Rainbow, Applejack, and Piccolo spent the six weeks that Mr. Popo had given them to train with Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha on King Kai's planet, though all of them had actually improved quite a bit during their training. Rainbow and Applejack had managed to develop a few skills that would help them when they departed for Planet Namek, as well as picking up the basics of the abilities that King Kai had tried to teach them. They found that Rainbow took longer to teach, as her control over her ki had been weaker than Applejack's control, but she had improved over the last six weeks thanks to using the lance every morning, as well as occasionally being asked to charge the lance for longer than three minutes... to which she discovered that she could now charge it for at least four and a half minutes if she was calm.
Once the six weeks were up, and King Kai praised all of their training, they gathered outside his house and waited for Mr. Popo to arrive, as he had told them, on his third visit to the planet, that he would only arrive to pick Rainbow, Applejack, and Piccolo up when Bulma and the others arrived on Planet Namek.
"So Piccolo," Applejack said, looking over at the Namekian for a moment, who was meditating under the nearest tree, while Rainbow laid on one of the nearby clouds, "are you excited to visit your home planet?"
"In a manner of speaking," Piccolo replied, letting out a sigh as he kept his eyes closed, knowing that they would only open when Mr. Popo showed up, "I honestly don't know anything about the planet that Kami and I came from, though Vegeta's constant mentioning of the planet's name has given me the feeling that he was telling the truth. I'm pretty sure that Kami has no knowledge of his home world either, so this is going to be an enlightening experience for me... and then eventually him as well when we return."
"I hate to be a buzz kill, but I just heard from Kami," King Kai commented, referring to his telepathic ability to speak to people, one of which was Kami, "Mr. Popo is in the process of leaving Earth and heading to Planet Namek to be sure that your friends have arrived at their destination, so we'll soon know whether its time for you to leave or get back to training."
Rainbow's feet twitched at the mention of more training, because despite the fact that she had used her lance more than she would have liked, a grand total of forty-two times in the last six weeks, she had to admit that King Kai's training was what she and her sister had needed after their long slumber. The training on Kami's Lookout was great for them when they had first emerged from their sleep, and she wasn't putting it down by preferring King Kai's training over Mr. Popo's training, but she had enjoyed herself while she and Applejack had learned from their new friends. The dead Z Warriors were still annoyed with Vegeta for not stopping Nappa sooner, and insisted on the girls telling off Vegeta the next time they saw him, but by the time the six weeks were up they were all much friendlier towards each other.
Rainbow let out a sigh as she stared at the now asteroid free sky, as the moment they had finished their training King Kai had banished all of the asteroids, because what she really wanted was to train with both Goku and Vegeta, though she had her reasons for wanting to train with them in the future. She also knew that Applejack wanted to train with the two Saiyans and get stronger as well, but at the moment they had settled for training with their new friends, allowing them all to grow their skills.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the sound of a moving carpet, to which she pulled herself free from her cloud and noticed that Mr. Popo had arrived, though his arms were crossed behind his back at the moment.
"Your friends have arrived on Planet Namek," Mr. Popo said, barely moving from the carpet as his eyes zeroed in on his intended target, "Piccolo, I shall take you to the planet first, then I shall come back and do the same for the girls... though getting back home will be up to you once you finish your quest."
"That's fine," Piccolo replied, pulling himself from his sitting position and climbing onto the carpet, directly behind where Mr. Popo was standing, "We'll figure something out later on."
Mr. Popo said nothing as he and Piccolo disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, though at the same time Rainbow climbed off her cloud and walked over to where her sister was standing, because now that Mr. Popo had shown up she was excited to visit Namek and meet up with Vegeta and the others. As they waited both Rainbow and Applejack noticed that King Kai was shaking his head in disapproval, indicating that he believed that none of them were ready, but they knew that he wouldn't stop them from leaving. A few seconds later the carpet returned to King Kai's planet, to which he beckoned for the girls to climb onto the carpet, where they carefully climbed on behind him and took their seats.
"Good luck girls," King Kai said, waving his hand at them in the farewell manner, while the dead Z Warriors behind him repeated the gesture, "the two of you are going to need all the luck you can get."
Rainbow and Applejack shared a look with each other for a moment, wondering if King Kai doubted their ability to help the Namekians with their problem, but before they could say anything Mr. Popo activated his carpet and they disappeared in the blink of an eye.
