Chapter 12: Score One

Over with Gohan and Krillin's group…

Gohan and Krillin trembled as they watched the Frieza Force work. Their hearts went out for the three, terrified Namekians that were currently surrounded, but they knew that they didn't stand a chance against these guys. The troops would be easy to beat, but the pink one, the teal one, and Frieza himself were all a lot stronger than them. Gohan was shaking with fury, but Krillin placed a calming hand on the boy's back. He had to keep Gohan from losing his cool here.

Down in the settlement below, two shiftless Frieza goons pointed their blasters at the three Namekians. Frieza, maintaining an air of politeness, asked once more. "Your Dragon Ball, where is it?"

The older Namekian sneered and began to speak in the Namekian language at Frieza. The emperor chuckled at this act of defiance. "I'm unsure whether the four Dragon Balls we already have are a dead giveaway or not, but we are well-aware that your planet has adapted the common tongue. So, please, once again in a language that I can understand."

The older Namekian flinched, trying his best to glare at Frieza. He remained silent until one of the soldiers behind him smacked him in the head with their blaster. "O-Okay... we-"

Before he could continue, all of the Scouters in the settlement went off. Dodoria and Zarbon both turned and stared in the direction of the approaching powers. Zarbon snickered. "Oh my... Three power levels of 3000..."

Dodoria snorted. Frieza chuckled to himself. The rest of the soldiers glared over as the three Namekian warriors all landed in the nearby Ajisa field. The leader of the group glared at the corpses of all of his murdered clansmen and snarled. "Bastards! How dare you kill the weak and defenseless!?"

The Frieza soldiers all laughed at this and the three warrior Namekians glared. The one on the left roared. "Laugh while you can!"

And then, the three warriors raised their battle powers. Zarbon once again called out. "5500, 7300, and 9400."

Frieza chuckled. "Ohohohoho! How novel! They can hide their true power! Such an interesting race these Namekians are!"

The three warriors charged and began to fight Frieza's troops. The battle started and quickly became a one-sided squash for the Namekians. Frieza Force soldiers screamed out as their Namekian foes ended their lives with a combination of keen martial skill and applied energy attacks.

Up on the hill, Gohan and Krillin were both smiling. The Namekians were winning! Maybe they would be able to drive the Frieza Force away from killing anymore innocents.

Down in the settlement, the elder Namekian smiled as his brothers battled these demons. The two young ones cheered on their fellow clansmen while the elder glared over at the invaders. He began to count those machines on their faces and eventually came to a total of five of them. In secret, he summoned five energy spheres onto his left hand. He had to time this perfectly...

The elder Namekian watched and waited for the appropriate opportunity, he just needed the two that were holding the Dragon Balls to both turn the machine side of their faces towards him. He just had to wait.

Soon enough, the opportunity came along. One of the Namekian warriors kicked a screaming soldier over the other three's head and they all turned. The elder roared in defiance and launched all five of his finger blasts. Three of them hit their corpse targets and destroyed the machines. The other two flew right at Dodoria and Zarbon's faces and blasted their Scouters to pieces as well.

Frieza merely chuckled at this development. "Oh dear! It appears as if the old one is a keen strategist. How interesting~!"

Dodoria and Zarbon both glared over at the slug that had dared attack them. They each put their Dragon Balls down, and then Dodoria disappeared from sight. Zarbon, meanwhile, wiped the burn mark from his face. He calmly disappeared from sight as well before appearing before the elder, smacking the two children out of the way and battering the older Namekian. The two kids shrieked. Moori groaned. "Dende, Cargo. Don't panic…"

In the air, the lead warrior Namekian cried out. "Elder Moori!"

However, before he could rush to the elder's aid, Dodoria appeared. He wasted no time in shoving his hand through the Namekian warrior's chest, killing him. He then ripped his dead opponent in half and tossed his pieces at the other two, knocking them out of the sky.

Meanwhile, Zarbon continued to wordlessly pummel Moori. Eventually, after the older Namekian was sufficiently broken, the suave sadist spoke. "Now, the Dragon Ball. Or else I turn my attention to the children..."

Moori coughed up blood, looking past Zarbon to see the gruesome sight of Dodoria murdering the other two warriors. Their screams etched into his brain as Dodoria slaughtered them. Finally, Moori relented. "Okay... okay... I'll get it for you... just please leave the children alone..."

Zarbon smirked and pulled Moori to his feet as Dodoria stumbled over, coated in purple, Namekian blood. The children, young Dende and his brother Cargo both cowered as these monsters loomed over them.

