After Zane had wiped out Dodoria and his squad in one fell swoop, the planet seemed quieter than before. Goku, Gohan, and Krillin were off doing their thing, excited to track down the next Dragon Ball, while Bulma stayed busy with the ship's systems. Zane, however, was beyond bored. The thrill of Namek was fleeting, and now, as the days wore on, the air around him felt oppressive in its stillness. He had come here for excitement, for something to challenge him, and Namek wasn't cutting it. He didn't care about the Dragon Balls or the mission to him; it was all just a waiting game.
The landscape around him was peaceful, the calm breeze sweeping across the green fields of Namek, but it did nothing to stir his excitement. Zane lay on the ground outside the base, hands behind his head, staring up at the stars as they passed by in the darkness of space. He could hear the Z-fighters in the distance, their voices faint, but their energy was nothing compared to what he was used to.
'Don't destroy the planet, don't destroy the planet,' he thought over and over again, slowly losing his mind over the boredom he felt.
Zane was starting to get annoyed with the lack of a real challenge. The only thing keeping him somewhat entertained was his overwhelming power, but even that had its limits. He had already obliterated Dodoria and his men with ease. What was the point in training or being around these weaklings when they were so far beneath him?
It wasn't long before Zane's boredom was interrupted. As he lounged lazily, he felt the signature of Zarbon, one of Frieza's highest-ranking generals, approaching. Zarbon had come to investigate the earlier explosion caused by Zane's overwhelming power.
The air shifted slightly as Zarbon arrived, his green form gliding gracefully toward Zane.
"Who the hell are you?" Zarbon asked, his voice laced with disdain. "I felt the energy from earlier. You've been causing trouble." His eyes narrowed as he studied Zane, sizing him up. "I don't know who you think you are, but you're on Frieza's turf now. You'd better leave before things get ugly."
Zane didn't even look at Zarbon at first, still lounging on the grass, completely uninterested in the confrontation. He let Zarbon's words hang in the air for a moment before he spoke lazily. "Frieza's turf? That's cute. Do you think I care?"
Zarbon scowled, irritation creeping into his expression. "I don't think you understand. You've crossed a line. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave now."
Zane finally sat up, his eyes glowing faintly as he glanced at Zarbon. "I'm not going anywhere. You're the one who's wasting my time." He stood up slowly, cracking his neck as he did.
Zarbon's expression hardened, and without a word, he charged toward Zane, throwing a series of energy blasts in an attempt to overpower him. Zane didn't even flinch. With a single flick of his wrist, he halted the blasts midair, letting them explode harmlessly into sparks.
Zarbon's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this kind of resistance. He charged again, fists raised, but Zane sidestepped effortlessly. With one smooth motion, Zane slammed his fist into Zarbon's stomach, sending him flying backward into a canyon wall, creating a massive impact. Zarbon lay there, struggling to rise, breath ragged from the force of the blow.
"You think you can stop me?" Zarbon spat, wiping blood from his mouth as he stood, his pride bruised.
Zane frowned. "Holy shit, this line again."
With a sigh, Zane stepped forward and, in an instant, closed the distance between them. He grabbed Zarbon by the throat, lifting him off the ground effortlessly. Zarbon struggled, his eyes bulging as he gasped for air.
"I told you," Zane said softly, his voice cold. "You're not even worth my time." With a simple flick of his fingers, a burst of golden light erupted from Zane's hand. The shockwave obliterated Zarbon and his entire squad in a single moment, their bodies disintegrating before they even had a chance to scream.
Zane let Zarbon's lifeless body fall to the ground with a dull thud, and he casually dusted off his hands, completely unaffected by the carnage. "That was boring," Zane muttered, turning away and heading back to the base where Bulma and the others were.
It wasn't long before Goku, Gohan, and Krillin returned to the base, their spirits high after successfully retrieving the first Dragon Ball. They were eager to show Zane, though they quickly noticed his disinterest. Zane was lounging lazily outside, barely acknowledging their arrival.
"We did it!" Goku shouted, holding up the Dragon Ball with a wide grin. "We found one!"
Krillin stood next to him, smiling proudly. "It wasn't easy, but we got it!"
Gohan beamed, his face alight with excitement. "We're one step closer to bringing back Piccolo!"
Zane barely even looked up. "Good for you," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You actually did something for once." He yawned and stretched out on the grass. "I'll give you credit. It's cute."
Krillin's smile faded, and his frustration grew. "Are you ever going to help us, Zane? Or are you just going to sit there all day?"
