The Bond

Gohan was losing his gusto. Katima and Vegeta had regrouped with Leir and Rilan. Dende was no where to be found, and Katima just hoped the little Namekian was just hiding. The four of them took to the sky so that they could better keep an eye on the battle. Katima couldn't feel Krillin's life force. She felt a pang in her heart. He had tried so hard, only to be destroyed in an instant. He never stood a chance.

Gohan was now taking damage, and Katima stared down in horror as her nephew was slammed into the ground, and this time did not get back up.

"GOHAN!" she shouted, and made to dart down to his aid, but Vegeta snatched her around the waist to stop her.

"Stop it!" he snapped, "There's nothing you can do."

Katima's eyes burned as they were flooded with tears. Gohan was going to die, and all she could do was watch.

But then, a green blur flashed by them, nearly making the weak warriors fall out of the sky. Katima clung to Vegeta and looked down in aw as a Namekian landed beside Frieza, clad in a white cape with heavy shoulder pads and a turban. That wasn't just any Namekian. It was Piccolo.

"Piccolo!" she shouted, eyes wide.

"Piccolo?" Vegeta frowned, "Didn't Nappa kill him?"

"We wished him back, remember?" said Katima, "But he's not nearly strong enough to fight Frieza! What is he thinking?"

"Frieza!" Piccolo shouted, loud enough for even them to hear, "How about you pick on someone your own size?"

"That's the oldest line in the book," laughed Frieza, "But I suppose he is a small fry. I thought I killed all the Namekians. How did you survive?"

"I'm from Earth," snarled Piccolo, "And your reign of power is over. I'm going to kill you here and now!"

"Is he insane?" hissed Rilan, who was mostly being supported by Leir, "Frieza will tear him apart!"

"Something's… different," said Katima, looking down at him, "It's like there's two life forces, like someone is down there with Piccolo. And his power level… its so potent! What happened? Has he been training in other world?"

"I can feel it too," said Leir, "Like there's another one with him, but I don't see him."

"Namekians are capable of fusing with one another," said Rilan, "I think… I think Piccolo has fused with some surviving Namekian. If that's the case, he will be far stronger than when you knew him."

"Fused?" asked Katima, "But who?"

Yes, that energy now residing with Piccolo… in Piccolo… it was familiar somehow, like she had felt it before. But what other Namekian could it be? They're all dead except for Dende, even Guru was gone… But it felt like Katima was forgetting someone… What other Namekian had she met but had no confirmation of his death?

As the four of them watched, Piccolo attacked. And by God, his new power was astounding. Katima looked on in aw as Piccolo swiftly began beating the shit out of that smug ass alien, and she slowly began to smile. It was amazing! Piccolo just might be able to defeat Frieza at this rate!

"This is incredible!" she hissed, grabbing Vegeta's arm, "Look at him go! He could kill that jackass! He really could!"

"Don't be so sure," said Vegeta bluntly.

Katima glared at him, "Why do you have to be such a downer?"

"This isn't time for jokes, Katima!" Vegeta snapped, ripping his arm from her grip, "Yes, somehow the Namekian's power has improved drastically since we met on Earth, but aren't you forgetting something? Frieza has two more forms! Each that greatly increase his strength and speed!"

Katima felt her heart drop. Yes, she had forgotten. She bit her lip and looked back down at the fight, and even though Piccolo was still winning at this point, she was no longer enthusiastic about it. If Frieza hadn't been bluffing about those two new transformations, they truly were screwed.

*"scene change"*

As Rilan stared on in amazement, his wounds were truly beginning to bother him. The beating he had taken from Frieza had been intense, even for a Tygrian. He leaned heavily on Leir, who supported him up in the air, loyal to the end. Rilan couldn't express how proud he was of his men, dying valiantly, fighting and supporting him to the end. They had been through so much. It was a shame. Had Nicron not been destroyed, he could have fused with Leir, a power not unlike from Namekians. It was an art that only Tygrians understood, to fuse two beings together by no complex stunts or acts, but by merely being able to touch one another. The only limits were that opposite genders couldn't fuse- that would make their united body be way too confused. Of course, a Tygrian could only give that gift once, and Rilan had given it to Leir and Nicron. No others would ever be able to do it, not even himself, as he was the last of his race.

So now, that gift had been wasted. But Perhaps not all was lost. This new Namekian was doing some serious damage, and Rilan was watching in mild excitement as Frieza was being pounded into a pulp.

