The orange twin suns of Namek hovered in the sky, casting strange shadows over the scarred land. The once-peaceful villages now lay abandoned or burned, a testament to the chaos Frieza's forces had wrought.
Vegeta knelt beside a hollowed cave wall, three glowing Dragon Balls stacked in a satchel at his side. Nappa stood guard, his scouter picking up faint energy signals.
Nappa (grunting): "Something's coming. Big."
Vegeta (coldly): "Of course they are. We've been too loud. Keep your power down. Let's see who Frieza sends."
Suddenly, two power levels soared into view—familiar, yet unwelcome.
Dodoria (laughing): "Well, well, well… traitors in the wild. Did you really think you could hide from Lord Frieza?"
Zarbon (calmly): "Your betrayal has gone far enough. I suggest you surrender the Dragon Balls."
Vegeta (sneering): "You forget who you're speaking to, Zarbon. I'm the Prince of all Saiyans."
Nappa (charging up): "Bring it on, you pretty lizard."
With a snarl, Dodoria lunged at Nappa, fists flying. Nappa ducked and blasted Dodoria point-blank with a mouth beam, vaporizing half the terrain. The brute staggered—but before he could recover, Vegeta shot forward and blasted him through the chest with a double-handed energy beam.
Dodoria (screaming): "N-No—!"
He exploded in a shower of pink light.
Zarbon (furious): "You'll regret that."
The beautiful warrior's form rippled—and transformed into his monstrous second form. With speed far beyond either Saiyan's expectations, Zarbon slammed Nappa into the ground, breaking bones. Then he kicked Vegeta into a cliff face with a thunderous crack.
Zarbon (grinning): "So much for your pride."
He looked at the motionless forms of both Saiyans, assumed them dead, and vanished into the sky.
Frieza's Command Ship – Throne Room
Frieza (tapping fingers): "Dodoria is late. Zarbon should have returned by now. I'm growing... bored."
Suddenly, alarms flared.
Frieza (flatly): "Open the hangar bay."
Outside, a rainbow-colored comet streaked across the Namekian sky—five pods hitting the surface like divine meteors.
The Ginyu Force had arrived.
They struck dramatic poses atop a Namekian plateau, their ridiculous energy signatures lighting up every scouter on the planet.
Captain Ginyu: "We've arrived, Lord Frieza!"
Frieza (grinning): "Excellent. You know what to do. I want those Dragon Balls. Every single one. If anyone resists... kill them all."
Jeice (grinning): "This'll be fun."
Burter: "I'll race you all there."
Recoome (stretching): "Hope someone strong shows up."
Guldo: "Hmph. They won't last five seconds."
The elite mercenaries vanished into the sky, their orders clear: Obtain the Dragon Balls—no matter the cost.
Meanwhile, far below, Vegeta stirred amidst the rubble, bloodied but alive...
Nappa coughed, blood trickling down his chin as he forced himself upright, bones aching from Zarbon's monstrous assault. Beside him, Vegeta pushed debris off his back, rage smoldering in his eyes.
Vegeta (growling): "That damn lizard... he thinks we're finished."
Nappa (grinning weakly): "Guess he forgot Saiyans don't die that easy."
Vegeta (scanning the area): "We've still got the Dragon Balls. He didn't check. That gives us an edge... for now."
The two limped deeper into the hideout, concealing the precious orbs and licking their wounds. The war wasn't over—not by a long shot.
Namekian Highlands
Raditz, Tien, and Yamcha watched from a cliff as the Ginyu Force scattered in different directions. Their movements were erratic, unpredictable, and dangerously fast.
Raditz (tense): "Frieza's elite... they're here. We're running out of time."
Tien (focused): "If they get the Dragon Balls before us, we're done."
Yamcha (fist clenched): "Then we stop them before that happens."
They moved out, continuing their covert efforts to aid Namekians and gather intelligence.
Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, and Krillin gathered around their own collection of Dragon Balls. With Grand Elder's unlocked potential flowing through them, their strength had soared beyond measure.
Krillin (smirking): "You think we're ready for them?"
Piccolo (serious): "No room for mistakes. Even with these gains, Frieza's no joke."
Suddenly, a chill passed over them. All eyes turned skyward.
Goku: "He's here."
The pressure of Frieza's energy blanketed the planet. It was suffocating—raw, oppressive evil.
Gohan (staggering): "Dad… he feels worse than anything we've ever fought."
Goku (steady): "We can take him head-on. but better secure the Dragon Balls first.
Piccolo nodded. The group vanished into the hills, Dragon Radar in hand.
Namek – Frieza's Base Camp
Zarbon bowed before Frieza, concealing the pain from his battle.