Meanwhile, Gohan and Krillin's moods sank even lower than before. Krillin was filled with dread at the sight of the mutilated Namekian corpses and Gohan... was barely holding it together. Krillin gave the boy a firm pat on the back. "Stay calm! Remember what Bardock said, stay calm! Your anger gets the better of you, and you get yourself into all kinds of trouble! Just stay calm, Gohan!"

Gohan couldn't hear Krillin over the sound of the piercing ringing in his ears.

Back in the village, the busted-up Moori emerged from his dwelling with the requested Dragon Ball. He handed it to Dodoria who smiled wide. Zarbon glared down at the elder as Dodoria took the Dragon Ball over to his Lord Frieza.

The emperor held the ball in his hands and chuckled. "Such a splendorous bauble. To think, I only need two more and immortality will be mine..."

Moori shuddered as Frieza coveted the sacred Dragon Ball in his grasp. Zarbon and Dodoria both merely smiled at their master's mirth.

Up on the hill, Krillin was shaking. "S-See... they have the Dragon Ball... they'll leave now! Everything will-"

Frieza turned his glare back to Moori. "Now, where are the final two villages?"

Moori gasped as Dodoria turned and walked back towards him. Frieza wickedly smiled and cackled derisively at Moori. "You had the gall to destroy our last, remaining Scouters. Now, you will rectify your actions by giving to us the coordinates of the last remaining Namekian villages."

Moori was speechless. Dodoria and Zarbon both smirked. The pink bastard cackled. "You'll tell us now, or we'll beat it out of all three of ya!"

The Namekian elder glanced down at the terrified younger Namekians and then back up at Zarbon and Dodoria. This was it. But... AT LEAST HE COULD SAVE THEM!

Moori quickly charged two blasts into his hands and thrust them into Zarbon and Dodoria's faces. "CARGO! DENDE! RUN!"

The two younger Namekians immediately obeyed, getting to their feet and running away as fast as they could. Moori smirked, but then turned to see Zarbon's fist smash into his face. Moori fell back as Dodoria gave chase to the children. He struggled and looked up at Zarbon just in time to see a Possibility Cannon launch into his face.

Up on the hill, Krillin looked over to see a livid Gohan barely holding it together. Krillin's face turned white, he knew that it was already too late. This feeling was only made worse down below when Frieza, without a care, fired an energy beam and killed one of the children.

The other child stopped dead in his tracks, tears in his eyes, and began to shake his brother. "Cargo! Cargo!"

Finally, Dodoria screeched to a halt in front of the distraught, Namekian child. "Where the hell are the others, brat!?"

Dodoria raised his hand in the air and prepared to strike, but Gohan had finally had enough. "STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"

Gohan shot forward, faster than Krillin could stop him, and slammed his foot into Dodoria's face. The pink murderer went tumbling across the field and Gohan immediately faced Frieza and Zarbon. Frieza cocked his head. "Just who are you?"

Krillin landed next to Gohan, grabbing Dende and pulling the terrified boy close. "You idiot! We have to go! Right now!"

Gohan turned to Krillin and nodded and then the two of them took off with their young rescue in tow. Frieza and Zarbon both watched as they sped off as fast as they could. Zarbon turned to his master. "Lord Frieza, should I give chase?"

Frieza shook his head. "No, Zarbon. We did our part..."

Frieza frowned and glared over at his bumbling, pink henchman. "OH, MR. DODORIA~! GET OFF OF YOUR MASSIVE, PINK ASS AND GIVE CHASE AT ONCE!"

Dodoria stood up like a bolt, fear streaked across his face. He shook off his daze and bowed to his Master. "Yes sir, Lord Frieza!"

Without another word, he quickly took to the air and chased after Gohan, Krillin, and Dende.

Meanwhile, Frieza turned to Zarbon. "We will be heading back to the ship so that we can discuss our next move. Follow along, Zarbon."

Zarbon nodded. "Of course, My Lord."

Meanwhile, with Bardock…

Bardock was crouched down behind a rocky bluff, a bottle of water in his hand. The Saiyan took a good, long sip as he waited. He sighed and shook his head. "That boy... he's gotta learn himself some patience..."

The Saiyan glared up at the sky and, after a few minutes, finally caught sight of Gohan, Krillin, and Dende flying overhead. He shook his head and sighed as, mere moments later, Dodoria came rocketing by. Bardock nodded and stood up, giving chase on foot, looking for a proper moment to intervene.

Up in the air, Gohan and Krillin were both flying as quickly as they could. The human turned around and saw, to his dismay, that Dodoria was closer than before. It wouldn't be long before they were overtaken by the pink brute. Krillin glanced down at Dende and then over at Gohan and shuddered. He had to save them!