"Vegeta, we should help," Rilan heard Katima suggest, "With all three of us, maybe we can kill him."

"You and I both know that we would get destroyed," snapped Vegeta, "Why can't you just stop talking? Women…"

"What was that?"

"If you touch me again, I'll break your legs!"

"God you two bicker like an old couple," rasped Rilan, smirking back at them in time to see them blush brightly at his words.

"You talk tough for someone who can't even support their own weight," snarled Vegeta.

"You're free to go and take the beating I did, prince, I promise you that you wouldn't even be breathing," said Rilan, returning his attention to the fight, "And you're faith in the Namekian could use some work. Think about it, Frieza can't transform if he isn't allowed the chance, and so far, I haven't seen him land a punch on Piccolo."

Rilan coughed, blood coming out of his mouth and Leir stiffened.

"Captain? Are you okay?" he asked.

"Leir," said Rilan, "Enough of this 'captain' shit… I am not a Captain with no men. You can call me Rilan."

"Yes, Ca- er- Rilan," said Leir, "But you're condition sir, it's critical."

"L-land, please, I can't stay up here," Rilan murmured.

"We're staying up here," said Katima, "I want to keep an eye on the battle. You two go hide someplace safe, and try to find Dende, I'm worried about him."

Leir nodded at her while Vegeta grunted to show his disapproval at her compassion. Slowly, Leir lowered his former commander to the ground and carefully set him down to lay against a rock. Above, Vegeta and Katima moved out of sight in order to follow the fight. Rilan laid back, trying to ignore the sharp pain in his bones, the burning wounds on his flesh.

"Leir," he rasped, "I want you to know that you and Nicron were excellent soldiers, Wes and Sequan too. I saw all of your potential. Ginyu was a fool to take your brother over you."

"Jiece meant a lot to me," said Leir, "But he laid his faith in the wrong people. He chose the wrong sides. I know the power of mercy and compassion, despite being raised like I was. I was always looked down upon for my emotional look on the universe."

"They were all fools," said Rilan, "God this is like a cheesy scene at the end of a movie when the mentor dies in his apprentice's arms."

"You're not going to die, Rilan!"

Rilan managed to lift his head to see Krillin running toward him, Dende on his heels.

"What?" Leir cried, "We saw you die! What the-"

"We'll show you," said Krillin as Dende knelt beside Rilan and raised his little green hands over his broken and beaten body.

*"scene change"*

The world was shaking again. Katima could feel it even while flying. She looked down in mild horror as yet another transformation began to take place. Piccolo had been finally knocked back, and Frieza took the opportunity to start his new form. His head began to lengthen, his shoulders protruding, his torso swelling. It seemed each transformation was more hideous than the last. And once again, the power from his body skyrocketed.

"Shit," hissed Katima, "He… he's unstoppable. Now Piccolo doesn't even stand a chance- I- WAH!"

She wailed when Vegeta snatched her around the waist and began to fly with incredible speed away from the fight. Katima was in shock for a moment before she began to struggle.

"VEGETA!" she shouted, "We can't leave them, GOHAN IS STILL ALIVE!"

"We're getting out of here while we still can," Vegeta snapped, "If we stay we're going to die. We have to go and prepare- we have to go somewhere and train like we never trained before and try this battle again another day."

"WE'RE NOT LEAVING GOHAN!" Katima screamed.

"Going somewhere?"

Vegeta came to a halt, and Katima looked forward to see Frieza in his new disgusting form before them. His voice was deeper than before, and his face looked rather like Zarbon's when he transformed into that toad like thing. How had he gotten in front of them? He must be faster than the speed of light!

"Listen, Vegeta, I understand if you're getting bored of waiting for your turn but I want to deal with the Namekian first, so if you and your little friend could just wait a little longer, I promise I will be with you shortly…"

Vegeta was trembling, and Katima gritted her teeth. Was this really going to be the end? There was no escape, no hope of fighting, and now it seemed that they were all going to die before Goku had the chance to save them. Katima braced herself as Frieza's arm went up and his slammed it across the two of them, sending her and Vegeta flying down into the ground, clinging to each other as they slammed into the dirt.

"V-Vegeta…" Katima groaned, pain throbbing throughout her body as she slowly tried to sit up to allow the prince to rise, "Are… are you okay?"

