"Come out you little bastards!" Dodoria roared while blasting away another section of rock. "I swear, if I have to come down there and get you, I'll-"
BAM!
An elbow drop from above sent the pink man sailing down at an incredible speed as he crashed into the water below, creating a huge wave where he hit. A moment later he surfaced, gasping for air as he pulled himself out, growling before scanning the area for his attacker.
"You! Vegeta!" He exclaimed, a bit surprised to see the Saiyan Prince.
"It's been a long time Dodoria... How are you?" The spiky haired man questioned while crossing his arms, an arrogant smirk plastered on his face.
"I should have known! Shooting people in the back always was your style..."
"Careful now. We're all alone. Freiza and Zarbon aren't here to back you up." Vegeta snickered, raising one of his eyebrows before continuing, "I'd watch what I said, if I were you."
Dodoria growled, clenching his fists as he watched Vegeta laugh in his face. "Then again, I suppose it doesn't matter... I'm still going to kill you either way."
"Ha! As if you stood a chance against me!" Dodoria boasted, chuckling as he thought up a plan. "I tell you what... You give me that pretty red scouter you're wearing and maybe I won't point Frieza in the right direction..."
"Oh, you mean this scouter?" Vegeta questioned innocently, taking it off his head and holding it up.
"That's right."
"Well, I'd be inclined to give it to you... But, you see, there's a problem with it..."
"And what would that be?"
The Saiyan smirked, dropping the scouter on the ground before crushing it beneath his boot. "It's broken."
"Y-you're helpless without your scouter!" Dodoria gasped, truly shocked for a moment before he recovered. "You fool! Now you're as blind as the rest of us-"
"Actually," Vegeta interrupted, thoroughly enjoying himself while observing the man across from him shaking with rage. "I learned a little trick while I was on Earth... I can sense energy. But I really do feel bad for you Dodoria... Without your scouter, how will you ever find Frieza's backside so you can stick your nose in it?"
"You! You Saiyan trash! It's about time I taught you some respect!" Dodoria shouted, raising both hands as he fired multiple energy blasts. "Mouthy... Little... PRICK!" He roared, oblivious to the fact that the Saiyan had dodged, moving behind him before he could notice.
"Where are you aiming?" Vegeta asked sarcastically, catching Dodoria's arm as he whipped it around while trying to backhand him. Seeing where this was going, he jumped, avoiding another punch as he landed behind the fat man again, a firm grip on both his arms.
"Arrghhh!" Dodoria yelled as the Saiyan Prince pulled his arms backwards, on the verge of dislocating both his shoulders.
"Any last words before I rip off these disgusting appendages?" Vegeta laughed, pulling harder as Dodoria's cries grew louder.
"Wait!" He pleaded, shaking as the pain was becoming unbearable, "I can tell you what really happened to your planet!"
"Planet Vegeta was destroyed! It's gone forever... What else is there to know?" Vegeta lashed out, growling as he thought about the satisfaction he would get out of ending Dodoria's miserable existence...
"Y-you remember how Frieza told everyone that your planet was destroyed by a massive meteorite? T-that was a lie!" Dodoria huffed, breathing quickly as he continued, "That's not the way it happened at all... It was Frieza and not a meteorite that destroyed your planet!"
Vegeta dropped his arms in shock as Dodoria spun around to face him, taking a few steps back while staring at him with wide eyes.
"Why? Why would he..." Vegeta trailed off, snapping his head up as he glared at Dodoria. "Talk! NOW!"
Dodoria swallowed nervously, speaking briskly as the Saiyan Prince took a step towards him.
"Frieza had been using the Saiyans to do his dirty work for years... Since no Saiyan could ever match Frieza's power, they were easy to control... He would send the Saiyans to planets he wanted and if needed, they could transform into those huge, ape-like beings which your kind can become. In this state, they could easily clear out and level almost any planet..." He explained, pausing for a moment before continuing, "But over time, things changed... While Frieza could still easily defeat any Saiyan, several extraordinary fighters such as yourself, were beginning to emerge... As a group, the Saiyans started to become a threat to Frieza and his power, a threat that had to be... dealt with. But you should be grateful, Vegeta. Since you were a prince of such talented skills, Frieza decided he would attack the planet while you were away-"
"That... That bastard..." Vegeta snarled, feeling his temper beginning to get the better of him. "I'll make him pay for what he's done..."
