Episodes
(Page 2)
Dragon Ball volume 21 summary and personae list.
New Characters:
Kewie: Local lizard-fish alien leader on Planet #79
Freeza: Lizard-like alien. VERY strong, and uses very polite
language. First appears while riding a hover-chair. Wants the
Dragon Balls to wish for immortality.
Dodoria: Freeza's fat, ugly assistant. Very strong, but rather dumb.
Zarbon: Freeza's beautiful alien co-assistant. Stronger than
Dodoria. Also faster, and more vain.
Fighting styles:
Other notes:
Chikyuu: Japanese for The Earth. More or less what everyone uses to
refer to the main planet, and its inhabitants.
Jin: The Japanese word for "person". So, Saiya-jin means a person
from the planet Saiya.
Buruma's parents: They're never given any names beyond "Buruma's
mother" and "Buruma's father."
Namek-jin: The Namek are like certain insects, in that their
functions in society are dictated by the conditions of their
birth. Dende is a healer, Piccolo and Nail are fighters.
Dende can't fight, and Piccolo and Nail can't heal.
Vejita: His character design has changed radically since his first
appearance in book 17. In the one year that has passed,
he's aged 5 to 6 years, at least.
Story:
Buruma, Kamesennin, Karin-sama, and Chi Chi are searching for their
friends. Senpyou sees the bright light from the full moon, and Chi Chi
goes berzerk, hoping that Gohan is still alive. Kamesennin senses 5
people, one very weak, and Senpyou states that the Saiya-jin isn't dead,
either. Meanwhile, Vejita's ship has arrived, and he struggles to reach
it. Kururin struggles to stab the Saiya-jin in the back with
Yajirobee's sword. Kaiou-sama is hoping that the evil will end here.
Kururin says he's going to kill his enemy, Vejita curses his immobility,
and the runt yells "die!!!!" A voice says "stop." Everyone reacts to
Gokuu's telepathic command, and he tells his friend that since Vejita is
going to leave, that he shouldn't be killed. They argue, until Gokuu
wins. Vejita's parting words to "the garbage" are that it's been fun.
Kururin tells the unconscious Gohan that it's now safe, and Yajirobee
complains about having been hit. Gokuu apologizes to Kururin, who shrugs
it off. Then the rescuers arrive, and Chi Chi cries out "Gohan" as she
rushes to care for her son. Kururin tells her that the boy is fine, but
she wails on about his having been injured. The others comfort Gokuu,
Kururin tells Buruma about the dead, including Yamcha. But, she thinks
that her lover can be brought back in one year. She can't accept
Gokuu's explanation that with Kami-sama dead, the Balls won't work. At
least, Yajirobee tells her, Yajirobee himself is still alive. Buruma
breaks down.
Kamesennin already misses Piccolo, and Yajirobee is upset that no one
cares about him. Senpyou tells them to take the wounded to the
hospital, because there are no more Senzu Seeds. Kamesennin then
searches for the corpses, and Kururin mentions that there's a slight
hope for the dead, and Gokuu asks about this, too. But, the answer has
to wait until they collect the bodies. Chao-zu's is missing, since he
self-destructed. Karin-sama comments on the sacrifice, Kamesennin is
too angry to pilot the craft, and Buruma takes over again. Gohan wakes
up, and Chi Chi goes overboard in telling the boy that everything's ok.
Kururin says that they're safe, and Yajirobee states that he's ok, too.
Gohan asks about his dad, Gokuu answers back. The monk asks Chi Chi why
she's not concerned about her husband, and she rants about the man's
carelessness in letting her boy get hurt.
Buruma reminds Kururin about what he was going to say earlier. He
tells them about Piccolo having been recognized as a Namek-jin, and some
vague mentions of the original Dragon Balls, which could be used to
revive everyone. Gohan verifies this, and gets excited at the idea of
Piccolo coming back. Kururin picks this up, because then Kami-sama will
return, as will the power of the regular Balls. Buruma doesn't join in
the rejoicing though, as she asks Kururin if they know where Namek is.
Gokuu states that Kaiou-sama would know. He asks, Kaiou-sama replies,
and the others can hear him in their hearts. This is partly because of
Gokuu's presence, because he's in shock from having used Kaiou-ken.
Kaiou-sama looks up the location of Namek -- SU83 by 9045YX. Buruma
recognizes the latter coordinate, and has "Kame-chan" take the wheel.
("Kame-chan...") Kaiou states that a long time ago, nearly everyone on
the planet got wiped out. He locates the general direction of Namek.
Senpyou comments on how Kami-sama is the lone survivor of this planet.
But if that's so, who's there to make the older Balls work? They
speculate about this until Kaiou discovers that there's about 100
Namek-jin still on Namek. (Yajirobee thinks about what it's like to
have 100 people looking like Kami-sama.) They discuss this a bit, too,
with Kamesennin happily suggesting that Tenshinhan and Yamcha can soon
be wished back alive.
Buruma states otherwise. It will take 4339 years for them to reach
those coordinates. Kaiou-sama hadn't considered that part. Kururin
comes to the rescue again, reminding them about the Saiya-jin's
ultra-fast spaceships, and pulls out the controller that Vejita had
dropped. Buruma now thinks it's possible, and they all celebrate.
The next day, they're at the hospital. It'll take Gokuu 4 months to
heal, but one month for Senpyou to grow more Senzu Seeds. Kururin
gloats over that fact that Kururin and Gohan will get out in 3 days, and
he comments on Gokuu's looking like a mummy. Yajirobee grouses about
not having been admitted, and Senpyou replies that the monk only wants
to get at the hospital's food. Kururin follows up with the
conversation between the monk and Vejita, that gets Yajirobee hopping
mad. Gyuu-ou says that they're all lucky to be alive, when Buruma runs
into the room and tells them to turn on the TV. [Buruma's hair style
changed over night.] Seems that scientists have found Nappa's ship.
They're speculating about what this means, and Buruma announces that
she's going to take over the ship with the controller Kururin found.
She's very pleased with herself, and she enters the control code.
The ship explodes.
This was their last chance, since not even Kintoen can help them out.
Then Mister Popo shows up to tell them that he's probably found a space
ship. He's not sure, but it's probably what Kami-sama used to reach
this planet. Kururin answers that Buruma would know, but she doesn't
trust the strange black man with the big eyes. The two disappear, and
Kururin has his doubts about the ship.
