"Oho~, and why not, my dear child?" Frieza adopted a deceptively calm and soothing tone, but his pretense of civility melted away, replaced by an overwhelming sense of pressure as Frieza unleashed his bloodlust and presence.
Mushin stood silent, his body trembling in fear beneath Moori's firm hold and the crushing mental weight of Frieza's aura. He had already realized the humongous blunder he had made. Fear had rendered him speechless, the words trapped in his throat and preventing him from speaking further. But even if fear hadn't stunned him, Elder Moori's hand would have prevented him from uttering another word.
Moori tightened his grip on the child. This child…! Mushin–empty mind indeed! Apart from the hero worship of Nail, this brat's brain must be empty! If only Mushin had kept his mouth shut like Dende!
But as the elder, regardless of the young one's mistakes, how could he leave the children to bear the full force of such a horrifying presence by themselves? He couldn't abandon them to the mercy of the tyrant. He would accommodate this demon and provide him with the information he sought. He had to ensure that at least one person from this village survived to warn the others!
"Wait, Frieza, I'll tell you! It's because you do not know the pa–"
"I was not asking you, Namekian Elder."
Moori had barely processed Frieza's response before a guttural scream of agony erupted from him as his arm contorted and shattered in at least five different places. With a violent jerk, he was ripped away from Mushin by an invisible force, his body sent hurtling to the side in a sickening arc.
He collided with the unforgiving ground, skidding on his broken arm with a bone-chilling crunch. Agony engulfed him, and he screamed, temporarily unable to suppress the intense pain from the sudden aggravation of his injury.
Frieza did not even spare a glance at Moori's writhing form, his attention remaining solely on the trembling figure of Mushin. "I won't repeat myself, child. Why won't this Sacred Dragon respond to me?"
The galactic emperor's attention was briefly diverted when the other young child rushed to the Elder's side and knelt down. Frieza observed with a dispassionate gaze as the young Namekian's hand began to emit a soft green glow. Moori's agonized screams gradually subsided as his wounds began to mend, the healing process visible even from a distance.
But Frieza's interest in the spectacle was short-lived. He made a mental note of it before snapping his attention back to the trembling boy before him.
Alone and vulnerable, Mushin's eyes widened in terror as he found himself facing Frieza's full and undivided attention. For a moment, Mushin remained silent, his mouth dry and his throat constricted, paralyzed and unable to speak.
A few seconds ticked by.
"I– I, uh–"
Three abrupt flashes of purple energy raced into the distance, and three Namekians collapsed to the ground, holes pierced cleanly through their bodies.
"My patience is limited. Speak, or more shall die."
Mushin quivered at Frieza's terrifying ultimatum. With urgency bordering on panic, he hurriedly shouted his answer, his voice raw with fear.
"P–pa–password! There's a password to summon the Dragon!"
Three more beams shot from Frieza's outstretched finger, and another three bodies fell to the ground.
The crowd erupted into a frenzy of fear and anger at the attacks. Now that they were under attack, it was clear that certain individuals among them were itching to fight back.
The Frieza Force soldiers, sensing the growing unrest, raised their blasters and rifles in readiness, their fingers hovering over the triggers.
The entire situation was a powdered keg one spark away from exploding.
But amidst the rising tensions, Frieza's expression remained impassive, as if none of it had anything to do with him. "Must I prompt you for the password itself, chil–?"
Before Frieza could even finish his question, his gaze snapped toward sudden movement. Blurring with sheer speed, Zarbon flashed before him and assumed a defensive stance with practiced ease, his muscles tensed like a coiled spring, prepared to defend from any attacks.
Then, Frieza's scouter emitted a series of beeps, signaling the presence of a weak power level—one that was far too close. With a thunderous boom, another figure crashed to the ground, kicking up a large plume of dust that obscured the newcomer from view.
Interrupted once more. He despised being interrupted.
A purple beam lanced through the air, flashing past Zarbon, aimed directly at the heart of the dust cloud where the newcomer had landed.
***
Ajax's mind reeled with confusion and disbelief as he struggled to comprehend what had happened. He hadn't even managed to absorb the impact from his landing before a searing pain lanced through his chest like a white-hot blade as if he had been struck by lightning.
Before he could even register that he was under attack, he had already been gravely injured, a hole drilled into him at a slanted angle due to his crouched position upon landing.
