Chapter 19: Enter the Ginyu Force!

On top of Frieza's Ship…

Frieza and Zarbon both stood atop the ship and stared at the sky. Zarbon was reverently silent next to his master, the patch now covering his eye as a reminder of what happened when Lord Frieza was displeased. The two of them watched as suddenly, five Attack Balls rained down from the sky.

Zarbon quietly flinched as his master chuckled. "Finally, competent warriors have arrived. Things will finally get done on this miserable, backwater planet..."

With five, fantastically loud booms, the Attack Balls landed. A moment passed but then, with a hiss, the doors began to open up…

Back at the Base Camp…

Bardock, Vegeta, and Nail rained down from the sky and landed in front of the mouth of the cave. The three of them quickly entered, Dragon Balls in hand, with Bardock taking the lead. The older Saiyan marched through the crowd of Namekians and found Gohan and Krillin standing around and talking to Dende.

The two of them turned and smiled at their mentor, only for Bardock to scowl. "Into the house! Now!"

Dende flinched back in fear as Gohan and Krillin quickly agreed. The younger Namekian was used to Bardock being harsh, but this was a different kind of harsh. Something was wrong. Gohan and Krillin both ran into the house and Bardock followed them. Then Vegeta walked in.

Although the armor was damaged, Vegeta was still clearly dressed like one of Frieza's soldiers. The Namekians glared at Vegeta and the Saiyan Prince, ever bold, glared back. The Prince tightened his fist, but Nail quickly corrected this. The warrior tightly gripped Vegeta's shoulder and spoke calmly. "Perhaps maintaining a sense of calm would be best for our fragile alliance..."

Vegeta turned to Nail and snarled. "Do you think you can beat me, insect?"

Nail stared back at Vegeta. "A real warrior need not ponder absolutes."

The two stood off for a moment. For just a flash, Vegeta saw that mouthy Namekian he had met on the Earth and felt his blood boil. But then the Prince backed down. He looked furious, but he simply stomped off and went into the Capsule House without a word. Nail sighed and pressed his fingers to his brow. And then he followed along behind Vegeta.

Within the Capsule House…

Gohan and Krillin both marched into the Capsule House as ordered, walking over to the closet and grabbing out the two Dragon Balls. They had both come to the silent consensus that Bardock had managed to somehow get the rest of the Dragon Balls and he wanted to discuss their wishes. The two of them set the Dragon Balls on the table and stared up at Bardock as he set down the two he was carrying.

Krillin broke the silence. "So... do we have all seven? Can we wish our friends back?!"

Bardock sighed and sat in the chair. "You're going to hate this."

"Hate what?"

Bulma stepped out from the bathroom, finishing drying her hair with a towel.

Gohan glanced up at Bardock. "Grandpa, what's wrong?"

Bardock rubbed his face and pointed at the door with his thumb. "Meet the newest member of our little group..."

Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma all turned to the door and they all cried out in terror. The three of them stared at the doorway as Vegeta stepped through. The prince glared at Gohan and Krillin and snarled. "These weaklings?! Really?!"

Bardock was silent. Nail stepped through the door as well, setting his two Dragon Balls next to the others before going and taking Vegeta's. The Namekian warrior set the final ball next to the others and a gentle smile spread across his face. "The sacred Dragon Balls have been returned at last..."

Nail turned and glanced over to Bardock. "What now, Bardock?"

The older Saiyan looked around the room and saw how high tensions were. He took a deep breath and sighed out before standing up. "Well..."

Bardock cracked both sides of his neck and walked off. "I gotta take a shit. So, try and get along while I do that..."

Everyone was speechless at how glib Bardock was. The older Saiyan walked to the bathroom, squeezing past Bulma, and shut the door.

Once he was gone, the room became even more tense. Angry and annoyed, the Saiyan Prince stepped forward and sat down where Bardock was sitting before. Gohan and Krillin glared at Vegeta and took a seat as well. Nail stood next to the door, as he was apt to do. And Bulma, because she was both scared and furious, not to mention naked under her towel, ran off to her room.