Vegeta slowly got up out of the crater, his eyes narrowed to slits. Fury and terror was flooding from him in the bond, and Katima could sympathize with him at this point. The proud Vegeta had once again been bested by someone he loathed.

"Get your hands off me," he snapped, smacking her arm away when she tried to help him, "If you hadn't made so much noise we might have escaped. Now his guard is up."

"Are you an idiot?" Katima hissed, "Frieza would have stopped us no matter what. And anyway I won't be a coward and run away when my nephew is still alive!"

"It isn't cowardice, it's thinking ahead!" growled Vegeta, "If we had escaped and trained as hard as we could, we might be the only thing that could have stopped that beast!"

"Hey! Are you guys okay?"

Katima whirled around at the familiar voice, and gasped.

"KRILLIN!"

"Will you keep it down?" Krillin flinched at her cry, "You're gonna get us killed!"

Katima rushed to him and grabbed him by the shoulders and looked down at his gut. There was a hole in his armor, but his skin was clear and healthy. Katima let out an excited shriek, "Krillin! You're alive! How?"

Krillin pointed over his shoulder, blushing slightly at her touch.

Katima followed his gesture to see that they had landed by Gohan, and kneeling beside him was Dende, his little green hands over the boy's body, a gentle glow surrounding them both. After a moment, Gohan sat up, his eyes wide, and his body looking virtually unharmed.

"G-Gohan?" Katima hissed, eyes wide, "How- Dende… you… you can heal- of course! You tried to heal me earlier!"

"Why didn't you tell me he can heal?" Vegeta demanded, grabbing the front of Krillin'a armor.

"Are you kidding, if we knew he could do that we would have had him heal Goku!" shouted Krillin, pushing Vegeta off of him.

Vegeta gazed at Gohan and Dende as they approached them. Gohan rushed up and hugged Katima tightly. Katima looked down at him with mild wonder. Even after all her experience with people other than herself, affectionate touching was still alien to her. She awkwardly patted her nephew's back and he smiled up at her, but it quickly vanished.

"Piccolo!" he shouted, eyes wide and shot up into the sky.

"I can feel Piccolo's life force failing," hissed Krillin.

Vegeta let out an angry growl and followed Gohan.

"Dende, hide down here, okay?" said Krillin.

Dende nodded and rushed away while Krillin and Katima went into the air.

Piccolo was losing the battle against the new form of Frieza. Katima gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She could feel the frustration and desperation coming from Vegeta. Gohan was a few hundred yards ahead of them, focused on the battle. Vegeta turned and grabbed the front of Krillin's armor and pulled him close

"Hit me!" the prince demanded.

"Wh-what?" Krillin squeaked.

"Saiyans are their strongest when they recover from a mortal wound, so you need to beat the living shit out of me right now and that little brat down there can heal me, and then I can defeat Frieza!" Vegeta shouted, "So hit me! Do it now!" he let Krillin go and spread his arms wide, offering him the hit.

"I-I can't fight you!" Krillin whimpered, eyes wide, "Vegeta I-"

"Do you want to live?" Vegeta demanded, "HIT ME!"

Katima grabbed Vegeta's shoulder, and twisted him to face her, unsheathed her sword and drove it through his middle. He collapsed over her shoulder, the breath leaving him in a soft wave that warmed her ear. Katima jerked the hilt to make the wound deepen, looking at the bloody tip bursting from the prince's back. She smiled and whispered in his ear.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that, my prince…"

Vegeta was angry. He was seriously miffed that it had been her to do the blow. Why that bothered him so much was too complex for Katima to decipher. She ripped her blade from his body, an arc of shockingly red blood spewing from the tip of her blade. She dropped Vegeta and he went down to the ground and landed roughly. Katima looked at Vegeta's blood on her sword and wiped it off on her jumpsuit's leg before sheathing it.

Katima then looked at Krillin, who was staring at her in slight horror.

"You heard him," she said, "We get stronger every time we almost die. Which means you have to hit me."

"Katima!" gasped Krillin, "I-I can't-"

"I knew you were scared to hit Vegeta, so I did it for you, but now you HAVE to hit me," she said in a stern voice, "Krillin, do you want us to win? Even if Vegeta and I can't beat Frieza together, we will at least hold him off until Goku has recovered- if you don't we are all going to die, and if we don't hurry, Piccolo is going to be the first."

Krillin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry about this, Katima," he muttered.

"Don't be," Katima whispered and spread her arms wide.