Krillin shouted to Dende. "Hey, Namekian kid!"

The confused little Namekian looked up at him and Krillin swallowed the lump in his throat. "Tuck your head, I'm going to toss you to Gohan!"

Dende nodded and Krillin tossed him to Gohan. Gohan glanced over at his partner. "Krillin? What are you doing!?"

Krillin waved the boy off. "Just keep flying, I'll distract him!"

Gohan looked nervous, but he saw the determination in his friend's eyes. Nodding, he left Krillin behind and continued flying with Dende. Krillin, meanwhile, charged at Dodoria and caught the brute off with a kick to the head. Dodoria snarled and took a swipe at Krillin, who dodged the attack by the skin of his teeth.

The brute and the human had a solid back and forth until, finally, Dodoria managed to land a punch on Krillin's ribs. The human buckled over in pain, but powered through and blasted Dodoria in the face.

The pink brute screamed in frustration and Krillin regrouped. He prepared to strike again, but his attention was caught by a piercing whistle. Krillin looked down and saw Bardock, who quickly motioned at him. Krillin nodded and, following Bardock's direction, he backed off.

Once Dodoria recovered, he saw Krillin still floating there and charged again. Krillin took up a new stance, which confused Dodoria. The brute didn't care as he prepared to strike, but was met by a blast smashing into his back. Dodoria was stunned and Krillin took his moment.

"SOLAR FLARE!"

Dodoria screamed in pain and clutched his hands over his searing eyes. At the same moment, Krillin immediately descended to Bardock and began to silently apologize. "I'm so sorry! We went and spied on Frieza and they killed a bunch of-"

Bardock silenced Krillin and shook his head, motioning for the both of them to run off. Krillin nodded and followed Bardock's lead, skipping from island to island in the direction that Gohan had flown. Krillin was happy to give the big brute the slip, but Bardock looked back. Hatred for Dodoria seared through his brain and he wanted the bastard dead, but he knew that he had to wait.

The older Saiyan stopped as Krillin rounded the corner to look at Dodoria one last time. But then, he was shocked by what he saw. As Dodoria wiped his eyes, Vegeta came flying out of nowhere and kicked the pink brute to the ground.

Krillin turned to Bardock and called to him. "Bardock, what are you doing!?"

Bardock grunted and turned to Krillin. "Run ahead, find Gohan, and wait for me."

Krillin was confused, but before he could ask what was going on Bardock had already sped off back towards Dodoria.

Over with Dodoria and Vegeta…

Dodoria roared in frustration as he stood up. Just what the hell did this pathetic worm think it was doing. The pink brute turned to sneer at his presumed human foe, only to be shocked at the sight of Vegeta looming over him. Dodoria hastily stood up and snarled at the Saiyan Prince. "Vegeta! What the hell are-"

Vegeta, bloodthirsty and ready to take out a key player within Frieza's ranks, flew forward and slammed his fist into Dodoria's stomach, breaching both armor and skin and sending the rotund pink goon tumbling back.

Dodoria coughed up blood and his eyes were wide. "What the hell!?"

Vegeta shot a terrifying slasher smile at Dodoria and the henchman wheezed in terror. Reacting quickly, he summoned a powerful energy ball and shot it at Vegeta. The prince laughed and caught the ball, not even bothering to smack it away. He glared at Dodoria and began to crush the blast between his hands.

Dodoria was spooked and utterly horrified. He quickly stood up, turned tail, and began to run. But right as he began to take off, a blast came out from behind a nearby rock and seared off Dodoria's stubby right leg. He fell to the ground and screamed in pain.

Vegeta meanwhile was perplexed. He crushed Dodoria's attack and began to stalk up to him. Dodoria turned to Vegeta and flung another blast at him. The Prince tilted his head to the side, allowing the blast to strike the Scouter on his ear. He grunted and pulled the damaged device off of his face, dropping it to the ground.

And then, before he could step any closer, a voice called out that surprised both Dodoria and Vegeta. "Well damn, you lost your Scouter. Now how will you find your way around?"

A vein bulged from Vegeta's forehead and he snarled as the source of the voice stepped out from behind the rock. "I'll have you know that I have learned how to sense power levels without the need for a Scouter. It was nothing more than a tool for spying on Frieza's communications!"

Dodoria, bleeding from his stomach and his leg stump, struggled to turn and see the source of the voice. However, he discovered the source once it sat down on his back. Dodoria turned his head and stammered in disbelief. "B-Bardock!? How!?"