The two instanteously arrive in the cold desolate region where the
ship is, and walk the little ways to it. Popo asks if this is a space
ship, and Buruma isn't sure. She asks how Popo knows about this, and he
states that 100 years ago, Kami-sama told him what had happened. How
Kami-sama had found himself on this planet as a small child, with the
instruction to wait by the ship for a relative to show. After 20-30
years of waiting, the child gave up. Buruma wondrs what the point is,
and Popo tells her to let him make it. The little demon had made the
ship his home. Between it's four legs, a door will open if you say
"Piccolo." They get on the door, and Popo says "Piccolo" again to get
them inside.
Buruma finally realizes that Kami-sama is a Namek-jin, so the ship
should have a way to get back home. She finds the control panel, and
tries to understand it. She has no luck (searching for main switches,
and code numbers,) until a voice sounds in her head. It's similar to
what Piccolo and Kami-sama had spoken at the Tenkaichi-budoukai.
Mister Popo tells her that he knows Namek-speech. She tells him to make
the ship fly (doesn't matter where,) and he replies that the ship is
saying "Ok." They take off, Buruma is impressed, and Popo is happy that
Kami-sama can now be brought back to life.
Back at the hospital, Buruma is enthused, telling people that it will
only take one month to reach Namek. The ship will be fixed up in 5
days. The others are happy, but Popo says that he can't go. Buruma
freaks, and Kururin tells her that she'll have to go. So, she states
that Kururin has to come with. Yajirobee backs out, but Kamesennin
volunteers to spend two months with her (Buruma turns him down.) Gokuu
can't go, since he needs the rest. Then, Gohan pipes up, only to have
Gokuu and Chi Chi argue over this (Gokuu thinks it's a good thing, Chi
Chi wants her boy to study.) He wants to help bring Piccolo back, and
finally shouts to make his mother shut up. (This show of spirit makes
Gokuu happy, but the boy now has to apologize to her to keep her from
crying.) Gohan tells her that he has to try to help bring his friends
back, after everything they've done. Yajirobee is impressed, and
Gyuu-ou tells his daughter that she's lost. Buruma tells them to meet
at Kame House in 10 days. Later, in the ship, Buruma's father is
impressed with the craft, and she tells him to stop messing around.
On the appointed day, Kururin comments on the size of the ship, but
Buruma is upset because he's dressed wrong for the occasion. Kamesennin
wonders where Gohan is, and Kururin answers that the boy went to visit
Gokuu one more time. Then, the others arrive, and Gyuu-ou also remarks
on the ship. Chi Chi's mothering of her boy cracks up everyone, but
destroys Buruma. Kamesennin wishes them luck, they say their goodbyes.
Kururin is excited, but when he asks where to put his gear, Buruma just
snaps at him. She gives them 5 seconds' warning before blasting off for
Namek, and Kururin complains about not having been able to use the
seatbelts first. Kamesennin is impressed with their speed, and Chi Chi
yells for Gohan to remember to rinse. Then it's time to settle in for
the long journey. Gohan is awed at seeing the Earth, but Buruma is in a
bad mmod, and Kururin can't figure out why. They change into more
comfortable clothes, and Kururin thinks that Buruma's outfit is really a
set of pajamas. It's a long trip to Namek.
After a while, Buruma becomes conscious long enough to notice Gohan
win a session of image training. Kururin is impressed with the
combination of Gokuu's blood, and Piccolo's training, but the boy also
complements his friend's strength. Buruma wants them to clean up after
her, because there's a lady present. Kururin objects, since she's the
one that made the mess, but she states that she's too busy with running
the ship. Then, she asks where Vejita has escaped to, where his planet
is. Kururin doesn't know. They speculate about the idea of other
Saiya-jin running around.
Then, on Freeza Planet #79, Vejita arrives. At first, the guard post
thinks it's Freeza, but they quickly identify the ship. They panic, and
notify their superiors. The greeting party wonders what's happened to
Nappa, then they wonder why the distinguished Vejita isn't coming out.
He's quickly taken to the medics. Eventually, Vejita recovers, but his
tail doesn't grow back. He changes to a new suit, asks where Freeza is,
and is told that Freeza's gone, but Kewie is available in the Training
Room. Vejita leaves, saying that he doesn't need a scouter. He broods,
then meets Kewie, who gloats over the deaths of Radits and Nappa. They
snap at each other (these guys don't like Saiya-jin,) until Kewie states
that Freeza has left for Namek. Vejita realizes that the info must have
been relayed via their scouters, and rushes off when told that Freeza is
also after the Dragon Balls (which he claims are his alone.) After
their 34-day flight, Buruma and company arrive on Namek.
Kururin and Gohan are excited, Buruma is cautious. When they land,
she tells them to suit up in the hazardous atmosphere suits. But, the
other two are already running around outside, to her annoyance (they
don't understand what's wrong.) But, the mood lightens when it turns
out that the Dragon Radar works on Namek. But, Gohan senses a strong
power, and Kururin notices it too. Buruma figures that it's just
another Nakek, like Piccolo. The two aren't so sure. She reassures
them, and states that 4 of the Balls are already in one place. They get
ready to go meet some Namek people, when a Saiya-jin ship streaks
through the sky (Buruma yells at it.) Kururin tells Gohan to mask his
power, since this is probably Vejita's ship. They curse over
discovering that they have competition for the Balls. Kururin and Gohan
are going to go after the Balls, Buruma plans on staying at the ship and
notifying Kame House -- they can be rescued in only 2 months.
Vejita walks out, still claiming the Balls as his. He plans on
fighting Freeza to the death, but has trouble using the scouter.
Eventually, the scouter indicates Freeza's location, and that of Dodoria
and Zarbon. On Earth, Kamesennin is told that Vejita has appeared, and
he's to notify Gokuu, but not Chi Chi. Then, another Saiya-jin ship
streaks past, landing nearby. Somewhere, in a Namek village, a minion
has found the town's Dragon Ball. Freeza is pleased, and wants it added
to the 3 he already has. Zarbon relays a message from Kewie, concerning
Vejita. Freeza states that Kewie and Vejita are about equal. Kewie
looks forward to settling things.
Buruma and Kururin are worried at the appearance of another
Saiya-jin. Kewpie finds Vejita and goes to kill him on Freeza's orders.
