. That elicited the reaction he'd been hoping for. "I'm sure you're disappointed that I am still here, in one piece. Save for one thing, and though I'd simply like to just turn to to a cloud of bloody mist...such a fate would never suffice. No, I can't let this last slight go unabated...I want you to learn the hard way the depths to which you've thoroughly gotten under my skin. I must warn you however, to pay close attention...lest you miss my point."

Grin in place, Frieza rapidly sped forward towards the human.

In spite of the energy signature coming from that direction Piccolo indeed felt powerful enough to win. So much that he was wondering if he was unstoppable.

"This is...so unreal...incredible...I feel like I can do anything...yes, yes, yes! I feel great, I can do this! I can w-" In that instant a voice from deep inside his own mind interrupted him.

"What are you doing?" That was Nail. And somehow the sheer lunacy of being able to hear this voice inside his head snapped him out of...whatever it was that he'd been doing.

"...nothing." was all he said, stoically.

"Well...it seemed like you were chanting to yourself...and to be honest...neither of us really have time for that." In what was certainly frustration, not embarrassment, Piccolo simply ground his teeth together. "If I can sense that power, certainly you can as well...so if you want us to be able to help the humans, we need to get a move on."

Now that his initial high was passed, Piccolo took a second to note that Nail's disembodied voice inside his head was correct. So as much as he hated the scolding, he knew they needed to go. And that he needed to not get so caught up in the rush of power again.

Without missing a beat the Namekian lifted himself into the skies of his home planet. "You know...when I agreed to this merger I didn't hear anything about having a backseat driver inside my own mind."

Nail seemed to laugh at that. How precisely, Piccolo wasn't certain. Nor was he completely sure that he wasn't going insane. "I don't suppose so...though if it makes you feel any better, I should start to fade into your subconscious...sooner or later." He could easily tell that Piccolo had blasted off, so there was no harm in idle banter. Although Nail wasn't surprised that the primary Namek was having none of it. Instead of responding properly, Piccolo merely growled irritably to himself.

To Krillin everything happened in an instant. But to the mighty Frieza, it felt as if he were moving at simply at a brisk warm up pace. His prey appeared to be moving in slow motion. From his perspective the human was barely able to twitch before he was upon him, goring the hapless fool with his left horn. "And another one down." he growled darkly as he slung Krillin down towards the water. Quickly enough to avoid much blood getting on his horn.

The person with the long hair had already collapsed, his breaths clearly becoming more shallow as time went on. Such a pathetic and grisly fate. Yet they'd brought every last ounce of their punishment upon themselves. A waste of fine talent indeed.

Simply put the matter could not be helped. That was until he felt a massive pulse of energy shoot passed him.

Gohan had recovered from the initial assault. Save parts of his armor being chipped away around the shoulder, and some cuts on his face he was in good shape. "You callous, sadistic, condescending monster!" was what Frieza heard shouted, presumably towards him. Right as he started to say "Pardon-" ,to his complete astonishment he found a fist embedded in his stomach.

Even more surprising was the pain. That should not have been possible. That child shouldn't have had the power to so much as tickle him. Another sharp blow rocked the emperor to his core, which at least snapped him from his stupor. By no means did that mean things were going to get any easier for him.

"You didn't have to come here or do any of this." Frieza knew that the little halfling was talking about what he'd done to the Namekians as well as those humans. Blocking a punch didn't stop the brat from droning on. "And most of all you didn't have to hurt so many people...but since you have I'm going to do my best to make you answer for everything!"

He'd had just about enough of the nonsense. Moral lectures from such a young one was not something that he was want to tolerate. "Surely you don't presume yourself in a position to question me or my ethics...such a sheltered life you must have lived if you imagined the universe to work any other way. So while the loss of native life is regrettable, those little friends of yours brought all of their suffering upon themselves...after all what am I doing if not defending myself as well?"

The question posed was more to incite a reaction as anything else. A shame for Frieza that his opponent happened to draw the most strength from times of such anger and desperation. In a flash Gohan vanished. When he reappeared the only thing Frieza found was a well place uppercut that sent him spinning backwards. Before there was time to properly lash out in a bid to teach the fool some respect, a double handed strike sent him down where he blasted into the dirt with incredible force.

Genuinely irritated by this point, he had every intention of treating the overgrown toddler to a very gruesome face. Only his plans went awry when he saw a positively massive beam of bright yellow energy racing towards him. The last thought that crossed his mind before impact was that the boy should have been the first one he'd taken out. Then so many problems would have been avoided.

Problems like a massive beam of ki landing on his head and detonating with enough force to make ground shake for hundreds of miles around, with strong enough winds to be felt from even further away.