Zane shrugged, unbothered. "This is boring. You guys take care of it. I'll be fine here." He closed his eyes, clearly uninterested.
Krillin gritted his teeth, but Goku gave him a small smile, shaking his head. "Don't take it personally, Krillin. Zane's just… well, Zane."
As if to add to Zane's growing irritation, the Ginyu Force made their dramatic arrival. The ground shook as they landed with their usual flair, each of them striking an exaggerated pose as they announced their arrival in the most bombastic way possible.
"We are the Ginyu Force!" Captain Ginyu shouted, puffing out his chest. "And we've come to take you down!"
Burter grinned smugly. "I'm the fastest in the universe! No one can defeat me!"
Jeice tossed his hair back, preparing to unleash his Crusher Ball. "You'll regret this! We're unstoppable!"
Zane didn't even bother to sit up. He lazily waved a hand in their direction. "Ugh, more clowns. You guys can take care of this. I'm napping."
The Z-fighters exchanged glances, but Goku, Krillin, and Gohan were already ready for action.
Guldo wasted no time in rushing forward, his eyes gleaming with the intent to use his Time Freeze technique.
"Time Freeze!" Guldo shouted as he inhaled sharply, holding his breath and activating his ability to stop time.
Krillin felt the world slow to a halt around him. His body locked up, and for a moment, it seemed like he was completely frozen, unable to move. But then, just as Guldo started to approach, Gohan suddenly darted into the frame, appearing right beside Krillin, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him out of Guldo's immediate reach.
"Krillin!" Gohan yelled, his voice cutting through the stillness. "He can only hold his breath for a few seconds! We need to move fast!"
Krillin's mind raced. Guldo had him frozen, but Gohan's quick thinking gave him the edge. With Gohan's help, Krillin kicked off the ground, using his legs to propel himself out of Guldo's grasp just as the Time Freeze wore off.
Guldo blinked in confusion, realizing that Krillin was no longer frozen. But before he could react, Krillin launched a Kienzan, the Destructo Disk, toward Guldo, the spinning disc of energy cutting through the air with deadly precision. Guldo barely dodged it, but it grazed his arm, leaving a nasty burn. Guldo grimaced, feeling the sting of Krillin's precision.
"This isn't over!" Guldo snarled, but Krillin was already moving, his fists flying in a rapid barrage of punches. Guldo tried to counter, but his body was too slow, his time stop ability now useless. Krillin's speed overwhelmed him, and with one final energy wave, Guldo was sent crashing into a boulder. The impact left him dazed, and as he struggled to rise, Krillin followed up with a powerful strike, killing Guldo.
With Guldo out of the fight, Krillin turned to face Recoome, who had been watching with an enraged expression.
Recoome charged forward, yelling, "You'll pay for that!" He swung his massive fist at Krillin, aiming to crush him under the weight of his strength. Krillin dodged just in time, but the shockwave from Recoome's punch sent him tumbling backward.
Recoome laughed. "You'll have to do better than that, little man. I'm invincible!"
Krillin's eyes narrowed. He wasn't going to let Recoome's arrogance get to him. He could see the openings; he just needed to outsmart this giant.
Recoome lunged again, this time using his Recoome Kick to try and hit Krillin, but Krillin was faster, ducking under the kick and landing a powerful punch to Recoome's side. The impact caused Recoome to stumble, but he quickly recovered.
"That all you got?!" Recoome taunted, his voice booming. He tried a Recoome Special, spinning through the air with an overwhelming force. The attack sent shockwaves across the battlefield, but Krillin didn't back down. He dove beneath Recoome's spinning body, dodging the attack, and struck at Recoome's legs, hitting pressure points that caused the giant to falter.
Recoome stumbled, growling in frustration, and swung his massive fists wildly, trying to land a hit. Krillin, however, was too fast. He darted around Recoome, landing punches to the giant's ribs and legs.
Recoome's movements grew slower as Krillin landed blow after blow, the giant's pride starting to crack. With one final blow, Krillin used a powered-up Kienzan, launching the disc at Recoome's chest. The energy blast pierced through Recoome's chest, sending him sprawling to the ground in a heap, defeated.
Jeice wasted no time, immediately launching his Crusher Ball toward Gohan. The attack crackled with red energy, but Gohan was quick, dodging the orb with a swift sidestep. Jeice tried again, unleashing a rapid barrage of energy blasts, but Gohan deflected each one with ease, his confidence growing with each blow he stopped.