Vegeta shared a hateful stare with Gohan and Krillin, the three of them remaining silent and enraged. The thick silence laid across the room. And then, Vegeta spoke. "Hm, I thought the bald one would have died from his wounds and the half-breed brat would be too scared to leave his home without holding his mommy's hand."

Krillin immediately stood and snarled. "You wanna take this outside, you friend-murdering son of a bitch?!"

Vegeta smirked and stood, squeezing his hand hard enough to crack the knuckles. "Finally, someone says something to me I like! Let's go outside, Baldy! I'll cave your skull in!"

Nail began to step up to put a stop to the fight, but then the loud cocking of a blaster echoed through the room and the warrior flinched. Bulma was standing there in the doorway, tears built in her eyes. She levied her blaster at Vegeta's chest and coldly threatened him. "Sit your ass down, or I'll blow a hole in your chest..."

Vegeta smirked and chuckled at Bulma. "Do you really think that would work on me? Do you know how strong-"

Bulma snapped, firing the blaster right next to Vegeta, leaving the prince and everyone else shocked. "If it doesn't kill you with the blast, I'll crack your head open with it!"

The scientist was trembling, her breaths heaving. "You... you killed my friends. Tien and Chiaotzu... and Yamcha..."

Vegeta frowned. "I didn't kill any of your friends. Nappa did. Except for that one long-haired fool that was killed by a Saibaman, one of Nappa's pets."

The prince shrugged. "I don't like being accused of murders that I didn't do... but I respect you for having the guts to stand there and take aim at me. So, I'm going to make this clear that the one who killed all of your friends is long gone. Make that error again, and I will take serious action."

Bulma put her trembling thumb on the trigger and sneered at Vegeta. Vegeta glared at her. "You'll be sorry if you do."

The human woman didn't care. She prepared to fire, again, but Nail finally stepped up and gently, but firmly grabbed her wrist. The Namekian lowered the blaster and calmly spoke. "While I agree that he seems like the type to kill everyone you love... I must remind everyone in this room to point their senses to the northeast immediately."

Gohan, Krillin, and Vegeta all glared in that direction and, once the overwhelming feeling dawned on them, they all flinched. Krillin went pale and Gohan's jaw dropped. Vegeta snarled and sat back in the chair. "That damned future-seeing bastard..."

Nail's voice was unwavering, but grave. "Miss Bulma. I understand the feeling in your heart for vengeance, but we must take the greater good into account. I also dislike that man, but his assistance will be vital to the defeat of this 'Ginyu Force' and their wicked boss..."

Back at Frieza's Ship…

The Ginyu Force all stood before Frieza, their special fighting poses held firm for their lord's enjoyment. Zarbon was still silent, but an embarrassed glow spread across his face at the sight of these inelegant fools and their posturing.

Frieza, however, was overjoyed to see his men so lively. "Yes! Yes! My irreplaceable Ginyu Force has arrived! It is so good to see you all~!"

The Ginyu Force all smiled wide and immediately saluted their lord. Zarbon watched, jealous and angry, as Frieza showed none of the disdain that he showed to the other troops and the Ginyu Force displayed none of the fear that the other troops felt on a daily basis.

The attendant flinched back, his eyes widening with frustration as Jeice ran up to Lord Frieza without so much as a word of permission. "M'Lord! We've brought the case of Scouters that you requested! Carried in my pod and personally checked for function on the way, sir!"

Frieza chuckled. "Excellent!"

He snapped his tail and Zarbon jumped. On cue, the cowed attendant ran forward and took the case of Scouters from Jeice. Frieza stood in his hover chair, reaching into the case and pulling out a red-tinted Scouter.

And then, even more to Zarbon's surprise, Frieza walked up to Jeice and gave him a friendly smile. "Jeice! Dear, loyal Jeice! How have you been? Is your relationship well?"