What was that? Was that Frieza's Death Beam? How the fuck was he supposed to dodge an attack as fast as that?! He hadn't even seen it!
Instinctively, he can infer the attack had entered from his chest, tearing through his lungs before piercing straight through him, narrowly missing his spine. Each breath was agony, sending waves of excruciating pain through his body.
Fuck!
He had originally planned to engage in a brief skirmish, use a Solar Flare, then dip with Dende. But look at him now, nearly defeated before the battle had even begun!
Clutching onto consciousness through sheer willpower, Ajax knew he couldn't drag this out for a single moment, not with Frieza's sights locked on him. All thoughts of combat fled from his mind, replaced by a single, desperate instinct—survival.
"Solar Flare!"
The blinding light erupted from the dust cloud, bathing the battlefield in a brilliant flash of white. Since the dust had obscured the view of Ajax, the sudden light managed to catch everyone by surprise.
The surrounding screams of pain let Ajax know his diversion was successful.
Ajax immediately propelled himself with all the speed his body could muster, aware that the time he had bought was limited. At that moment, the Dragon Balls were the furthest thing from his mind. Dende, as his primary objective, took precedence above all else!
He darted toward one of the two small energy signatures he detected. With no time to determine which was Dende and which was the other kid, he would simply have to grab both and make a run for it!
As Ajax approached the downed figure of Moori, he aggressively pushed two thoughts into Moori's mind as quickly as possible: 'Escagor! Sent!'
Moori's shock at Ajax's sudden appearance was momentarily replaced by confusion as he struggled to comprehend the message. Then, in a sudden realization, understanding dawned in the elder's eyes. Instantly, the elder looked relieved, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Ajax wasted no time in wrapping his arms around the Namekian child next to Moori. This one was wearing red, Ajax observed, but he couldn't be certain if this was Dende. The other child, whom he had yet to reach, might be Dende instead.
Ajax repeated his action with the child standing before Frieza, who was dressed in blue attire. As he wrapped his arms around the young Namekian, Ajax noted the pandemonium unfolding around him—the Frieza Force grunts were screaming in agony, clutching their eyes in pain from the blinding effects of his supercharged Solar Flare.
Good, he still had some time left.
With both Namekian children now tightly cradled in his arms, Ajax swiftly took flight, rocketing into the sky. Blood coated Ajax's mouth as excruciating agony rocked him senseless with each and every intense movement, but he pushed the pain aside, ignoring it. There was no time to dwell on his injuries. His adaptation will take care of it! Hopefully.
Behind him, he heard Moori bellow, "Everyone! Scatter!"
At Moori's thunderous roar, Ajax stole a quick glance back, his heart racing in his chest as he surveyed the sudden commotion behind him. Despite the blinding effects of his Solar Flare, he noted with relief that the Namekians had scattered in every which direction, their temporary blindness not hindering their ability to pick a random direction and book it.
Fortunately, none of the Frieza Force soldiers had recovered from the Solar Flare, which provided cover for the Namekian's escape.
As for Frieza, the tyrant was… oh.
Ajax felt his blood turn to ice in his veins. Seemingly unaffected by the Solar Flare, Frieza had decisively ignored all the mayhem around him, instead choosing to stare directly at him, coldly tracking his trajectory with unerring precision. Almost unwillingly, Ajax found himself meeting Frieza's eyes.
Though their eye contact lasted for only a split second, the galactic emperor's dreadful bloodlust and unspeakable maleficence had made it feel like an eternity. In that brief instant, Frieza's malice seemed to permeate the air, constricting Ajax's throat and leaving him gasping for breath.
…Wait, something isn't right!!
Ajax immediately tore his gaze from Frieza and executed a barrel-roll maneuver. Then, he surged forward with even greater speed, desperate to leave the village behind. Gradually, he sensed the vice-like grip around his throat easing, before finally shattering.
Telekinesis.
Ajax sighed in relief, knowing that Frieza had very nearly killed him, again. If he had not escaped Frieza's range when he did, the Frost Demon would have snapped his neck like a twig. He swallowed hard, trying to calm down his heartbeat from his near-death experience.
So… this was Frieza.
Just how in the actual fuck did Krillin and Gohan survive against this monster unscathed the first time around?! Did Frieza just stand there like a dumbass or something?!