Vejita looks forward to this. Meanwhile, Buruma wants to return to
Earth and wait for Gokuu. Kururin tries to get her to wait, to talk
Gohan into going with her. She wants them to stay to get the Balls to
resurrect Piccolo and Kami-sama. Gohan then senses a Saiya-jin, but it
turns out to be two of Freeza's warriors who are looking someone that's
not Namek-jin. Kururin and Buruma discover that the two guys aren't
Namek-jin, either. They threaten each other a bit, then the Saiya-jin
destroy the ship to keep them from leaving. This makes the two
Earthlings angry, and the two Saiya-jin amused. However, the sudden
increase in power worries the bad guys just before they get trashed.
Kururin and Gohan congratulate each other ("Nice, Nice,") and Buruma
yells at them for it.
Zarbon notices the blip of power, but tells Freeza that it was
nothing. It wasn't Vejita -- just two people with 1500 levels.
Buruma's upset at having been stranded, and not being able to ever
return to Earth. Kururin and Gohan are going after the Balls, and
want to find a safe place for Buruma to hide. Kewpie and Vejita taunt
each other, and Vejita has to explain that the scouter is registering very
little power because he's mastered power control now. He has to explain
further, then shows his true level -- at 22000 it breaks Kewpie's
scouter, and Kewie is very shocked (they're not evenly matched after
all.) Zarbon decides that Vejita has arrived. Dodoria thinks that his
partner's scouter was malfunctioning, but Vejita really is registering
at 24000. That's more than Dodoria and Zarbon. They talk about that
(he was only 18000 before.) Freeza isn't impressed, and he knows what
the Saiya-jin is after.
Kewpie is trying to strike a deal to band against Freeza, but it's
just a stalling tactic. Kewpie announces that Freeza has arrived, then
attacks. He's sure that he's won, but Vejita says that his speed has
increased, too. Vejita easily wins, and is happy at seeing fireworks
today. He decides that with the scouters, Zarbon and Dodoria can see
him approaching, and that they'll be able to find the Dragon Balls. But
if they only get 6, they'll be useless. He wants the Balls to realize
his dream of being the number 1 fighter in the universe. Dodoria is
concerned about Vejita's strength, and ability to easily kill Kewie.
Freeza is more interested in getting the fifth Ball, which is in a Namek
village with 10 Namek-jin in it. They leave for the village.
Kururin tells Buruma to try to keep up a little longer. She's
exhausted and not happy. They find a cave for her, but it's dark and
she doesn't want to go in. They sense some more power, it's not Namek,
and it's getting closer. They hide, wondering if they've been sensed.
Buruma is relieved when the group passes by, but wonders who they were.
Kururin and Gohan, however, are panicked, and the runt asks to see what
the Dragon Radar shows concerning four of the Balls. Turns out that the
strangers do indeed have those Balls. Kururin asks if Gohan noticed the
group leader -- he did, and the leader was incredibly strong. Kururin
likens the little leader to Vejita -- both are overwhelmingly strong.
Buruma wonders who can be like Vejita, Kururin doesn't know but the
group was dressed like Saiya-jin. Kururin is frustrated at the thought
that the strangers are also after the Balls.
The strangers are heading for one Ball, 14km away. Gohan reminds
Kururin about the runt's having sensed the Namek-jin earlier, and they
decide to go look at the village. Buruma objects to being left alone,
and is told to stay in the cave and tell Kamesennin what's happening.
Then the two fighter's rush off.
On Earth, the doctor berates the injured Gokuu for exercising in the
hospital room. Gokuu is pushed back into bed, with a warning to take
better care of himself. Kamesennin comes into the room, checking first
whether Chi Chi is in (she's out.) The old man brought some food as a
present (kasutera == sponge cake.) He grabs the nurse's butt while
stating that he'd talked to Buruma on Namek just 2 hours earlier. (He
then asks the nurse if she thinks he'd done something to her just now.)
The turtle master says that Vejita is on Namek, that there's 10 strong
Namek in the village that they've gone to, and that someone else is
there that's at least Vejita's level. While Gokuu's trying to handle
this, Yajirobee arrives ("You're alive?") with 7 senzu seeds from
Karin-sama. Gokuu congratulates Yajirobee for having good timing, and
demands to be fed a seed right away, while the doctor warns them against
eating strange foods.
Fully recovered, Gokuu's been waiting for this moment. He puts on
his douji (uniform,) takes the seeds, and says he's going to Namek.
Seems that Buruma's father has been working on a new and improved space
ship (of his own design) for Gokuu to use (based on Radits' spaceship's
technology.) The new ship will get him to Namek in 6 days. He calls
Kintoen, and rushes off. Yajirobee and Kamesennin wonder if they're
expected to follow to help the hero. Gokuu is still concerned about
Vejita, who he knows is very strong. At Capsule Corp., Gokuu wonders if
the ship is inside one of the buildings. Buruma's mother recognizes
Gokuu, even after all this time. He asks where the father is. She
takes him inside, commenting on how he's grown up so much, and tries to
make a date with him to go to a cake shop she wants to visit. Then, she
calls out to her husband, announcing that Gokuu has arrived.
The father asks if Gokuu has eaten a senzu seed already, and is
impressed that the seeds really work the way he was told they do. The
mother goes off to tell Pool and Oolong that Gokuu's arrived, and will
get Gokuu something to drink. Gokuu is impressed at the size of the
inside of the ship. The control panel can start the craft on it's
journey to Namek, and one dial can vary the on-board gravity to up to
100g (a 60 kg person would weigh 6000 kg, and this would kill any one.)
The ship has a bath, toilet, bedroom, and kitchen (which Piccolo's ship
didn't.) The only thing left is to install the stereo speakers. Gokuu
is stunned that this is all that's left, and the scientist says that a
stereo is very important. Gokuu wants to leave now, and tells the old
man that he has to save the people on Namek. However, the scientist
wonders if Gokuu really doesn't want the stereo.
Gokuu launches off, and the scientist is impressed at the speed of his
ship. Pool and Oolong walk up, and are disgusted that Gokuu had rushed
off without talking to them. The mother arrives with some beer, and is
also confused at not finding Gokuu. Our hero is surprised at being
surrounded by night already, then he gets ready to face Vejita in 6 days
by turning the gravity up to 10g and practicing the Kaiou techniques.
Kururin senses that he's getting closer to the village, so they slow
down to a walk. They wonder who the strangers in the village are. They
also notice the strong power emanating from the two near the one in the
floating chair. As well as the over-sized Namek Dragon Balls. Freeza
asks Dodoria what's wrong, and the alien comments on having noticed a
little power blip from near Kururin's position (probably just some
insects.) One of the soldiers is threatening to kill one of the Namek
village elders, which Kururin is surprised to see looks just like an
older version of Piccolo -- must be a Namek-jin.