Jeice smiled and bowed his head. "Yessir, Lord Frieza! Brihe and I are doing great! I'm actually planning on taking her on vacation to Planet #85 on m'next shore leave!"

Frieza nodded. "Yes! Fantastic!"

The emperor walked up to the other Ginyu Force members. "Recoome! Your form was impeccable! Not a muscle out of place for your pose!"

Recoome chuckled and pumped his fist. Frieza smiled at Burter. "Burter! I heard that you quelled a riot on Planet 46 all on your lonesome. Did the bonus I had sent make it to your account properly?"

Burter bowed. "Yes, Lord Frieza! I am very grateful! I used it to buy myself a new washing machine!"

Frieza chuckled. "Wonderful~! Guldo, I see that you wore deodorant this time!"

Guldo nodded. "Yes, Lord Frieza! And once again, I apologize for the formal error I made in front of your brother!"

Frieza shrugged. "Like Cooler's opinion really matters. There's a reason Father sent him to the far-off South Galaxy!"

Finally, Frieza stepped up to Captain Ginyu and the two began to chuckle together like the oldest of friends. Zarbon watched on as the two discussed planets and conquests and acquisitions as if they were equals.

Ginyu smiled. "So, My Lord, is Planet 95 subjugated enough that we might start selling Ginyu Force merchandise to the inhabitants? Their spirits are broken, so I assume that now might be the time to build it back up with some well-placed Ginyu Spirit!"

Frieza nodded. "Indeed. You will be doing publicity rounds there once this is all finished."

The emperor frowned. "But for now..."

He placed his Scouter on and glared at the Ginyu Force. "This planet is hiding maggots. And I require my best exterminators to hunt them down."

The Ginyu Force all smiled and their captain laughed. "But of course, Lord Frieza! What other use does the Ginyu Force have than to carry out your will?"

Frieza smiled at his most trusted men. "Excellent~"

Back at the Base Camp…

Bardock emerged from the bathroom and sighed. "Man... nothing feels quite as good in these trying times like a massive shit!"

The older Saiyan looked around the room and saw that things were somehow even more tense than when he went in. "So... how's everyone doing?"

Krillin snarled. "I hate Vegeta."

Gohan quickly added on. "I want to break his nose."

Bulma snapped. "I can't believe you invited a murderer into my camping house!"

Vegeta sneered. "Trust me, I would happily kill every last one of you right now with a goddamned smile on my face."

Nail grunted indifferently, his arms folded behind his back.

Bardock heard how everyone felt and he smiled. "Well, good. At least we're all on the same page."

The older Saiyan sat crisscross on the floor and cracked his knuckles. "Now, let's get down to business. Bulma, get the Scouter."

Vegeta reacted with visible confusion. "Scouter? Where the hell did you get a Scouter?"

Bulma left the room and quickly returned with the Scouter that Bardock had stolen off of Vegeta. It took the prince a moment to realize what was up, but then he shouted. "Hold it! That was my Scouter! Dodoria destroyed that thing! How did it get fixed so quickly?!"

Bardock glanced over at Vegeta. "What, you don't think I have it in me to fix up a Scouter?"

Vegeta sneered. "You're an ancient hick that just got tired being dead for 25 years. I know you don't have it in you!"

Bardock sighed. "That's hurt, kid. But... you're right."

He pointed over to Bulma with his thumb. "She fixed it. Cuz she's the smartest goddamned person in this room. Might wanna take a mental note on that."

Vegeta turned to Bulma, genuinely astounded. "I'm impressed. Pretty smart... for a human."

Bulma didn't even bother to look at Vegeta, flipping him off instead. "Like you could fix the damn thing any better than Bardock. Now sit on it and spin."

Vegeta snorted at the fire this woman showed. Bulma ignored him. She quickly booted up the Scouter and turned to Bardock. "What's the plan for this thing?"

Bardock confidently smirked. "Well... the Ginyu Force has arrived on this planet. And for most people, that's a cue to piss your pants, cry your eyes out, and die. But I don't think we should do that! So, we're going to divide and conquer!"