Krillin shot out a mighty white blast from his hand that landed in her already exposed stomach and burst all the way through her back. The pain was unbearable, and Katima couldn't even scream in her agony. She let out a gurgle of thanks, and slowly fell to the ground. The pain was so intense, she didn't even notice when she landed next to Vegeta. The hole in her stomach must have been extensive, and she lay there, coughing up blood and trying to stay clinging to the living world.

With what little strength she had left, she sent her mind out to find Dende, and could sense him not far away. She slowly turned her head and spotted him looking at her and Vegeta in shock and horror. Katima reached out a hand to him, vision beginning to blur as death tempted her.

"P-please…" she rasped.

Dende ran to her side and held his hands over her, "Hang on!" he begged.

Light began to pulsate around her, but Katima could have sworn it was the light of heaven, of the other world. She wondered if she would meet King Kai. The pain was fading, and Katima closed her eyes to die, to pass on without fight. After all, things must be so much better over there than they were on Namek.

"Katima! Katima!" Dende's voice called.

Katima opened her eyes and sat bolt upright, gasping wildly as if she had never tasted air in her life. Slowly, shakily, she looked down to see her belly sealed, pink and healthy, her belly button like a little mouth mimicking her own in a perfect O.

"Dende…" she breathed, "Thank you!"

She could feel new power coursing through her, like nothing she had ever felt. She stood, and looked at her hands, clenching and opening them rapidly, and beginning to smile.

"Quickly, Dende, you have to heal Vegeta," she said, looking over at the prince.

"I- I-" Dende slowly shook his head, beginning to shake, "I can't."

"Why not?" asked Katima, taken off guard.

"I can not heal someone with a heart as dark as his," said Dende, looking up at her, "I know that you helped him kill that village, Guru told me. But it was because his evil is so great that it seeped to you through the bond! To bring him back would be just as bad as letting Frieza win."

"But we can't beat Frieza without him," said Katima, kneeling to look him in the eyes, "Please, Dende… you heard Guru, if he dies, my fate would be even worse than death itself. And with both of us out of commission, we have no hope of saving your planet!"

Dende closed his eyes, tears welling there, "I- I can't…" he whimpered, "He killed so many of my people- I can't just…"

"Listen," Katima gently grabbed his shoulders, "I know this may sound weird, but somewhere deep in Vegeta, there is a goodness," she glanced at the prince, glad that he was unconscious so that he wouldn't hear her say these words, "It is very deeply buried, and I know he would do just about anything to keep it hidden, but it is there. Through the bond, I have felt it a few times, and…" she bit her lip, "Dende, I think I can unlock that goodness, but I need the chance to try. Please, Vegeta could be the next hero of the galaxy, maybe not today, but someday, I am sure that he will become a great, great man. Please, you can't just not give him the chance to redeem himself."

Dende looked into her eyes for a long moment. He seemed to be going through some internal struggle, and Katima felt a heavy sympathy for him. Such a young boy. He couldn't have been older than Gohan. He had gone through so much, lost everything he ever had. It wasn't fair. Katima wanted to make Frieza pay for what he had done, but she couldn't do it alone. She needed Vegeta at her side, and at that moment, Katima knew that she probably always would.

Dende pushed past her and went to Vegeta and held out his little hands. Katima felt gratitude swell within her and she knelt beside the Namekian boy and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, something she wasn't exactly comfortable with, and watched as Vegeta's wound sewed itself shut.

Slowly, Vegeta propped himself up on his elbows, eyes wide with the shock of being alive. Katima smiled at him and gave Dende a squeeze.

"Ready?" she asked the prince when he made eye contact with her.

He merely nodded, and blasted up into the sky.

"Listen, Dende," Katima stood and held her arms down to him, "Come with me, I think Piccolo is going to need your help."

Dende swallowed, obviously fearful but allowed himself to be picked up and carried up and after Vegeta.

Piccolo was in a crater, his green body beaten and bloody, with Frieza in his third form looming above him with a triumphant smile. Vegeta, already ahead of Katima and Dende, slammed into the side of the tyrant, and began to brawl like he never had before, and this time, at long last, Vegeta was winning. With the distraction in place, Gohan and Krillin rushed in to pull Piccolo from the wreckage. Katima touched down and set Dende on his feet, watching the boy run forward to heal the last adult Namekian.