The Namek want to know what's up, and the heroes wonder if the
strangers are Saiya-jin (they're not, although they're dressed the same,
they're not like Vejita or Gokuu.) Kururin repeats something Radits had
said before, about other aliens being found on other planets -- this
must be an example of what the guy had meant. The elders realize that
Freeza has 4 of the Balls, and the alien offers to spare the villagers
if they give him their Ball. The elder speaks in Namek, but Freeza
orders him to use normal speach (ie -- Japanese.) The elder states that
it's the village elders' jobs to protect the location of the Dragon
Balls, which Freeza already knows. Freeza wants the Ball, and orders
Dodoria to kill 2 of the Namek. If that doesn't work, the rest will
die. Freeza knows that the elders in each of the villages on Namek all
have one of the Balls within the village for safekeeping. He wants to
use them to make his wish. So, he's tracking down all of the elders on
the planet, and making them the same offer. (At the same time, Vejita
is listening in on the conversation via his own scouter.)
Freeza wants them to be submissive, which the elders refuse to do.
So, Zarbon is ordered to give them an example of what to expect. One
elder dies, another attacks in anger and is also killed (after getting
in a killing blow to one of Freeza's red-shirt minions.) Kururin and
Gohan don't like what they're seeing. Freeza demands the Balls again,
so that he can live for eternity (which Kururin notices is the same
thing that Vejita wants, but the heroes don't know why someone would
want to do that.) The elder would rather die first, which is ok by
Freeza. He plans on killing everyone on the planet anyway. Then,
Dodoria notices some strong power levels approaching. It's a group of
Namek soldiers.
End of book 21.
-- Curtis H. Hoffmann
Sept. 4, 1993
Dragon Ball volume 22 summary and personae list.
New Characters:
Dende: The young Namek-jin that Gohan saves from Freeza.
Saichourou: The ultimate village elder, a massive old Namek-jin who's
the one that had created the orginal Namek Dragon Balls. When
he dies, the Namek Balls cease to function.
Nail: Saichourou's aide and bodyguard.
Cargo: The Namek kid that lived in Dende's village. His death
triggers Gohan into saving Dende.
Fighting styles:
Other notes:
Sentouminzoku Saiya-jin: What Vejita calls himself now that he's a
little stronger than when he was on Earth.
Story:
The fighting Namek arrive. The Namek complain about the disruption
of the peace, Freeza still wants the Ball. Dodoria assesses the
fighters at about 1000 -- no challenge. The one elder realizes that the
aliens are dependent on the scouters for sensing other peoples' power.
The minions are looking forward to an easy fight. Kururin and Gohan
also know that the Namek are hiding their real power. After the minions
get trashed, Zarbon asks if these Namek are really 1000's, and Dodoria
wonders why the levels have jumped up to 3000 each. Kururin is happy.
Freeza is amused, Dodoria decides that the Namek are using power
control. The elder looks around, finding the three remaining scouters,
and then tells the two kids to quickly let go of him. Dodoria gets
ready to take on the three fighters, when the elder makes his move.
Dodoria thinks that the elder just wants to get beaten up first. Then,
Zarbon catches on to what's happening, and Kururin tells us that without
the scouters, the aliens are at a serious disadvantage. Dodoria wants
to kill the elder out of spite, but Freeza wants that Namek kept alive
-- the three fighters should die, though. Dodoria expects to kill the
three within 10 seconds, but they don't believe this. The alien has fun
for several pages.
After the job is done, Freeza states that it's useless to try to run
away, and if the Ball isn't turned over, the two kids will be next.
The elder succumbs, and gets the Ball. Gohan is losing control, and
Kururin tries to get the boy to settle down. When Freeza gets the Ball,
he says that he only needs two more. The elder complains a bit, then
Freeza announces that everyone else in the village can die now. The
elder comments on the breaking of the promise, which Freeza blames on
the desire to make his wish. Zarbon asks how they're going to find
the remaining Balls, but that's just a matter of locating the remaining
villages. The elder tries to create a diversion to let the kids escape,
but Freeza kills Cargo right away. Dodoria breaks the elder's neck, and
Kururin tries to tell Gohan to keep from giving their position away.
As Dodoria moves to kill Dende, Gohan yells "stop," and rushes
forward. This makes Dodoria pause long enough to get kicked in the
face. Kururin curses Gohan. Dodoria keeps getting knocked down, and
Kururin tells Gohan to run away as he grabs the Namek kid. Freeza
notices that the two humans aren't from Namek. Dodoria curses, Freeza
tells the alien to catch the kids, Kururin curses over not being able to
escape, and Freeza wonders who the hell the intruders were. Gohan and
Kururin both know that they can't outrun Dodoria, and Kururin remembers
a delaying tactic. He passes off Dende, and then uses Taiyouken to
blind Dodoria. Kururin celebrates, then they hide. When his eyes
recover, Dodoria can't find the quarry, and decides to blow up
everything to chase them out. The wreckage assures Dodoria that the
kids are killed, but he'd really like the bodies to show Freeza. So,
Dodoria rushes up.
Kururin decides to take Dende to Buruma, Dende thanks them for saving
him, and Kururin says that it was all Gohan's fault. And yes, Dende can
fly on his own. Dodoria wishes for the scouters, which would make
finding the last 2 Balls a lot easier on this big planet. Preoccupied,
Dodoria is vulnerable to Vejita's surprise attack. The two exchange
words, and Dodoria wants Vejita's scouter. Vejita explains that he's
learned a lot while on Earth, and he plans on taking out Dodoria and
Zardon in order to get the Balls. They threaten each other, and finally
Dodoria attacks. However, Vejita is standing behind him. Vejita is
MUCH stronger now, having nearly been killed while on earth. He's now a
Sentouminzoku Saiya-jin (ie. -- stronger.) Dodoria wants a reprieve, in
return for which he'll tell Vejita something about Vejita's planet.
Seems that the planet hadn't actually been wiped out by a meteor like
everyone thought -- the Saiya-jin had gotten uppity, so Freeza had
decided to wipe them out. However, Vejita was known to be a formidable
opponent, so he'd been spared to be enlisted in Freeza's ranks. Dodoria
wants to leave while Vejita is still in shock. Vejita states that's
he's really just upset at the idea of being a slave to Freeza like
Dodoria is. The alien runs away yelling for Freeza, and Vejita kills
him while saying that Freeza should be afraid of Saiya-jin. He then
gloats at being so strong, and remembers the alien's comment about the
two kids that suddenly showed up. Vejita's not sure which two strong
kids would have come to Namek, or why. But for the moment, he has to
interfere with Freeza's plans.