The Saiyan turned and faced his troops. "We're going to use this Scouter to listen in on the Ginyu Force, track their movements, and kill them one-by-one! Once we do that, we go back into hiding and wait for Kakarot and Raditz to show up. Then, we'll work out who gets what wishes and how best to use them! And then..."

A raging, toothy grin spread across Bardock's face. "And then we put Frieza into the goddamned ground where he belongs."

Vegeta quickly spoke up. "Sounds good to me. But for my services, one of those wishes had better include my immortality. It's the only reason I came to this worthless mudball!"

Krillin snapped at him. "Like hell! We're not going to let a demon like you have eternal life! Do we look stupid?!"

Vegeta turned to Krillin. "You must be stupid to speak to me like that, worm!"

Nail quickly tried to break up the fight. "Both of you stop this at once!"

Bardock and Gohan both sat there, watching the squabble before them. Gohan looked a bit frightened and Bardock was clearly annoyed. Bulma, meanwhile, glanced over at Bardock with a confused look on her face. The older Saiyan, despite being incredibly blunt, didn't immediately shoot down the immortality idea. Bulma stared at Bardock and then remembered Nail's speech on the greater good. She then glanced away with clear hatred burning behind her eyes.

The squabbling and fighting continued on for a few more minutes until, finally, Bardock snapped. "EVERYONE, SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Silence fell over the room and Bardock turned to Bulma. "You said you took care of tracking and receiving on the Scouter, right?"

Bulma snapped out of her anger and nodded. "Y-Yeah. I shut off the tracking chip and took out the receiver so I could study the long-distance array."

Bardock nodded. "Good. Then let's get back on the wavelengths and see if we can get some intel."

Bulma nodded and began to fiddle with the Scouter, eventually finding the right signal. After a bit more clicking, Bulma managed to precisely home in on a conversation between Frieza and Captain Ginyu.

Over the Scouter Frequency…

Ginyu and Frieza both spoke back and forth to one another about their plans for Planet Namek. Ginyu sounded confident as he laid out his strategy. "We will be combing over the planet in a pentagram formation, Lord Frieza! This will allow us to cover the planet evenly and rapidly. As we fly, we will personally check each and every island we come across and, once we confirm it is empty, we will destroy it!"

The Captain chuckled. "Eventually, these rats will run out of places to hide."

Frieza hissed. "Excellent plan, Ginyu! Excellent! I am always proud to see your wit hard at work!"

The two of them began to laugh and throw compliments back and forth at one another.

Back in the Capsule House…

Bardock and Vegeta both looked disgusted as Ginyu and Frieza both verbally phallated one another. Bulma, with a visible look of disdain on her face, commented on the mess they were listening to. "So... they're suck-ups. Is that why Frieza likes them so much? Because they kiss his ass non-stop?"

Vegeta snapped. "Exactly. That's the only reason they've made it as far as they have! Nothing but sycophantic freaks of nature! All five of them!"

Nail growled under his breath. "They plan to butcher the Namekian landscape to hunt us down?! We must dispatch them immediately!"

Bardock nodded. "Couldn't agree more, Nail. So, let's get right down to it. We're going to kill Guldo first. Then Burter. Followed by Recoome. And then Jeice. And once the four of them are gone, we'll all gang up on Ginyu and kill him."

The older Saiyan stood and tightened his headband. "So, the respective threats. Pretty simple. Run-of-the-mill freaks of nature. Guldo's power level is at 19,000 with psychokinetic abilities and low-level telepathy. Burter is 68,000 with super speed and reflexes. Recoome is at 71,000 with immense tolerance to pain and near-limitless stamina. Jeice is 85,000 and can change the frequency of his ki at will. A pretty boy, a dumb strong guy, a speedster, and one with weird powers. And Ginyu-"

Bardock was cut off by a loud chuckle from the Captain. "But I digress, Lord Frieza... you were right! The fools didn't factor in that we might be able to hack into their Scouter with our more advanced models!"