Behind her, Rilan and Leir landed, both looking fit as fiddles. Katima guessed that Dende had healed them too. Wow, it looked like the kid got to heal each one of them, today. Slowly, Piccolo's wounds stitched shut and he sat up. His turban and cape was gone, and most of the torso of his jumpsuit was torn away.

"Thank you, Dende," Piccolo muttered, smiling at the green child.

"You know my name?" Dende asked, "Then- it is you! I knew I sensed you, Neil!"

"Neil!" Katima gasped, "Of course, that's who you fused with!"

"I found Neil near death," said Piccolo, "Frieza's work. He offered to fuse with me and though I was reluctant at first, the power of our fused self was astounding, or at least I thought it was until Frieza transformed."

"Speaking of," Katima turned and looked up at the battle, "I'm going to help Vegeta. Dende and Krillin can explain our new strength."

"I want to help," Rilan stepped forward.

"No," said Katima, holding up a hand to him, "I understand your abilities, but Vegeta and I are much stronger now. Leave it to us."

"But what if he transforms again?" demanded Rilan, "Please, If we all work together-"

"I don't want you killed," said Katima sharply, "With me worrying over your safety I won't be able to fight at my fullest!"

Rilan scowled, "I'm not a child!" he spat, "I'm at least four times older than you, and you dare to say that I'll get in your way?"

"Listen, now isn't the time for tact or considering other people's feelings," said Katima harshly, "Protect the others with Piccolo. Please, the boy is my nephew."

Before Rilan could reply, Katima shot upwards to enter the battle.

Vegeta saw her coming and slammed a perfected kick in the side of Frieza's face to send him soaring toward her. Katima thrust a hand forward and shot a mighty blast forward that enveloped Frieza and sent him rocketing back toward the prince, who proceeded to land as many hits as he could. Katima darted forward to assist, both of them landing hits as if they knew what the other was going to do before it happened. It was like a dance, where they were perfectly synchronized, like they had been rehearsing for months, like it was all planned. For a moment, while they battled side by side to destroy this tyrant, this being that had destroyed their race, it was like they were one, the bond fusing them together

It was amazing, to harness such power, to deal it out on someone who was meant to invincible. Together, she and Vegeta were unstoppable. It was like they had been meant to battle together all along. It felt like destiny on Katima's lips as she slammed a fist into the side of Frieza's face and Vegeta ran a knee into his gut.

But Katima could feel the rising rage, not from Vegeta, but Frieza. It was like poison hitting the air, and that anger was somehow fueling him. Soon, he was managing to dodge and hit the attacks for a few moments before he let out an earsplitting shriek, and a heavy power wave pushed her and Vegeta away from him.

"ENOUGH!" he screamed, shaking violently, "I WILL NOT BE BESTED BY MERE MONKEYS! YOU WILL ALL PERISH, THIS WHOLE PLANET WILL DIE!"

Frieza's body took on a strange purple hue, and Katima knew instantly that he was transforming into his final and most powerful form.

"No!" she shouted, "Vegeta, we have to stop him!"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed, and together they sprang forward to attack, but were instantly bounced back by some invisible force. They crashed on the ground, and slowly stood, looking up as Frieza's body began to crack and change. Piccolo, Gohan, and all the others joined them where they were, all poised to fight, but fear was obvious in their eyes.

"Get out of here, you guys," said Katima watching as Vegeta flew over to join her.

"We're in this together," said Piccolo.

"You can't shoo us off like flies, Saiyan," snapped Rilan.

"Stupid, this isn't about that," hissed Katima, "Piccolo, if you die, then so do the Dragon Balls, and we would have brought you and Kami back for no reason."

"I'm not going to die," said Piccolo, "I can feel Goku getting stronger. We just have to hold on a little longer."

Katima scowled, and looked up as Freiza's body suddenly shattered, the bits of the outer shell falling down like confetti. Katima gritted her teeth, waiting to see what had been hiding beneath. She could already feel the power, feel the ungodly energy pulsating out. There was no way that she could fight that, she and Vegeta would get creamed within heartbeats.

The dust slowly cleared, and what was revealed beneath was not what Katima expected.

Frieza slowly landed before them, his skin now white with deep purple lines along him. His head was round, and his face strangely beautiful, more feminine than ever. He was small once more, not quite as small as his first form however. His body, well toned, his tail now regenerated and twirling lazily behind him. He was smiling lightly at them and Katima clenched her fists, horror bathing her entire being. That strength… it was so potent, so raw.