Kururin and company are getting closer to Buruma's camp when they
notice something coming up on them fast. They hide their powers, and
Vejita senses all of this. He approaches them, and they recognize
Vejita and see that he doesn't have his scouter. Each side wonders
what's happening, and it looks like Vejita has found them until a large
fish leaps out of the water. The prince curses the delay, but knows
that without their scouters, Freeza isn't going to find the remaining
Balls very quickly, either. In relief, Kururin's group flies off to
Buruma's camp, but are dejected at the thought that they're not strong
enough to get the Balls to bring their dead friends back. In the camp,
they find the Capsule house that Buruma's set up. She berates them for
running around to have fun, leaving her on her own. Eventually, she
sees someone that looks like Piccolo, and asks if Dende is a Namek-jin.
The Namek had been saved by Gohan, and Buruma remembers to tell them
that Gokuu will arrive in 6 days. She explains how this is possible,
and they celebrate, with Kururin happy at their improved chances.
Vejita senses a strong level of power, marking a village with 20
people, and possibly one of the Dragon Balls. He gloats over getting to
it first. He arrives, and demands the Dragon Ball. The villagers wonder
what's going on, and the elder says that no evil people can be given the
Ball. Vejita says he'll kill them then. Buruma has been briefed, and
Kururin says that there's nothing more they can do right now. They
realize that Dende isn't eating, and the Namek replies that he doesn't
need food, just some water. Kururin then asks why their were farmers
growing food in the village. Finally, Dende gives his name, and asks
where the humans are from. But before answering, Gohan senses a strong
power, which marks the death of many of the 20 Namek at the hands of
Vejita. Kururin is frustrated at having to face the combined strengths
of Vejita and Freeza without Gokuu's help. They talk about the fates of
the Namek as the two sides fight to get the Balls, and Dende demands to
know how the Earthlings know about the Namek Dragon Balls, while
deciding to ask Gohan to help Dende's people.
The village elder refuses to get the Ball for Vejita, so he kills
that Namek, saying that he can find it by himself. Buruma completes her
recap, and Dende wants to take them to Saichourou -- The main village
elder. Vejita happily examines the Ball he's found [Note: It's the #4
Ball, the original of the one that Gokuu thought contained his dead
grandfather's soul.] He hides it in the lake, knowing that Freeza
can't find it without the scouters. He then wonders how he's going to
get the rest of the Balls from Freeza.
Zarbon comments on Dodoria's tardiness. Freeza thinks that if
the two brats have killed that idiot Dodoria, it's a good thing. They
decide to give Freeza the 5 Balls, and then Zarbon and the remaining
minion will go seperately to the two remaining villages to win the last
two Balls. The two fighters split up, (the minion has a 3 hour trip,)
and Freeza broods over Vejita's presence, and his plans to get all 7
Balls. He takes his 5 back to his ship, to wait.
Buruma ponders over the existence of an ultimate village elder, and
Dende explains that this is the Namek that had created the original
Dragon Balls. Dende is this elder's 108th generation offspring. Buruma
asks how Namek are born -- eggs spit from the mouth. Which means that
the elder is female. Dende asks what "female" means. Turns out that
Namek only has one sex, which Buruma considers boring. Kururin wants to
talk to an elder to assist the Namek, and Dende points out the location
of the #4 Ball, but that's where Vejita has probably killed everyone.
That means that almost none of the Namek are left alive. So, they've
got to find the Saichourou, but that will take 30 days to walk. Gohan
will stay behind, Kururin and Dende will fly and risk the chance
of Vejita sensing their power eminations.
As they fly, Kururin compares Freeza and Vejita, and thinks that
they'll have to hold out for 5 1/2 days for Gokuu, after they get the
Ball from Saichourou. Which is a matter of hoping for a miracle.
Gokuu has finished training at 20 g, and is about to step up to 30 g
when he is contacted telepathically by Kaiou-sama. Kaiou catches on to
the fact that Gokuu is in a ship heading towards Namek, and states that
there's some guests on Kaiou's planets. Some people that Gokuu knows.
Gokuu starts to guess, and Kaiou replies that he's going to teach the
newbies his techniques. This makes Gokuu happy. Yamcha wants to talk,
and is told to touch Kaiou's shoulder. Yamcha recaps the fact that the
heroes are going to Namek to wish the dead friends alive. Gokuu guesses
that Tenshin, Yamcha, and Piccolo are at Kaiou's, Piccolo grouses about
Gokuu having all the fun. The remaining person is Chao-zu, (not
Kami-sama, like Gokuu had guessed,) who'd gotten his body back (makes
Gokuu more happy.) Gokuu states that he's currently training to become
stronger, and has to explain why he's going to Namek: not only has
Vejita gotten there first, but someone as strong, named Freeza, is also
there. Kaiou has heard of Freeza before, and needs to examine the
planet. Ten wants Yamcha to explain what's happening. Kaiou locates
Namek, and recognizes Freeza as the ultimate in evil. The creature is
close to the two Earthlings and one Namek. Gokuu is interested, but
Kaiou wants the hero to stay away from Freeza. Then, Piccolo says that
if they're wished alive, the dead friends want to come help fight.
Kaiou yells at him, but Piccolo responds that there's no time and they
have to start training right away. Kaiou will do this, but he turns it
into a test, that shows that Piccolo and Tenshin are the two most able
students of the Kaiou techniques. Gokuu keeps training, and kicks the
gravity level up to 50 g.
Kururin is getting impatient, and Dende says they have 5 hours left
to go. Vejita can't find the next village, but he does sense two people
flying nearby. Kururin senses Vejita, and is surprised at the guy's speed.
He and Dende hide and mask their power. However, Zarbon is also closing
in, and Vejita decides to take on Freeza's minion, instead. Zarbon
complains that finding the village would be easier with the scouter. He
sees Vejita. They greet each other, and Vejita says that Dodoria is
dead, and Zarbon is next. Zarbon wants to know why Vejita doesn't team
up, and Vejita answers that he has his own plans, with include taking
the Dragon Balls. They bluster a bit, and then Vejita decides to
demonstrate the true power of a true Saiya-jin. They fight for a while,
and then Zarbon gets annoyed with Vejita's flicking his blast out of the
way. A little ways a way, Kururin is angry at the level of power that
Vejita and (probably) Freeza's minion are demonstrating, which
overwhelms his own. He decides to take the opportunity to reveal his
own power and rush off to Saichourou's location.