Truthfully this day was not going how he'd planned.

How long he'd dozed was a mystery. All Goku knew was that one second he was having dreams of the largest buffet he'd laid eyes on...the next it felt as if he were being put into a blender set on high.

The shaking had caused him to smash into the sides of the healing pod several times, and while those impacts didn't hurt too much, for a moment the Saiyan was worried that whatever was causing this might destroy the whole ship before he was fully healed. Which would be really bad.

Then he reached out with his senses, finding that the source of the commotion was none other than his own son. Gohan's power was almost on par with what he was sensing from what had to be Frieza, which was astonishing. Goku knew that his child was powerful and had immense potential, but this was really something else. Even when he didn't think he could be caught off guard any more by these bursts of power, things just had to go out of their way to prove him wrong.

'I can't believe how strong he's gotten...after I get all healed up and we sort this out I can't wait to get back to training.'

Such thoughts, comforting as they were soon had to be put on hold. To his credit Gohan at least seemed to be holding on to his boost, though there was a problem. A big one. Frieza seemed to have more in reserve, the cold monsters ki having spiked higher once again.

'...just hang on son...hang on everyone...just a little longer...' With that last thought in mind Son Goku was once again out light a light.

'That just happened.' Frieza was less than pleased about this turn of events. For a split second he wondered about his ship...not if it would still fly...likely that answer was a no given that Vegeta had done a number on it with his brash escape. Rather he a least would need to access the communications panel to arrange for a discrete pick up. Couldn't tip his family off on what exactly his business had been. Deciding that since the shields were rated to handle a direct blast of over a quarter million, he opted to focus on the here and now.

A solid thirty seconds had passed since the attack went off...more than enough time to lull them into a false sense of security. Even his little pet had decided now was the time to run his mouth, spouting some drivel about getting up if he wanted to fight a real Saiyan warrior. Frieza decided that calling that bluff was going to be very cathartic. Soon as he took care of a more pressing manner.

"A real warrior you say?"

In an instant Vegeta's confidence evaporated. To his shock his old 'employer' was on his two feet once more, looking only superficially worse for wear. The fiends attention seemed elsewhere though, as he seemed to be glaring towards a figure in the sky.

"I'll be more than happy to let you put your money where your mouth is little prince...but first I need to teach that persistent whelp a very important lesson." With one last dismissive sneer, the monster then shot skyward towards the half Saiyan. There wasn't going to be any time for idle banter. Frieza wasn't about to give the child another chance to pull any more stunts like before. As he was ascending his aura burned brighter, with more of his reserves being brought to the surface.

To Gohan's credit he didn't immediately shrink back in terror, but his nanosecond of hesitation cost him dearly. A knee to the stomach smashed the wind out of him, though the boy tried to block the barrage of attacks that came his way. The first dozen strikes he managed to block, another half dozen he dodged. Once Gohan landed a sharp kick to the face of his opponent, which when Frieza only grinned highlighted how dire his predicament was. Then came a mighty back hand that made the kid's vision flash white for a couple of seconds.

Then came a flurry of blows. Punch after punch and kick after kick found homes all over his body, battering him so hard it was a battle within a battle just to try to keep conscious. Then came the tail that wrapped tightly around the throat of the tailed child. "Such a waste that I have to do this, but you only have your own obstinate nature to blame for the fate about to befall you. Believe me when I say it's really nothing personal."

Before he could tighten his grip with what remained of the damaged tail, Frieza noticed something off. Both of the humans he'd so carefully eliminated from the fight were not only up, but preparing some sort of attack against him. How they'd revived he had no idea...the data his forces had gathered mentioned nothing of a healing factor...but that was a bridge that could be crossed later.

Instead of continuing to strangle his helpless victim, he simply flicked Gohan towards the ground with a single fluid motion.

Then without any effort he waved his right arm skyward, his energy catching as well as sending whatever conjoined attack hurtling off into the depths of space. The assault was of no concern to him...though he would make for certain they wouldn't be getting up again. Moving at speeds previously inconceivable he shot towards them. Only for the portly creature to successfully intercept him. Though success was relative, since Frieza managed to easily dodge not only the initial blow, but the dozen follow up strikes as well.

Yajirobe realized this was going nowhere fast. At his current level he was going to get walloped the second his opponent decided to retaliate. So that meant he had to push himself harder than ever before if we was even going to manage to stall for time.

"Times six!"

His shout prompted Frieza to raise an eyebrow figuratively. Yajirobe's speed greatly increased, with the tyrant barely managing to move his head in time to avoid a powerful uppercut. Attack after attack came at him with incredible ferocity, a few nearly managing to break through his defenses.