Zarbon: "Lord Frieza, the traitors were dealt with. They won't be a problem."
Frieza (bored): "And the Dragon Balls?"
Zarbon (hesitating): "They weren't on them. We're still tracking them."
Frieza (icy): "You'd best not disappoint me again, Zarbon. I detest failure almost as much as incompetence."
Zarbon bowed again and exited, sweat trickling down his neck.
Guldo and Recoome scoured the nearby villages, interrogating and annihilating anything that moved. Jeice and Burter split off, chasing leads picked up from old scouter signals. Captain Ginyu monitored their progress with military precision.
Ginyu (via scouter): "Remember, we only need the Balls. But feel free to have fun with the locals."
Recoome (laughing): "Already ahead of you, Captain!"
As the Namekian skies turned crimson from distant fires, the war for the Dragon Balls escalated into chaos.
The stillness of Namek was once again shattered—this time not by screams, but by a cold, calculating presence. The Ginyu Force had spread across the land like a pack of wolves, their scouters locking onto weak Namekian villages and purging resistance with terrifying ease.
But now… the hunters had become the hunted.
Recoome (grinning): "Ooh yeah! Another village down! What do ya say, Guldo? Ten more?"
Guldo floated above, psychic eyes twitching. "Something's wrong. I can't sense the enemy's power… But I feel eyes."
Suddenly—
"Solar Flare!"
A blinding light burst across the sky. Guldo screeched and recoiled. Recoome stumbled backward.
Recoome: "What the—?!"
When the light faded, five warriors stood tall on a cliff—Goku in front, arms folded, flanked by Piccolo, Gohan, Krillin, and Raditz.
Goku (calmly): "You've had your fun. It's our turn."
Recoome cracked his neck and lunged forward, muscles bulging. "You think you're tough, huh?! Recoome's gonna—"
WHAM!
Recoome's body bent violently from a single elbow to the gut—courtesy of Raditz. The Saiyan snarled, delivering a follow-up punch that sent Recoome crashing through three stone ridges.
Raditz (growling): "For every child you crushed."
Guldo screeched and tried to freeze time—but his concentration broke when Krillin's Destructo Disc grazed his arm. Before he could recover—
Piccolo (coldly): "You're a parasite."
A charged Special Beam Cannon ripped through the canyon—and Guldo vanished in a flash of light.
High above the cliffs, Burter—the self-proclaimed fastest in the universe—raced around Gohan.
Burter (mocking): "Too slow, kid!"
But Gohan grinned, his aura flaring up.
Gohan (focused): "HAAA!!!"
He disappeared—then reappeared behind Burter, planting a foot into his back. Burter was sent plummeting.
Jeice (staggering): "That… that wasn't supposed to happen!"
Before he could regroup, Krillin joined Gohan and they double-teamed Jeice with blinding speed and precision, Gohan gut-kicking him upwards where Krillin was waiting with a Kamehameha. Blasting Jeice into oblivion.
Captain Ginyu, sensing the collapse of his squad, arrived just in time to see Burter and Jeice fall. His jaw clenched.
Ginyu: "You've made a grave mistake."
He powered up, ground cracking beneath him, as he hurled a massive energy wave toward the Z Fighters. But it didn't reach.
Raditz intercepted the blast and crushed it with one hand, smoke spiraling around his fingers.
Raditz (sternly): "This is your last chance. Leave."
Ginyu (sneering): "Not likely."
He charged—but the result was a blur. Raditz dodged everything and retaliated with a simple jab to the stomach, dropping Ginyu in a heap. With a pointblank Double Sunday, Ginyu and by extension the Ginyu force was no more.
The battle was over.
From a distant ridge, the two bruised Saiyans watched in stunned silence.
Nappa (gaping): "Did… did you see that?! They wiped them out!"
Vegeta (clenching his fists): "Those worms… they've surpassed us. That Namekian especially…"
He ground his teeth, voice low with envy and rage.
Vegeta: "How?! How did they get so strong in such a short time?!"
Nappa: "Whatever they did… it's working."
Vegeta turned away, pride smoldering.
Vegeta (muttering): "Damn it all… I was supposed to be the one to kill those bastards!"
The team gathered again, victorious but cautious.
Krillin (panting): "I can't believe it. We just wiped the floor with the Ginyu Force!"
Piccolo (nodding): "They were strong. But we've become stronger."
Raditz (arms crossed): "And Frieza's next."
Gohan (confidently): "Let's finish this."
Goku remained silent, looking at the horizon where Frieza's energy flared faintly.
Goku (thinking): "Still… Frieza's no ordinary enemy."
He turned to the team.
Goku: "We're stronger than ever. But don't get cocky. This was just the warm-up."