"W-well now that I've told you the whole truth about your home planet... I'll be on my way..." Dodoria mumbled, backing away as he prepared to take off.
"You're not going anywhere." Vegeta said evenly, raising one hand as he powered up a massive ball of energy.
"Wait a second!" Dodoria begged, holding up his hands in surrender. "I-"
"You will pay for your part in this, just as Frieza soon will..." The Saiyan Prince stated as he watched the fat man blast away in a futile attempt to escape his wrath. "But I want you to know," He continued, his voice getting louder as he put more and more energy into his attack while targeting the retreating form of Dodoria.
"I do this not for my planet, not for my race, but because you thought you could make the prince of all Saiyans a slave to your whims!"
...
Back in the cave...
...
Krillin sighed in relief as the atmosphere was quiet once again and Vegeta's power level had faded away into the distance before he looked towards Gohan and Luna.
"The coast is clear... We should get out of here while we can and get back to Bulma. She's probably wondering where we've been..."
"Yeah, let's go..." Gohan agreed, glancing towards the purple haired girl who seemed to be distracted. "Luna, are you ready?"
That was Vegeta... She realized, too preoccupied with her own thoughts to hear the boy's question. She remembered the few times she had encountered him while on the ship... It was always a very brief healing session, which he rarely needed, but even so... She remembered that he didn't treat her like dirt as the other members of Frieza's crew had. Not to say that he was nice or friendly towards her, because he wasn't... But at least he didn't disrespect her on a daily basis. Who else would be able to take out Dodoria like that? Luna thought, grinning a bit as she guessed he had reached the end of his patience with the tyrant as well. I guess he really has gotten a lot stronger...
"Luna?" Gohan inquired again, waving a hand in front of her face as she blinked a few times, snapping herself out of her thoughts.
"O-oh... Sorry about that!" She apologized, coming to the conclusion that it might be best to stay quiet about her interactions with the Saiyan Prince for now. "What were you saying Gohan?"
"We're going to take you to meet our friend Bulma-"
A small cough startled them all as they looked towards the cave wall, seeing that the Namekian child was sitting up and staring at them with wide eyes.
"Oh, hi there!" Gohan announced cheerfully, waving in a friendly gesture before walking over, "I'm Gohan..." He explained while reaching out his hand to help the smaller kid stand up, "And this is Krillin and Luna!"
"I-I'm Dende..."
"Nice to meet you Dende." Krillin said, sighing dejectedly before commenting, "I wish it were under different circumstances though..."
Luna looked away, feeling a bit despondent while remembering everything that poor child had just been through. And there will just be more pain and suffering in the universe unless someone stops that monster... She brooded, wondering if Vegeta was any match for Frieza... If he's become strong enough to take out someone like Dodoria, then we might have a chance! Maybe with a little help, we could work together and finally defeat him...
"Thanks a lot for saving me..." Dende mentioned, getting everyone's attention as he bowed his head towards the bald man.
"No, don't thank me!" Krillin admitted, somewhat surprised as he pointed towards where Luna was standing. "Luna's the one who charged in to get you... We just followed her lead..."
Luna blushed, smiling slightly before replying. "Thanks Krillin, but that's not true... If it weren't for you two, Dodoria would have caught us for sure... I guess you could say it was a team effort!" She finished while giggling and sending a radiant smile towards them all.
Krillin's cheeks reddened a bit as he grinned at her while Gohan just smiled back normally. Even Dende gave her a small grin before they all fell into an uncomfortable silence.
"So... anyway," Krillin offered while looking at Dende, "Why don't you just stick with us? I promise we're nowhere near as bad as those other jerks..."
"I-I don't..." Dende mumbled, unsure of whether or not he could trust these new people. They did save him from sharing the same fate as his family. Perhaps they would all be able to help others as well... He stared at them for a moment before answering. "Well, uh... Y-yeah, okay!"
"Great!" Gohan shouted, running towards the light at the end of the cave, "Just follow us! It's this way!"