Bardock ignored Dodoria's question. Rather, he gave his full attention to Vegeta. "So, I couldn't help but notice you were taking the time to scare this blimp before you killed him. I take it you hate him as much as I do?"

Vegeta, angry but trying to work out what to do, responded. "Of course I hate his fat ass. All he does is boast and berate and pass on empty threats. He doesn't seem to know how to do anything other than run his mouth! Why do you hate him?!"

Bardock calmly approached Dodoria. "Oh... I have several reasons. Let me list 'em off for ya.""

Dodoria roared and swung his arm at Bardock. "Get the hell off my back!"

Bardock caught the arm in short order and locked Dodoria into a tight armbar. Dodoria snarled and tried to pull his limb free, but Bardock held tight.

Calmly and without visible emotion, Bardock tightly grabbed Dodoria's wiggling index finger with his free hand and, effortlessly, he twisted it until it broke. Then he tore it off. Dodoria's pupils shrank and he screeched in pain. Bardock calmly sighed. "Panbukin..."

To the aghast Vegeta's surprise, Bardock tore off Dodoria's middle finger. "Fasha..."

And then, he tore off Dodoria's ring finger. "Totepo..."

Immediately, he then tore off Dodoria's pinky. "Toma, of course..."

And, finally, Bardock ripped off Dodoria's thumb and let his arm go. "And, Leek, of course. Poor little guy had tears on his cheeks when I found him. I guess you and those other dumbfucks thought it would be funny to torment him. Huh?"

Bardock stomped on Dodoria's stump arm, snapping it in half. Rage had entered his voice. "Where did Leek's eyeballs go, Dodoria?! Didja eat 'em, fatass?!"

Dodoria screamed and held his mutilated hand, the arm limp as an overly boiled noodle. Bardock continued to use the fat bastard as a chair, quickly calming himself. "But forget him. Let's talk, Vegeta... let's talk about what we're both doing on this hick-ass planet."

Vegeta snarled. "Don't talk to me like we're comrades! You're just as far up the chopping block as every member of the Frieza Force is!"

The Prince smirked and took up a fighting stance. "As a matter of fact, I'm glad you're here. I can get you out of the way early. And then, after I finish things here, I'll go back to the Earth and kill the rest of those lousy, low-class punks that dared defy me!"

Bardock closed his eyes and sighed. "You... are just like your mother..."

Vegeta's smirk faded, a blistering fury burning in his eyes. "What did you say to me?!"

Bardock's face remained placid. "You're still that obsessed with killing me over a brawl? You should really consider growing up, Vegeta..."

The older Saiyan stood and smiled. "Sure... we can fight. But there's two things you should keep in mind before we start..."

Vegeta snarled. "And that would be!?"

Bardock stood up and stretched, kicking Dodoria in the face once more for good measure. "I plan to fight to my fullest. Not only did I get a big Zenkai from our last fight, but I've been training ever since. So I'm a lot stronger than you'd think! Plus, I still have the Kaioken as a backup. So... can you kill me in this fight...? Maybe."

Bardock smiled and tapped his temple. "But you also gotta think... maybe not. Like I said, I still have the Kaioken to multiply my power. It might screw me up, but it would be enough to whoop your ass!"

Vegeta flinched and Bardock chuckled. "Plus..."

The older Saiyan used his thumb to point back at Dodoria. "Blimpy the Blimp back there would probably get away in all the confusion. So, even if you beat me, you'd be a sitting duck for Frieza to come and kill you!"

Vegeta's eyes widened. Bardock smirked. "Still... if you really wanna fight, I'm game. And I don't really care if Frieza knows that I'm here! Cuz guess what! I got Future Vision, bitch!"

Vegeta scowled. "What the hell are you talking about?! You're no damn seer!"

Bardock smirked. "You remember Planet Kanassa? The planet of seers, people used to call it? Well, that was true. And my trip to that planet gave me their power!"

Vegeta was taken aback by that comment. "Liar!"

Bardock wagged his finger at Vegeta. "Tsk. Tsk. How do you explain my knowing exactly where you would be despite you suppressing your power?"

Vegeta flinched. "Dumb luck!"

Bardock nodded. "Fair enough. But, how do you explain my knowing of your devastation on Frieza Planet #79 right after healing. You killed Cui, right?"

Dodoria gasped. Vegeta was left speechless. There was no way Bardock could possibly have known about such details.

Bardock laughed and put on a show, shadow boxing at Vegeta as he hopped back towards Dodoria. "Frieza can know I'm here all he wants! If I see him coming, he can't catch me!"