Frieza chuckled back. "Yes. Zarbon conveyed that Vegeta was not wearing a Scouter when he found him, so I assumed that he must have left it somewhere..."

Ginyu sounded smug. "Right, My Lord. Well... we're headed their way now. They might be masking their energy, but let's see them get away when we're already halfway there! The five of us and the contingent of troops you gave us are ready to brawl!"

Frieza cheered. "Get my Dragons Ball back, my invaluable Ginyu Force!"

The Ginyu Force all shouted back. "YES, LORD FRIEZA!"

Once the Scouter call was hung up and the sound of dead air filled the room, Bardock's jaw dropped. Everyone else looked immediately unnerved. Bulma, however, began to freak out.

The human woman shouted at the top of her lungs. "WHY ARE YOU ALL SITTING AROUND?! THEY'RE COMING!"

Bulma picked up the Scouter and smashed it on the ground, breaking it in two. "We need to get out of here!"

She grabbed Krillin by the back of his shirt and dragged him to his feet. "Krillin, Gohan! Get up! Go tell the Namekians! We have to run!"

The two of them both remained motionless, frozen in fear at what they were feeling. Bulma shouted again. "Why is nobody moving?! What the hell is going-"

Vegeta snapped at her. "Shut the hell up, woman!"

Bulma was confused, but Nail provided clarity. "It is too late to flee. They are already here."

She fell to her knees. "You've gotta be kidding me..."

And then, as if on cue, deafeningly loud rock music began to blast from the outside. Bardock, regaining composure, straightened himself out and nodded. "Yup. That's the Ginyu Force alright..."

The older Saiyan glanced over at the Dragon Balls and sighed, and then he motioned for Nail, Vegeta, Gohan, and Krillin to follow him. The five of them exited the house, leaving the door open, and leaving Bulma behind.

Outside the house…

Nail watched with pity as his weaker brothers all displayed utter fear at what they were feeling outside. Even Talus was reeling at the sheer power that was hammering down on them.

Nail raised his hand in the air and yelled something very loud in the Namekian tongue. Everyone stopped and stared at him and he motioned towards the Capsule House. "Everyone into the human domicile immediately!"

The warrior took a deep breath. "Keep watch over the sacred Dragon Balls in my absence."

The Four-Star Village immediately complied, with Elder Tsuno and Dende leading them all into the house. Talus and Nail both shared a look before the door shut. Nail turned to his fellow warriors and then the five of them stepped out of the cave.

Outside of the cave…

What the five warriors came across was quite the sight. Twenty of Frieza's men were standing there, lined up and spread out into a half-circle shape. They were all dancing in place and singing along to the tune of the music.

COMPANY: "GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES!"

Krillin stared in confusion. "What are they-"

And then, the human warrior was cut off by a large yellow, hulking man and an even larger blue, snake-like man both backflipping onto the scene.

RECOOME: "My name is Recoo~oo~me! I've got the strongest powers-ah! I'll take all your lives without even breaking a sweat! TOH!"

"With my Ultra Fighting Pose! The Miracle Bomber, Oh Yeah! I'll sweep all the scum off of the battlefield!"

BURTER: "The name is Burter! Here comes the Blue Hurricane! Whoa-Oh!"

"My speed is unmatched by anyone!"

COMPANY: "YES THEY ARE!"

BURTER: "We have just arrived and we're the most elite! Warriors in the Universe! We even shut up whining kids cuz we're the awesome Ginyu Force!"

Company: "YES THEY ARE!"

RECOOME: "We'll arrive in a flashy way! We'll show you our SPECIAL FIGHTING POSE! So, you had best prepare to kneel before its ultimate beauty!"

COMPANY: "GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES!"

Krillin was even more confused now than a moment ago. He could easily tell how strong just those two were... but why were they dancing and singing like children?! He turned to Bardock and whispered to him. "B-Bardock... is this... what is this?!"