"Is that all you've got?" Gohan taunted, his voice full of determination.
Jeice's face twisted with anger. "I'll show you my real power!" With a roar, Jeice powered up, his red aura flaring to life. He swung his Crusher Ball once more, but this time Gohan caught it, squeezing his fist around it until the attack dissipated.
"You're done," Gohan said, and with a burst of speed, he rushed toward Jeice, landing blow after blow with precision. Jeice tried to fight back, but Gohan's speed was too much for him. Within moments, Jeice collapsed, unable to continue the fight.
Turning to Burter, the self-proclaimed fastest in the universe, Gohan smirked. "Let's see how fast you really are."
Burter grinned and dashed forward, his speed leaving afterimages in the air. But Gohan, having been trained under the gravity chamber and his own inherent power, was just as fast. He easily matched Burter's pace, landing quick strikes to Burter's chest and face.
Burter, frustrated by how easily Gohan was keeping up, tried to speed up, pushing himself harder to land a blow. "You're too slow!" Burter yelled as he blitzed toward Gohan.
But Gohan anticipated his every move, countering with a devastating energy wave that sent Burter flying backward. Gohan followed up with a final strike, landing a precise punch to Burter's gut that knocked the wind out of him, sending Burter crashing to the ground in defeat.
As Captain Ginyu landed with his usual dramatic flair, he looked across at Goku with a smirk. "I am Captain Ginyu, leader of the Ginyu Force. Prepare to be defeated!"
Goku grinned back, ready to test his strength. "You look pretty tough. But I don't think you'll be a match for me!"
Without wasting time, Ginyu immediately lunged at Goku, throwing a series of quick punches. Goku dodged and weaved around Ginyu's strikes with ease, his body moving fluidly as he avoided the attacks.
Ginyu scowled. "You're faster than I expected. But you'll see that I'm more than just speed!" He suddenly jumped high into the air, gaining altitude with ease.
"Milky Cannon!" Ginyu shouted as his purple energy beam shot from his hand. The attack cut through the air with a crackling sound, blasting toward Goku at incredible speed.
Goku's eyes widened as the beam closed in on him, but his reflexes were faster. He zipped to the side just in time, narrowly avoiding the attack. The Milky Cannon crashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater in its wake. The blast radiated outward, sending debris flying in all directions.
"Nice try," Goku called, giving Ginyu a wide grin. "But I'm too fast for that!"
Ginyu growled, clearly not pleased with how easily Goku had evaded his attack. "You're fast, but you're not invincible," he snapped. He gathered his energy and charged at Goku again, attempting another series of powerful strikes. Goku sidestepped and dodged each attack effortlessly.
Ginyu, however, was no fool. Realizing brute force wasn't going to work, he quickly shouted, "Body Change!"
Goku blinked, confused for a split second, as Ginyu attempted to swap bodies with him. But Goku, being quick on his feet and already realizing what was happening, managed to dodge just in time.
"You won't be taking over my body that easily," Goku said, his face lighting up with a grin.
Ginyu's eyes narrowed, clearly frustrated. "You're a slippery one!" With a roar, Ginyu launched himself at Goku again, attempting a flurry of high-speed punches. This time, Goku was ready. He blocked the first few strikes, using his enhanced agility to dodge the rest, before launching a counterattack of his own.
The two warriors collided with devastating force, but Goku was starting to gain the upper hand. He was faster, stronger, and his resolve was unshakable. Ginyu's body language told the tale, his confidence was waning, while Goku was growing more determined with every move.
Ginyu, desperate, attempted another Body Change, but this time, Goku anticipated it. He swiftly dodged again, forcing Ginyu to miss, and this time, Goku wasn't holding back.
With a sudden burst of power, Goku spun and launched a Kamehameha wave straight at Ginyu. The beam of energy struck Ginyu with such force that it sent him flying backward, slamming him into a rocky outcrop. The explosion left a massive crater around him, and Ginyu struggled to stand.
Ginyu staggered to his feet, clearly battered, his body trembling. He glared at Goku, blood dripping from his mouth. "You're strong, Saiyan," he spat, his pride bruised. "But this isn't over yet."
Goku grinned. "Yeah, it is. I'm not done yet!"
With a final burst of energy, Goku dashed toward Ginyu, his fists flying with precision. A quick jab to Ginyu's gut sent the Ginyu Force leader flying backward. Ginyu crashed into the ground with a sickening thud, unable to continue the fight.