Naturally this wasn't really pushing him to try all that hard, though if anything the human was proving to actually be a rather impressive specimen. It had been a long time since anyone save family had managed to make him exert any effort in this form...yet here he had found two such individuals in the last few moments who could do so. That was something both impressive as well as deeply troubling.

Finally after a good thirty seconds of playing defense the horned giant decided that the time to stop taking things easy had come. Catching a punch with his left had, he simply shot Yajirobe a deathly grin. "Well then...as fun as this little game has been...I do think it's my turn now."

For a moment the samurai froze, knowing exactly that was meant by that. Then he pulled back to brace himself, just in time to cross both arms in front of him to block what came at him.

Using everything he had Yajirobe shockingly managed to endure the full force of the punch. Something was wrong however, so as fast as he could the fighter moved to gain at least some distance. Aura flickering, muscles feeling like they were about to burst, there was no other option save drop to a lower level of the sacred technique.

Which a being as clever as Frieza didn't even need to sense energy in order to know it was a moment to capitalize on. Only that moment was rudely interrupted by a blast detonating square in the middle of his back. If he was a betting sort he'd swear the person responsible was-

"Vegeta." Turning his head he clearly saw his feeling was correct. "Still not given up on your foolish endeavor...nor disheartened enough to run away like many other a gutless coward...what fun this is going to be." Now he had moved to where he could see both his main prey as well as keep the other potential nuisance inside his peripheral vision.

"You think this is some sort of a game now, don't you?" Tightening his fist did little to soothe his anger and despair. "All of us together and you're still toying around...treating it like it's some sort of joke."

Those words prompted a very cross look. "No dear prince. This bothersome farce would have to actually be funny to be remotely construed as a joke." Then came another chilling grin. "Though I do still think I can find more amusement in this little...game as you so eloquently put it."

Moving in a flash he dealt Vegeta a painful uppercut. Then flipping around he slipped underneath an assault from the samurai. Mid way through the movement the overlord brought his foot up harshly, connecting solidly with Yajrobe's sternum. Seeing both of them severely winded and obviously in great pain caused a mirthful look to come across his face. Something wasn't right in the air.

A purple beam was speeding towards him, one that took a slight bit of effort to deal with. Yet in a matter of a couple seconds Frieza had entirely nullified the energy in the palm of his right hand, small tendrils of smoke still trailing off of the extremity.

"How?" Somehow or another the little half Saiyan that had been thoroughly battered and throttled was back. "You are some troublesome little pests indeed." Whatever means, be them natural healing or sorcery that allowed these fools to keep getting back up was utterly vexing. As well as deeply, immeasurably infuriating. Then the frustration cooled, as he forced away the anger with logic and reason. "Yes...I see now that perhaps the fault lied with me. I've made the mistake of allowing you all to remain in one piece...please forgive my poor manners, in giving way too much to my instincts and wanting to drag out your torment I seem to have made this far more complicated than it needed to be." There was hardly a hint of emotion on his face now. A clear fact that managed to be more disconcerting that even the most viscous of leers.

"I see now that a change in tactics might just be needed...I'll simply erase each of you from existence...one by one." A cold dispassionate smirk appeared on the face of Frieza as he quickly formed a dense ball of lethal ki. "That way there will be no getting back up to rejoin the fray nor needlessly prolonging the inevitable...after all...not even I am entirely devoid of mercy."

Then he flung the deadly orb straight toward the child.

In the depths of hell Nappa couldn't help but wonder many things. Of whether or not he would ever get out. He also was practically mystified, not just at how far Raditz had came in strength...but of Bardock's powers as well. Not just his strength, but of his bizarre quirk of seeming foresight.

Then what might have been the biggest issue of all, simply because of how it tied into the rest. What was happening on Namek now that he'd died was bother the old general far more than he could ever outwardly admit. Sure he could have faith and hope Vegeta would find a way to pull off a miracle. In the face of just what Frieza was capable of...the revelations in that regard made him far more cynical and pessimistic on his charges odds.

Bardock being Bardock just had to be incredibly cryptic as well. So while Nappa would have loved to threaten him...beat the answers out...the difference in power made that task insurmountable in the short time they had till the final confrontation would happen. That didn't mean he wouldn't find a way to at least witness the penultimate confrontation...and given what he had been told there was a way to view certain things in the living world from hell.

Bardock had allowed a hint to slip, though cheekily also warned that such a thing was against the rules. That there could be grave punishments for such a violation.

Nappa for his part really didn't care. He was dead, so worst come to worst there wasn't much more that could possibly be done to him. He was down here for his many crimes while alive, which meant he was damn well going to make the best of his situation.