Bardock ignored Krillin, instead turning to Vegeta and trying to strategize. "Vegeta... we need to have a plan here. You, me, and Nail need to try and strike as a team."

Vegeta didn't respond. To Krillin's simultaneous confusion and understanding, Vegeta seemed utterly terrified of these clowns. Krillin turned from the prince and back to the dance number in front of him to the sight of a shorter, red guy and an overweight, green guy both front-flipping in.

JEICE: "Hey there. My name is Jeice! People call me the Red Magma! I'm also known as the Ginyu Force's Number Two Man!"

"Shall I pet you using my signature Crusher Ball?! And by pet I don't mean just patting you on the head!"

GULDO: "Hey Guldo! That's what they call me! I have the power to stop time! Whoa-oh!"

"I am full of real psychic power!"

COMPANY: "YES THEY ARE!"

BURTER: "We have just arrived and we're the most elite! Warriors in the universe!"

JEICE: "We're the best in the world! The One and Only mighty Ginyu Force"

COMPANY: "YES THEY ARE!"

RECOOME: We have just decided on a chocolate parfait as our afternoon snack!"

GULDO: "And we'll never ever share at all! You don't get any!"

COMPANY: "GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES!"

Standing behind the others, Gohan was silently bobbing his head in tune with the music. Something about how flashy and exciting all of this was... connected with him.

Nail, meanwhile, looked totally lost. The invaders were certainly different from what he had imagined. But the Namekian warrior only had to take a glance at the terror on Vegeta and Bardock's faces to know that this was going to be a real fight. And so, in preparation, Nail threw aside his coat. As he did, the final member of the Ginyu Force jumped in. A purple fellow with large, black horns.

GINYU: "Now to introduce Ginyu! The one and only team captain! When fighting me you'd better give it all you've got!"

"I serve under Lord Frieza! Don't really give a damn who you are! All I know is that you'll be on the ground soon!"

COMPANY: "YEAH!"

GINYU: "You know you should feel honored! How about now I show you my dance! Prepare your eyes to view my Dance of Joy~!"

COMPANY: "YES THEY ARE!"

JEICE, BURTER, GULDO, RECOOME: "We have just arrived and we're the most elite! Warriors in the Universe!"

GINYU: "I hate frogs but I don't know why! Maybe it's the color?!"

COMPANY: "YES THEY ARE!"

JEICE, BURTER, GULDO, RECOOME: "We decide when we fight with Rock-Paper-Scissors! It's the fairest way!"

GINYU: "Fairness is truly the warrior's code! You had better remember that!"

COMPANY: "GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES!"

As wild guitar music began to swell, Krillin was getting truly unnerved. Were they really this confident that they'd win that they felt it okay to do a whole dance recital?! The monk ran up to Bardock and began to shake him. "Bardock! What the hell are we going to do?! What's going on?!"

Bardock responded with a wake-up slap to the face. "Quit panicking and get it together! This is going to be a war if the Ginyu Force is busting out their full theme song! Frieza isn't pulling punches this time around!"

COMPANY: "YES THEY ARE!"

GULDO: "We have just arrived and we're the most elite! Warriors in the universe!"

RECOOME: "Heroes to the Frieza Force! The amazing Ginyu Force!"

COMPANY: "YES THEY ARE!"

BURTER: "We'll arrive in a flashy way! We'll show you our Special Fighting Pose!"

JEICE: "Now prepare yourself to kneel before its unparalleled beauty!"

COMPANY: "GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES!"

As the music rounded up, the Ginyu Force struck their signature poses with force and gusto. And the grunts behind them rounded up the performance with several different colors of smoke bomb exploding behind them.

Gohan, still a 5-year-old child in spite of every miserable thing he had gone through over the past year-and-a-half, immediately burst into applause. He laughed and clapped his hands and shouted as loud as he could. "They're all so cool!"