Slowly, Frieza raised a finger to point at them, and Katima just managed to feel the pinprick of heightened energy. A small red light zoomed between her and Vegeta and she whipped around to watch in mild aw as it passed Rilan, then Leir, next Piccolo and Gohan, and finally Krillin. Katima heard young Dende screech in terror just before it hit him.

"NO!" she screamed as light enveloped the Namekian boy, and the smell of burning flesh met her nose.

The light faded and Dende's tiny body lay in a smoldering heap on the ground. Grief consumed Katima and she felt tears begin to burn, and anger seethe within her.

"Dende!" Gohan shrieked, rushing to his friend's body.

"He saw Dende heal us," Piccolo muttered with disgust, "That's why he took him out first."

Frieza let out a soft laugh, his voice even higher than his first form's. Katima turned and let out a mighty battle cry and shot a great energy blast at his face. Frieza swatted it back toward them and Katima yelped and dove out of the way, taking Vegeta with her to keep him from getting hit as well. She heard a cry of pain, and turned over to feel her gut wrench.

Leir.

The red skinned alien was shaking, looking down at the huge hole that had been blasted through his center.

Rilan grabbed him, his face twisted in horror, "L-Leir!" he cried, "NO! No, hang- hang on!"

Leir dropped to his knees, the life leaving his face, and then landed with a heavy thud on his face in the dirt. Rilan was shaking, his eyes dilated, fury etching every detail of his face. He grabbed the sides of his head, clenching handfuls of his blue hair, and screamed at the green sky, his agony of losing his friend pouring out in the wail. A sort of light surrounded him, slowly covering his skin, his body, until he was just a blue silhouette of himself, his true features not even visible. Katima felt a sharp increase of his power level, and the ground began to shake so hard, Vegeta had to grab her when she nearly fell.

It was astounding, and Katima watched with open mouthed aw as the silhouette began to morph. The light became too bright to look at, and Katima closed her eyes until it faded. Slowly, she cracked them back open and then let out a gasp.

Rilan stood before them, but he looked nothing like he had before. The lines that had gone from the corners of his eyes to his chin line were now everywhere, tracing his skin like elegant tattoos. His hair had lengthened to long billowing blue locks nearly touching his waist. His eyes had dilated, the pupils as big as the iris once was and the iris consuming the rest, leaving no whites. They were red, with one bright yellow spec in the center of the pupil. His muscles were bulging, making him look like he gained a hundred pounds, and his Scouter was gone, laying in pieces at his feet.

"So the legends were true," his voice was different too, not the pitch but his tone, like there was no room for anything but seriousness, nothing but cold anger, "Ascended Tygrians do exist," he looked at Frieza with his new, bizarre gaze and slowly raised a thick arm and pointed at his former commander, "Everything that has past here will be rectified, Frieza," he said, disturbingly calm, "Your death will be the price of all that you have done."

Rilan's new power was nearly overwhelming, and Katima couldn't quite believe this new development. However, looking back at Frieza, she felt her heart drop. The alien was still smiling serenely, looking at Rilan with mild interest, but not a trace of fear was there. No concern.

"What a neat trick," Frieza said, "I didn't know your pathetic race could transform too. However, I'm afraid it is pointless."

Rilan merely gazed at him, face still devastatingly serious.

"It's amazing," Vegeta whispered to Katima, "It's like his version of a Super Saiyan. Maybe we won't need Kakarot after all."

"Don't be so sure," Katima breathed back to him, "Rilan's power can even rival our own now, Vegeta, but he is still no match for Frieza."

Rilan attacked, kicking off the ground and zooming toward Frieza, flying just inches above the ground. He threw a mighty punch, but Frieza blocked it without any effort. Rilan grunted in disapproval and began to unleash all of his new found power. The others watched as he battled across the island with Frieza, their movements fast and hard to follow, but the Ascended Tygrian couldn't land a single hit.

Katima's heart sunk. All that effort, all that determination, and Rilan was still but a fly on Frieza's wind shield. Frieza seemed to be enjoying himself too, and it was only a matter of time before he put the wipers on and crushed Rilan's fly body into oblivion. Katima couldn't just sit by and wait for that to happen.

"We have to help," she grabbed Vegeta's arm, "Please."

Vegeta looked at her with mild surprise at her plea. He then looked down at her hand touching him for a moment, then back into her eyes and nodded.

"Thank you," Katima murmured to him, and they blasted off toward the battle, battle cries upon their lips.