The older Saiyan turned his back to the stunned Vegeta and pulled his leg back. He glared down at Dodoria and yelled at the brute. "Ya hear that, Fatso!? Vegeta would rather fight me than kill your pathetic ass, so I guess you get to go home!"

Bardock booted the writhing Dodoria across the ground. "Go on! Get lost! Go tell Frieza that we're here! Ask him to have a med chamber ready for whoever wins this fight!"

He ran up to Dodoria again and kicked him into the air. "Hurry, Fatty! Go! Pretend like there's a four-course meal in the distance and piss off!"

Dodoria got his bearings in the air, glaring down at Bardock and Vegeta. And then, he did the smart move and began to fly away with his tail between his legs. Bardock, satisfied, turned his attention back to Vegeta. "So, Prince Vegeta, you have a choice: brawl with me and get caught by Frieza... or go and stop that message from bein' delivered!"

Vegeta glared at Bardock with utter hate and then he turned his attention to the fleeing Dodoria. Bardock cheerfully called out. "Tick-Tock!"

Vegeta screamed at the top of his lungs and took off after Dodoria. "GODDAMMIT!"

Once Vegeta was screaming in the distance, Bardock smirked. He bent down and picked up Vegeta's damaged Scouter, and then he hopped away while whistling a merry tune.

Over with the fleeing Dodoria…

Dodoria was horrified at what he just experienced. His hand and arm were ruined, his leg was gone, his stomach was bleeding, Bardock was somehow alive and a lot stronger than before, and Vegeta too had well upped his game. Dodoria was sweating bullets, his only hope was clemency and protection from Lord Frieza. But as he flew towards his salvation, it was brutally cut off.

A swift kick slammed into Dodoria's face, knocking him to the ground below. The pink brute opened his eyes and stared up at the sky, screaming in terror at the sight of a furious Vegeta with an energy blast in his hand. Tears filled Dodoria's eyes as he cried out one final time. "LORD FRIEZA, HELP!"

And then, swept away by Vegeta's energy blast, Dodoria and the island he was on were reduced to ash.

Vegeta didn't even take the time to snarl a sarcastic eulogy at Dodoria, opting instead to speed back towards the island he had left Bardock on. Of course, once he arrived, the older Saiyan was long gone. Vegeta was livid. A vein bulged from the prince's head and he screamed as loud as he could. "GODDAMMIT! SON OF A BITCH!"

Meanwhile, with Gohan, Krillin, and Dende…

The three escapees all waited in anticipation for Bardock's return. Krillin was concerned, but he kept himself busy by tending to the traumatized Namekian boy. Gohan, meanwhile, was kicking himself. If his rashness led to Bardock dying so soon after Gohan had met him, the boy was unsure he'd ever be able to forgive himself.

Gohan looked over to Krillin. "Sh-Should we go and look for him?"

Krillin shrugged. "M-Maybe we should-"

At that moment, Bardock rounded the corner with Vegeta's broken scouter in hand. "Should what?"

Krillin and Gohan both gasped. And then they smiled from ear-to-ear. Gohan ran up to his grandfather and hugged him tight. "Grandpa! You're safe!"

Bardock smirked. "Of course I am! A loser like Dodoria won't be what kills me!"

After Gohan released Bardock from the hug, the older Saiyan scolded his two compatriots. "That was really friggin' stupid! You could've gotten yourselves killed!"

Gohan and Krillin both bowed their heads. "We're so sorry!"

Gohan glanced up at his grandfather. "I'll take all the blame, Grandpa! I was the one who jumped in! But..."

He glanced over at Dende and adopted a determined look. "I couldn't leave him to die!"

Bardock was silent for a moment. He looked over at Dende and then back at Gohan. He appreciated the steely look in the boy's eyes. "Fine. I guess I can't be too pissed off about it. You stuck to your guns and that's all I can really ask from a member of my family. Just don't be so reckless again... at least without backup."

Gohan nodded. "Yes, sir!"

Bardock chuckled. "Good. Now let's head back to our base. Regroup with that woman. We have some plans to make..."

The older Saiyan took off, with Gohan right behind him and a Dende-toting Krillin bringing up the rear. As they flew, Krillin called ahead to Bardock. "So, I assume the Dragon Ball hunt was fruitless?"

Bardock turned and glared at his human ally. "What the hell are you talking about? Finding and getting a Dragon Ball was easy! Score one for our group!"

Krillin and Gohan both perked up at this news. They had a Dragon Ball! They were one step closer to wishing back all of their friends. Score one indeed!