Gohan braced himself for an impact that would never come. In less than a second he heard a loud buzzing noise. Krillin had managed to launch a Kienzan at the blast, which bisected it almost flawlessly, with the two halves going wildly off course. Each went their separate ways, before both collided with the Namekian sea in a brilliant flash of plasma and water.

Under cover of the deluge of salt water as well as the steam rising from the impact point, the rag tag group managed to gather together in a defensive huddle. One that unless a miracle happened, would likely be their last.

There was no time for them to begin forming a coherent strategy, as the menacing silhouette of the mighty Frieza was already looming above them. He'd moved faster than any had expected him to do, and had located them far faster than he should have been able.

"Well then. That was a clever move...most impressive indeed." Despite not being able to clearly see him, it was painfully obvious that he was grinning viciously. "And I must say, had you been facing a lesser being you might have even managed to escape." His tone changed, as the mist in the air began to dissipate. "However, the crux of your problem is that despite the effort, all it really bought you was a few more precious seconds of life." Energy crackled around Frieza's entire body as his violet aura lit up the remaining traces of water vapor in an ominous and foreboding manner.

"As you're embracing complete oblivion, I do hope you think back on this...and reflect on how this was all your own doing!" Voice increasing to a booming yell, he then charged them with the intent to end the charade on the spot. Yet luck was not something on the emperor's side in any shape or form.

As he was nearly within striking distance a boot crashed into his cheek, not enough to truly hurt him, but more than enough to knock him back a few thousand feet.

The newest challenger was wrapped in a fiery white aura, but to at least one among the gather recognized who their savior was.

"Mister Piccolo! You're back!" That was Gohan. Piccolo allowed his aura to drop, while still keeping an eye on the dot on the horizon that was Frieza.

If anything he was glad the kid didn't rush to hug or great him. That would only put him in more harms way. "And it's good to be back. I'm also glad to to see that you've been surviving, seems you took my training to heart. Unfortunately, I don't have time to catch up yet. I still have him to deal with."

Vegeta nearly did a double take at the absurdity of the statement. "Are you out of your damn mind!" There was no way this would end well. "Back on the Earthlings planet you got killed by Nappa...and now you expect me to believe you can defeat Frieza...in his second fucking form? You might have gotten some training just like that clown Kakarot did, but there is no way you could ever bridge such a gap...once he composes himself, that lucky strike you got on him is just going to get us killed that much faster."

Piccolo simply scoffed in frustration. "Vegeta, if you don't shut the hell up, you might be the next person I deal with once this is done. I still haven't forgotten all the trouble you did cause for us on Earth, and you helping keeping Gohan alive will only buy you so much good will with me." For added effect he allowed his aura to flare up again. "I'm assuming you've learned to sense energy by now, so put that ability to good use and stay out of this." He risked a single second to glance back, first at the seething prince, then to the others. "In fact...you all should get as far away from here as you can. I have no idea what will happen once the two of us cut loose, and at this point you will just be putting yourselves in danger."

He knew that statement was a little out of character. Had to be Nail's influence. Normally he wouldn't have been so open.

"But...are you sure about that, he's a monster-" Krillin started to stammer off, only for a grow from the Saiyan to silence him.

"No, I think we should take the Namekian's ever sagely advice." he practically spat. "Much as it pisses me off to admit it, he is the only one who somehow has the power to challenge that bastard...and since he's so full of himself, I say let him have at it. He's made his den, now let him sleep in it."

"You know," Piccolo turned to look forward again, noting that as expected Frieza was only a few feet from him now.

"They have every reason to be concerned...you did rather rudely interject yourself into my affairs...so you will need to be punished accordingly for that transgression." Rubbing the smudge from the boot off his face, he still managed to give a most 'hospitable' smile. "Still...I can't help but wonder who you are and what piece of woodwork you crawled out of...most of your race were either thoroughly subdued...or were too smart to challenge me."

The Namek narrowed his eyes at the tyrant. "Trust me, before this is all over with you'll know exactly who I am. And that it was a very grave mistake to harm my people.

"Questions for later then." Frieza softly mused. "After I have put you in your rightful place I'll make sure you tell me everything."

"Well, you can try at least." Far faster than his opponent was prepared for Piccolo struck. A right hook that sent him reeling back. His follow up hit nothing except air, with the fiend quickly avoiding the attack.

Then he appeared at the green man's side in a blur of motion. "Trust me, I intend to do far more than 'try.' "

Battle Powers:

Frieza (Initial 2nd Form): 320,000

Gohan (Angry outburst): 298,000

Piccolo: Over 300,000 of course.

Everyone else is either virtually unchanged, or too much a spoiler.