After some fighting, Vejita gloats, and Zarbon replies that he hasn't
been fighting at full power. He wants a chance to change into his real
form, and Vejita laughs at this. He then waits for the change over.
From his beautiful, effeminate form, Zarbon changes into a monster
uglier than Dodoria. They fight some more, and Vejita wonders what this
new Zarbon really is. Before killing Vejita, Zarbon wants to add that
Freeza is a changling, too. Zarbon claims victory, and creates a new
lake with Vejita's body. He decides that Vejita has drowned, and goes
back to tell Freeza. [Note: Zarbon prefers masking his power by wearing
the human-looking body.] Vejita then surfaces, complaining about
being stronger than this.
Meanwhile, the other minion has found the village that Vejita had
destroyed, and returns to Freeza to report. At Freeza's ship, Freeza
asks if Zarbon had found the village, and the fighter answers no, but
that he had found and killed Vejita. Freeza is very impressed, but
Zarbon doesn't have the corpse to prove it. The other minion rushes in
to say that Vejita had grabbed the next Dragon Ball. But, Vejita hadn't
had the Ball on him. Freeza tells Zarbon that he'd better hope that
Vejita wasn't dead. The minion is told to summon the Ginyuu Combat team
(it'll take them 5 days to reach Namek.) Zarbon wants to know why, and
Freeza answers that he has a hunch that he'll need them. They talk
about this (revolves around Vejita's strength as a Saiya-jin, and the
appearance of the two kids.) Freeza thinks to himself that the last
thing he needs is a Super Saiya-jin on the planet.
Desperately trying to not die, Vejita crawls from the lake. Zarbon
thinks about the Ginyuu team, then he sees the body. Vejita is still
barely alive, and the alien carries the limp form back to Freeza's ship
for questioning. One day passes, and Gokuu is still training. He's
still on 50 g, which isn't good enough for facing Vejita. He takes a
rest.
The next morning, Kururin wakes up Dende and they keep going. Dende
gives him directions, and they quickly locate Saichourou's house atop a
tall rock pillar. The lack of people outside concerns Dende, but then
the door opens and Nail steps out. The two were expected, and are told
to come inside. They have to hurry, because Saichourou is old and
getting close to death. (Kururin comments on Nail's looking like
Piccolo.) They enter and levitate to the next floor. Saichourou is
told that Dende has arrived, and Kururin is impressed at the leader's
size. The elder remarks on Kururin's being an earthling, and thanks him
for saving Dende. Kururin says it was nothing.
End of book 22.
-- Curtis H. Hoffmann
Sept. 4, 1993
Dragon Ball volume 23 summary and personae list.
New Characters:
The Ginyuu team: A group of silly super mercenaries hired by Freeza
to help get the Namek Dragon Balls. Designed as a parody of
5-man rubber-suit teams. First mentioned in book 22. The
names are probably a scrambling of Cream, Butter, Juice,
Gourd, and Gyuu (beef).
Rikuum: The big, effeminate muscleman
Baata: The big, masculate musclelizard
Jiisu: The smaller pretty boy, throws a "crusher ball"
Gurudo: The little four-eyes that can control time
Ginyuu: Group leader, can switch bodies
Fighting styles:
Ki o Kaihou: Kuririn's cutting energy ball.
Other notes:
The kanji on Gokuu's gi now reads "Go" -- first kanji for "Gokuu."
Story:
Saichourou refuses to hand over the Dragon Ball to Kuririn, citing
the many deaths of his people at the hands of Freeza's group. Dende
mentions the Earth's Dragon Balls, which means that the Earth must have
a Namek on it. Kuririn explains why he's on Namek, and the elder is
afraid that the Saiya-jin is actually a Super Saiya-jin. He asks
Kuririn to stand where he can put his hand on his head to read his
thoughts from the past. Now, the elder decides to hand over the Ball,
which may not do them any good, since the elder is getting near death
himself. Kuririn accepts this, because if he has the Ball, it at least
can not be abused. Then, the elder states that if Freeza comes here,
Nail will have to fight to the death. So, the elder wants to give
Kuririn some sleeping power to help him. Kuririn asks about this, and
is force-fed more power than he's ever felt before (which is to be used
for running away.) The man gives his thanks, but notices that the power
is quickly gone (which is why it's called "sleeping power".) Kuririn
asks if one more person can get this sleeping power, and given the ok.
He's also told to keep the Dragon Ball. He tells Dende to stay here while
he goes to get Gohan, and Dende tells him to take care. As he flies
off, Kuririn is impressed with this new power.
Back at the cave, Buruma tells Gohan to take a break from practicing
to look at the Radar at the one Ball racing towards them. The child
affirms that it's Kuririn, who must have gotten to the main elder. But,
Freeza only has 5 of the Balls, and the last one is in the village that
Vejita had trashed. Vejita isn't there now, and Buruma thinks that the
Saiya-jin had failed to find that Ball. Gohan asks for the Radar, and
goes to pick up the last Ball. In Freeza's ship, the minion and Zarbon
are discussing Vejita, and the fact that the Saiya-jin won't fully heal
for 30 minutes. Zarbon goes to talk to Freeza, and the minion expects
Freeza to torture the location of the one Ball from Vejita. Then,
Freeza stops faking it and kills the minion. Zarbon and Freeza
investigate the noise, and think that their enemy has escaped the ship
-- Zarbon is ordered to chase after him. Vejita discovers the Balls,
and gloats.
Gohan finds the blasted village, and views the wreckage for the first
time. He curses Vejita, and looks for the Ball, which surprisingly isn't
indoors. Zarbon angerly searches futilely for Vejita but can't believe
that the guy is this fast. Freeza states that if Vejita has escaped,
Zarbon will die. Inside, Freeza insults the aliens, counts the Balls,
and figures that he only needs to get one more. But, how to get them
outside? -- he decides to create a diversion. He yells that he's still
inside, and blasts a new hole. Freeza thinks that Vejita has gotten the
Balls and is flying off, as Vejita runs back to the Balls and throws
them from the ship. Since they believe he's flown away, he swims off in
the opposite direction. Freeza is furious at the loss of HIS Balls, and
gives Zarbon one hour to get them back. Vejita surfaces near where the
Balls have landed, and is pleased with his throwing control. As he's
hiding the five, he's planning on getting the other two. Then, he
senses a great power that isn't Zarbon's.