Silence fell over Bardock's side of the battlefield as Bardock, Krillin, Nail, and Vegeta all glared back at him. Gohan stared up at his allies, looking confused and defensive. "Wh-What? Th-They're... really cool..."

The Ginyu Force all heard Gohan's compliments to their performance and, to Gohan and Krillin's surprise, they began to celebrate. Ginyu shouted out. "Did you hear that, boys?! An enemy with true taste!"

Recoome shouted. "That's amazing!"

Burter chuckled. "Yes! He thinks we're cool!"

Guldo smiled. "Our poses are so inspiring!"

Jeice howled with joy. "Lads! We got a compliment for a youthful heart!"

Ginyu smirked and nodded. "Indeed! A youthful heart is truly high praise! Praise that is second only to Lord Frieza himself!"

As the five goofy soldiers literally lost their minds over the opinion of a 5-year-old, Vegeta decided that he had had enough. The prince roared at the top of his lungs and summoned up all the energy he could muster to shoot a massive Final Crash at the Ginyu Force.

The blast rocketed towards the Force and their supporting company, crashing onto and around them. The Ginyu Force was hit dead center and the aftershocks of the blast surged in a massive radius, catching all of the weaker soldiers and incinerating them to death. Screams echoed out for a moment as the pain of oblivion set in, and then they were all cut off by a massive explosion.

Krillin was amazed. Getting caught up in the moment and thinking that they had been given an advantage, the human monk shouted over to Vegeta. "Nice shot, man!"

Vegeta ignored the human's praise and spat on the ground, snarling. "Dammit! I didn't even gather enough power to kill Guldo?!"

Krillin flinched. "Wait... you're telling me that... that did nothing?!"

The smoke cleared and Krillin's question was horrifically answered. Standing there, with the other four crowded behind him, was Captain Ginyu.

The captain glared at Vegeta, Milky Cannon glowing on his hand, and then he smirked. Ginyu pointed the blast between Bardock and Vegeta and then fired it. It sailed past them at blinding speed and towards an island chain behind them. And then, with a massive purple explosion, the island chain was gone!

Krillin and Gohan both stared at the Ginyu Force with blue faces. Nail, Vegeta, and Bardock all immediately powered-up to their maximum and took up fighting stances. Finding their nerve again, Krillin and Gohan followed in kind.

Captain Ginyu smirked at the little display and checked their power levels. "Take note men. The child is at 60,000. The shorty is 55,000. The Namekian is at 68,000. Vegeta is at 65,000. And is Bardock at a whopping 80,000."

As the subordinates murmured to each other about a good fight ahead of them, Ginyu smirked. "Do what you want with the others, but Bardock is mine. It's been a while since I found a target that can make me put some decent effort into it."

On the other side of the battlefield, Jeice cleared his throat. "Uh... Cap'n...?"

Ginyu turned to his cohort. "Yes, Jeice?"

Jeice looked up at his leader. "Do we have to kill the kid? I mean... he appreciates our performance and it feels like killing him would go against our Ginyu Force panache. Ya know what I mean?"

Ginyu sighed and rubbed his chin. "Well... we have our orders, Jeice. So... let's just beat him to within an inch of his life and then maybe, once we get the Dragon Balls and kill the other four, we can ask Lord Frieza to spare him. Perhaps the Lord would be willing to show mercy if sufficiently pleased..."

The Captain shook his head. "But down to business..."

Ginyu struck an aggressive pose and shouted. "GINYU FORCE FIVE-STAR FORMATION!"

The other four wasted no time in posing in identical ways behind their captain, ready to take flight on his command. Ginyu smirked and shouted again. "GINYU FORCE! GO, GO, GO!"

The four lesser Ginyu Force members took off into the air, ascending into the sky and looping over before falling towards Bardock's group like four deadly missiles. Ginyu smiled wide and charged at his adversaries. "GINYU FORCE SPECIAL COMBINATION BLITZ!"

Next chapter in 2 weeks as im starting a new novel