When the world came into focus around them, and the carpet stopped moving, Rainbow and Applejack found themselves in an area that consisted of blue grass, ground that was sort of purple colored, and strange thin trees that had blue colored leaves. As they looked behind them they noticed that Krillin, Gohan, Bulma, and Piccolo were standing by a rather strange ship that had four legs, an oddly shaped body, and a couple of spikes that made no sense to them. Gohan and Krillin were wearing the same clothes as the last time they had seen them, though Bulma was wearing a yellow vest of some kind with blue colored pants. She was also holding some sort of circular device that was making some noises, but the happy expression on her face told them that she was happy with whatever the device was telling her.
"Sweet, Rainbow and Applejack are here as well," Krillin commented, waving to the girls as they climbed off of Mr. Popo's carpet, "I was beginning to think that only Piccolo was going to show up. Now we can gather the Dragon Balls, somehow figure out how to use them, and stop a tyrant from hurting this world or the people that call it home."
"Yeah, good luck with that," Mr. Popo said, barely looking at Krillin while he spoke, as if he knew something that no one else knew about, "Have fun... and try not to die."
Before anyone could say anything, or question what Mr. Popo said, the man was gone as quickly as he had shown up, leaving Applejack, Rainbow, and Piccolo with the others.
"So, how was the trip to Namek?" Applejack asked, knowing that Rainbow wasn't going to be very interested in the trip and was no doubt looking for Vegeta's arrival.
"Eh, it as fine," Krillin replied, shrugging for a moment, as if the events he and the others had been through had been nothing special, "We met some people and accidentally landed on the wrong planet, but now we're here and we should focus on finding those seven Dragon Balls... and somehow stopping that tyrant from using them."
"Hey, should we be worrying about that Saiyan pod over there?" Bulma suddenly said, pointing at the spherical pod that was descending at the moment, while at the same time forcing everyone else to look in its direction.
Rainbow and Applejack looked at the pod with a smile on both of their faces, because they immediately recognized the ki that was inside the pod, though it seemed that Krillin, Gohan, and Piccolo were calm at the moment. They were thankful that they had settled the matter with Vegeta before he had departed from Earth, because if they hadn't they knew that one of them would have been freaking out at the fact that their friend was landing on the planet.
"You know, its still weird to consider the fact that Vegeta is our ally at the moment," Krillin commented, though at the same time Bulma blushed at the mention of the Saiyan's name, which Applejack noticed but decided to say nothing about, "especially after his bastard of a friend killed our friends..."
"Look, we'll go meet with him and see if he has any plans for stopping Frieza," Applejack said, to which Rainbow jumped into the air and headed towards the direction that the pod was heading, "Once we have a solid plan we'll come back and start gathering the Dragon Balls that haven't been collected yet, so please don't do anything to endanger yourselves."
Once Krillin and Gohan nodded, and Piccolo stating that he'd watch over them and decide whether something was dangerous or not, Applejack jumped into the air and followed after her sister. She knew that Rainbow would likely get into a fight with one of Frieza's soldiers if one happened to show himself, though they had no idea how much power the lesser soldiers had, but Applejack guessed that they had to be around the level that Vegeta had been when he landed on Earth. The two of them flew through the air and headed in the direction of Vegeta's pod, though at the same time they spotted a second pod pierce the air behind his, to which they boosted their speed and hoped that they would reach their friend quickly.
After a few minutes they found the large crater that was left behind when a Saiyan pod hit the ground, though as they lowered themselves to the ground they spotted Vegeta climbing out of the crater... and that he had spotted them as well.
"Its good to see you guys again," Vegeta said, a slight smile appearing on his face as they landed in front of him, "I see that the two of you have been training since the last time we saw each other. You might not be on the level I was back on Earth, and its understandable considering the gap between us, but I can tell that your either on the level that Kakarot was when I fought him or a little over his base power. Of course I'm certain that the two of you are hiding your true power, just like those new friends of yours, but I think I'll wait for the first fight to see how powerful you truly are. I'm incredibly interested in seeing how well you fare in battle now."
"So whose in the other pod?" Applejack asked, because despite the fact that it was good to be with their friend again, there were more pressing matters they needed to deal with.
"That would be Cui," Vegeta replied, picking up the red scouter that he had been carrying the entire time, noticing that it was receiving a message at the moment, "This ought to be interesting. Whose up for starting our war against Frieza and his forces?"
Rainbow grinned and got excited about the possibility of getting justice for all of the planets and species that had been attacked by Frieza's forces, while Applejack kept a straight face the entire time. Applejack knew that this was one of the reasons behind their coming to Namek in the first place, but she wasn't as excited as her sister was and kept herself calm at the moment.