Flying back, Kuririn is laughing madly, and telling Gohan to wait for
him. Vejita wonders why the Earthling is on Namek, and why he has the
Dragon Ball. Whatever the reason, Vejita plans on getting the Ball.
Kuririn is happy with his speed, Vejita is happy at nearing his goal,
and Zarbon is cursing the loss of his scouter. He sees something that
isn't a Namek, or Vejita, but it has a Dragon Ball. Then he sees Vejita
and chases after him. Vejita senses Zarbon behind him, and likes the set
up. Kuririn lands, and Buruma screams about being surprised. Then she
notices the Ball. She's impressed with the size, Kuririn says that he's
spoken with the elder, and asks where Gohan is. She answers as Kuririn
senses someone approaching that isn't Gohan.
Kuririn is overwhelmed by the Saiya-jin's power. Vejita demands the
Ball, in return he'll let them escape. Otherwise, he'll kill both
Kuririn and the girl. Zarbon arrives. Buruma asks who this hunk is,
and Kuririn answers that it's the ultimate evil. Zarbon thinks that
Vejita is working with the humans, which amuses the Saiya-jin. Kuririn
is surprised at seeing Zarbon becoming a monster. They fight, Zarbon
expects Vejita to escape, and gets blinded. During the battle, Kuririn
and Buruma decide to escape to somewhere safer, but Vejita stops them.
Zarbon is now messed up, and pissed. Vejita tells Zarbon that the alien
is near death, which the alien can't accept because he'd beaten the
Saiya-jin before. Vejita explains that Saiya-jin get stronger if they
are badly beaten up and can then heal. This explains a lot about Gokuu
to Kuririn. This doesn't impress Zarbon, who attacks again.
Zarbon dies, with a final wish that Freeza be beaten. Vejita asks if
Kuririn wants really wants to fight him. Kuririn gives in, and Vejita
happily flies off, keeping his promise to not kill them. Kuririn prays
that Gohan has found the other Ball. Buruma wants to do some
blame-laying, and they wait for Gohan to return, hoping that the boy
doesn't meet up with Vejita along the way.
Gohan and Vejita sense each other, and the boy tries to hide. Vejita
shouts a warning to whoever is out there to reveal themselves or he'll
blow up the area. Cursing, Gohan steps forward. The Saiya-jin
recognizes Kakarot's kid, Gohan sees that other guy has a Dragon Ball. It
was a present -- Gohan is afraid that Kuririn is dead, but Vejita says
that's not the case. Vejita lands, asking what the toy is in Gohan's
hand. The boy stammers that it's a watch. This amuses the Saiya-jin --
that Earth's science is so primative. Vejita asks if Kakarot has come
to the planet, which he hasn't. Then, Vejita spares Gohan because,
including Gokuu, they're the last three Saiya-jin. He drops Gohan, and
flies off. The boy is in pain, but happy that the other Ball hadn't
been found.
Buruma wants them to hide in the Capsule house, Kuririn wants to wait
for his friend. Gohan arrives and everyone celebrates over the recovery
of the #4 Ball. Swimming underwater, Vejita is already making his
plans, but he can't find the last Ball. Suddenly, he realizes that the
kid
hadn't been holding a watch after all. In rage, he rushes
back to the cave, but his quarry have locked their power down at 0. He
fumes over this, and the futility of not having all of the Balls. Gohan
reassures them that they're safe, but Buruma complains about the loss of
the house and the need for a toilet. Kuririn wants to take Gohan to
Saichourou, to get extra power to face Vejita. Buruma later grouses
about how the "lady" has been left on her own. Kuririn and Gohan fly
low and slow, to avoid being detected, since they can't defeat Vejita on
their own.
Vejita drops his new Ball with the rest, and fumes over having let
the brat get away with that other Ball. He considers his
options. In 3-4 days, Freeza will get help, and a new batch of
scouters. He decides to wait for the kids to reveal themselves. Two
days pass, and Gokuu continues to train, having reached 100 g.
Gokuu has finally reached the point where he can fire a Kamehame-ha
that can't kill him. He's been battering himself to within seconds of
death, and then eating a senzu seed to recover. Being a Saiya-jin, when
he heals, he gets even stronger. However, the last set of blasts almost
finished him off. He has a little more than 2 days left, and by the
end of it, he has only three 3 seeds. One more day passes, and Gokuu's
feeling great so he decides to take a rest. After turning off the
gravity control, he impresses himself, and is overwhelmed by: how light
he feels; how strong he feels; and how much he's surpassed the 10 g
Kaiou-ken techniques. In one more day, he'll be at Namek, so he bathes
and goes to sleep.
4 days have passed, and Zarbon hasn't returned -- he's either dead or
run away. However, the Ginyuu Team should be arriving soon with the
scouters, and Vejita doesn't have yet seemed to have activated the 7
Balls. With the scouters, Vejita will be easy to find. Gohan hopes
that Saichourou is close, and Kuririn hopes that the elder hasn't died
yet. The runt decides to risk alerting Vejita, and picks up the pace --
they'll now arrive in 1 hour. Finally, Vejita knows where they are
-- Kakarot's brat and the bald runt. He expects that they've left the
Ball with the woman, but he takes one of his own just in case. Now,
he's psyched.
Kuririn tells Gohan to keep trying a bit more, and he hopes that
Saichourou can give the boy the sleeping power. Between the two of them
and Gokuu, they might have a chance. Vejita is right behind them.
They've almost reached the mountain when they sense Vejita. The runt
says he'll stall Vejita while the boy gets strong. Vejita appears, and
Kuririn is impressed with his speed. Kuririn states that he can't beat
Vejita, which the Saiya-jin replies is obvious. Vejita demands the #4
Ball back, then realizes that Gohan has escaped to the nearby mountain
top. He thinks that the Ball is there, and rushes past Kuririn. Inside,
Saichourou is impressed with an Earthling's having so much power. Then,
Nail notices who's arrived outside. Kuririn and Nail try to face Vejita
down, while Vejita wonders if Nail wants to die. Gohan is given the
sleeping power, which alerts Vejita and makes Kuririn happy. Vejita
thinks that Kakarot has made it to the planet and tells him to come out,
but can't believe that's it's Gohan with this power. Saichourou tells
Dende to tell the others that a massive power is approaching Namek --
they puzzle over this until Vejita recognizes the force as belonging to
the Ginyuu Team. Freeza must have summoned all 5 of the team, and
Vejita madly demands the last Dragon Ball, which is their only chance.