Aware that he was still in danger, Ajax pushed the thought aside. With two Namekian children under his arms and nearly mortally wounded, he decisively escaped from an enemy he had no chance of defeating.
However, Ajax had a sinking feeling that Frieza would remember him.
***
Meanwhile, down below, the Frieza Force squadron began to recover from the effects of Ajax's Solar Flare. With scowls of annoyance, they rubbed their eyes furiously or blinked rapidly to clear the spots from their vision.
"I want each and every one of those worthless slugs kneeling before me. If you fail to accomplish such a simple task, then find some remote corner of the planet and end your own miserable existence. You're of no value to me."
Frieza's voice, utterly frigid and emotionless, sliced through the air like a razor. At his command, every soldier in the Frieza Force snapped to attention with military precision, their bodies rigid and their expressions steeled.
They were all too familiar with the consequences of failure under Frieza's rule. It was the harsh truth of their existence—succeed or die. There was no allowance for mistakes, no room for error. It was a lesson they had internalized deeply, one that had been ruthlessly enforced time and time again by Frieza's will.
"YES, LORD FRIEZA!" came the synchronized cry. They swiftly scattered, taking to the air as they raced to execute Frieza's orders.
With the Frieza Force soldiers dispersing, only Dodoria, Zarbon, and Frieza remained.
"Tell me, Dodoria," Frieza began, his tone deceptively mild. "Did we, by any chance, witness the same event? Did a midget burst onto the scene, spit on the Frieza Force's reputation, challenge my authority, then take two children and run off? All the while, might I remind you, you did nothing?"
Dodoria, who had maintained a low profile throughout the entire ordeal, squirmed uncomfortably under Frieza's penetrating stare. Her eyes darted nervously between Frieza and Zarbon, uncertain of how to respond to Her lord's pointed question. Was this a trick question? A test of Her loyalty? Dodoria can't be certain.
"...Yes, my lord," she replied after finally regaining her voice.
"This is a great humiliation; you are aware of this?"
"Yes, my lord," Dodoria murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
"One more question, and really think hard about this one, Dodoria," Frieza's tone dropped, a menacing undertone lacing his words. "Do you believe you are qualified to stand beside me idly like a useless tub of lard?"
"…no?"
Frieza's lip curled into a sneer. "Then, pray tell, why are you still here?"
"My lord, I'm afraid I don't understand," Dodoria stammered, her voice squeaking as Frieza's displeasure crushed down on her.
"Allow me to make this abundantly clear to you then, Dodoria," Frieza snarled. "If you fail to kill those three and return with their heads within the next 30 minutes, then you need not return at all. Is that clear enough for you?"
"Yes, my lord!" Dodoria exclaimed in panic, dropping the Dragon Balls she held onto the ground and desperately scrambling to depart. In a streak of pink energy, Dodoria took off, her figure quickly vanishing as she pursued Ajax.
"Incompetent!" Frieza scowled as Dodoria departed, his irritation written all over his face. "Tell me, Zarbon. Am I losing my touch?"
"I don't believe so, Lord Frieza."
"Then why is it that so many individuals are so determined to go against my will today?"
Zarbon tilted his head slightly at Frieza's question as he carefully retrieved the Dragon Ball left behind by Dodoria, organizing the collection amassed thus far.
"The natives know not of your terror, sir. As for our own men, fear must be instilled regularly to avoid complacency. However, I still stand by my prior recommendation that fear is not the most optimal form of leadership for Your Excellency."
Frieza chuckled, recognizing Zarbon's familiar and persistently recurring advice.
"Bah, I have no interest in changing myself for insignificant beings," he dismissed Zarbon's advice like he always does with a wave of his hand as if swatting away a bothersome insect. "As for the natives… perhaps their ignorance is indeed the root cause, as you suggested. It appears I may need to enlighten these wretched creatures about their place on the universe's food chain."
"…" Zarbon inclined his head in acknowledgment of Frieza's decision, dutifully awaiting the next command.
"Torture them for information then kill them all, and make it slow," With a casual gesture, Frieza swiveled his throne around and drifted to a shaded area away from the harsh glare of Namek's triple suns. As his throne glided leisurely across the clearing, Frieza made an ominous addition to his command. "–ah, but do make sure to leave the old one for me, Zarbon. I have some frustrations to work through."
"As you wish, sir."