Kuririn refuses, but the Saiya-jin tells them about the strength of the
fabled mercenary team. If Vejita becomes immortal, they might be able
to survive the upcoming battle. Nail comments on the approaching power,
and lets them know that the Namek Balls can grant 3 wishes. So, Kuririn
breaks down and they rush back to Buruma's hiding place (the runt curses
a lot.) Saichourou wants Nail to leave also, adding that the elder will
be ok on his own for a while.
5 Saiya-jin ships smash into Namek's surface, near Freeza's ship.
Kuririn pops in long enough to grab the Ball and leave, with the group
noticing that the enemy has arrived. Buruma is left alone, stuttering
about seeing Vejita. The Team makes their customary appearance, with
each member shouting out his name. Freeza recovers from the campy
display, and tells them that he wants the Dragon Balls, and an alive
Vejita. Ginyuu states that with their improved scouters, he can sense
Vejita a long ways away, in the presence of two others. Freeza replies
that those two can be killed. Jiisu hands over a box of scouters, the
Team yells "Fight!! O---hhhh!!" and they fly off. Vejitaa senses them,
and doesn't like the Team's greater speed.
The Capsule Corp ship alarm goes off with 20 minutes left before
reaching Namek. Gokuu puts on his new gi, hopes that the others are
still alive, and has 10 minutes to worry about what's happening on the
planet. (NOTE: His new gi has the kanji for _______ on it.
Vejita and Ginyuu arrive at the site of the Balls at the same time
(they exchange greetings, while the heroes curse the bad timing, and are
impressed with the Team's abilities.) Kuririn dislikes having to admit
that Vejita was right, and notices that Gurudo is the only one of the
team that doesn't have overwhelming strength. Ginyuu wants Vejita to
hand over the Ball, and Vejita hopes that his real power doesn't show up
on the scouters and his throwing the Ball will take them by surprise.
Doesn't work. They want the one Kuririn holds, and Vejita tells the
runt to smash it. Kuririn yells "shit" as he brings his fist down.
That doesn't work, either. Vejita swears other Gurudo's control over
time.
Now, it's the victims' turns. Ginyuu taunts the heroes, but Jiisu
goes a little overboard and Ginyuu admonishes him. Kuririn asks if
they'll have to fight, and Vejita replies that they can't run away.
Ginyuu needs to take the 7 Balls to Freeza, so the rest of the team
use jankenpon (scissors, paper, stone) to decide who gets to kill the
two humans, and who gets to capture Vejita. The group grouses about
this, but Ginyuu gets them to do a group cheer, and they start the
janken (Gohan thinks they should try to run away at this point.) Rikuum
is jubulent over getting Vejita, while Gurudo has to settle for the
mere humans. Ginyuu then laughs as he flies towards Freeza. Gohan
wants to blast Ginyuu, but Vejita tells him to not waste the energy.
Vejita calls a war council, and tells the other two to control their
power against Gurudo, and asks if Kakarot really hasn't come to Namek.
Kuririn verifies this, but adds that Gokuu is on his way. Gohan is
furious over not being able to resurrect his friend Piccolo.
The Ginyuu team fighters saunter forward, wanting to play. Rikuum
lets Gurudo go first, and the four-eyes complains about having to fight
garbage. Vejita is annoyed, Kuririn wants Gohan to use the image
training from when they were on the spaceship, and Gurudo is going to
finish this quickly. Kururin announces Ki o Kaihou, and the fight
starts. Gurudo then stops time to avoid the blasts and return the
attack. However, the humans have separated too far for him to take them
out in one shot. He starts time again, and the heroes locate Gurudo
for a punching assault. The 4-eyes stops time again and starts to
panic (it'll take lots of energy to blast away with time stopped.) He
runs and hides, planning to fire while unseen. But, he gets sensed and
has to stop time again. He's really upset that the garbage is putting
up this much of a fight, and can't understand how they located him
without the use of the scouters.
Commenting that the little humans have power levels at 10,000, the
rest of the team come closer to watch the battle. They make fun of
Gurudo, while Vejita fumes. Gurudo uses the only nearby tree to make a
spear that he launches at Kuririn, daring the runt to escape in time.
Neither human can move, no matter how hard they try. The tree almost
reaches Kuririn when Vejita makes his move. With Gurudo decapitated,
the control over time is broken and Kuririn escapes. Gurudo is annoyed
with Vejita's breaking the rules of the game. But, Vejita replies that
he never agreed to abide by those rules. Gurudo threatens the Saiya-jin
a bit before being finished off. Kuririn wants to know why he was
saved, and Gohan thanks Vejita, but the bad guy says he did it only to
even the odds against the remainder of the Ginyuu team.
The rest of the team complains about this unsporting behavior, and
the fact their Special Fighting Pose (tm) can't be performed by only four
people. Ginyuu will have to develop a new pose. Jiisu and Baata use
janken to decide who gets to fight the humans next, while Rikuum claims
Vejita. Kuririn and Vejita curse this silliness. Then, Rikuum wants to
take on all three of them, which angers Jiisu (who wants to have a shot
at the fun of killing them.) Rikuum performs his introductory poses,
followed by Vejita's powering up to almost 20,000. There's a bit of
fighting, and it looks like Vejita has won. Gohan and Kuririn are
justifiably impressed. But, they sense that Rikuum is still alive.
The Ginyuu fighter strolls out of the smoke (H --- i!) with virtually
no damage. (But, there's a stench and lots of dust, which bothers Jiisu
and Baata.) The "Rikuum Kick" sends Vejita flying. There's some
fighting, that makes Rikuum happy with "Vejita-chan." In the resulting
chase, Rikuum announces a "speed-up," before smashing Vejita into the
lake. After burying Vejita head first in the ground, Rikuum asks if
he's all right, hoping that death hasn't cut into his fun. But, Vejita
blasts him again. With almost no hair left, Rikuum is really starting
to enjoy himself. Rikuum taunts the Saiya-jin, who curses the Ginyuu
fighter as being a monster. Kuririn tells Gohan to get ready to attack,
to help Vejita and to give themselves better odds.
Meanwhile, the Capsule Corp. ship announces planetfall on Namek in
two minutes.
End of book 23.
-- Curtis H. Hoffmann
Sept. 11, 1993