"Do you read me Vegeta?" the scouter said for a moment, indicating that Cui had locked onto Vegeta's location, "I'm under orders from Lord Frieza... I can finally kill you."
"Really? You think you can kill me?" Vegeta replied, glaring at the scouter for a moment, as if it was the cause of all of his troubles at the moment, "Come then and see if you can back up your boasts."
Applejack sighed and stood near the edge of the crater, staring down at the pod for a moment, while Rainbow and Vegeta prepared themselves for the arrival of their first foe. It wasn't long before an indigo-skinned, scaly, fish-faced alien landed near where they were standing, though at the same time the girls noticed that he was wearing the battle armor that the rest of Frieza's forces no doubt wore as well. For a moment Cui, for that was who they assumed the person was, stared at them, as if he was shocked by the fact that Rainbow and Applejack were even there to begin with, but he regained himself after a few seconds of staring at his scouter.
"I see that you found some weaklings for me to kill once I'm done with you," Cui commented, staring at Rainbow and Applejack for a moment, "I'll be sure to put all of you down quickly... and then I'll see to it that the planet you went to is investigated and destroyed."
"Do we seriously look weak to you?" Rainbow asked, though at the same time a small amount of ki flashed over her right hand in the form of some lightning, as she was hoping that he would come at her first, "My sister and I killed Nappa... and I'm about to do the same to you and Frieza's soldiers."
"Don't make me laugh. You, take out Nappa?" Cui stated, laughing at the thought, as if he didn't believe what Rainbow had told him, "Actually, I think I'll save your for last and start with your beloved sister."
"Its your funeral Cui," Vegeta said, his grin widening for a moment as he turned to Applejack, "I guess you have the honor of being the first to fight... just don't hold back against him."
"I don't plan on holding back," Applejack replied, pulling her hat off of her head and tossing it to her sister, who caught it as she moved away with Vegeta, before approaching Cui, "So tell me Cui, how many worlds have burned and how many civilizations have you killed?"
"Does it honestly matter?" Cui asked, a grin appearing on his face as he dropped into a battle stance, "Namek will just be another one that I've helped contribute to the destruction of... along with the entire Namekian race. Now then, strange horse creature, I shall take the three of you out and help Lord Freiza gain his immortality."
Applejack stood there as Cui charged at her, though he flew passed her and rose into the air for a few seconds, causing her to turn to look at him for a moment, before he turned around and came at her. Applejack, sensing that something wasn't right, jumped into the air and dodged the attack that was coming her way, which was followed by Cui hitting the ground where she had been standing and releasing a burst of ki energy that broke the ground around him. A few seconds passed as Applejack landed on the ground near Cui, but she kept her eyes on him to be sure that he didn't pull anything funny or try to trick her.
"Surely you see that this is a foolish endeavor your on," Cui commented, tapping his scouter for a moment, indicating that he was referring to something that Nappa talked about a few times while he was alive, "My power level is eighteen thousand, the same as Vegeta's, while your power level is four thousand, maybe five at the max... so I think we both know how this is going to end."
"Is that all you think of me?" Applejack asked, letting out a sigh as she prepared herself and her body, "Very well then, I guess that I can show you a fraction of my skills."
Vegeta, having seen the Z Warriors and the Namekian hide their power levels and reveal them easily, tapped his scouter and watched as Applejack's power level rose to the same level that Kakarot's had been when he fought Nappa. Eight thousand, in rough figures, was still nowhere near close enough to beat Cui, but he had the feeling that Applejack had a trick up her sleeve that would even the playing field. That was before he spotted a red flickering aura wrap around Applejack for a moment, though thanks to his battle with Kakarot he already knew what she was about to use.
"So Rainbow," Vegeta commented, barely turning to look at one of his best friends at the moment, though he knew she was focused on the battle as well, "did you learn that move as well?"
"Not yet," Rainbow replied, letting out a small sigh as she waited for Applejack to release the skill she had learned, "I haven't grasped the basics of the skill yet, but one day I'll be able to pull it off as well."
"Kaio-Ken," Applejack said, loud enough so Cui could hear her, though not too loud for a certain tyrant to hear him over the scouter, though her words were quickly followed by the aura wrapping around her completely.
"Kaio-what?" Cui asked, though that was before Applejack charged at him and planted her fist in his chest, resulting in a crack appearing in his armor, before she spun around, ripped the scouter off his head, and backed away before he had a chance to throw a punch at her.
Cui growled as Applejack smashed the scouter under her right hoof, cutting off his ability to communicate with the rest of Frieza's forces, before charging at her again. Applejack spun around and kicked Cui in the chest with her leg, knocking him backwards for a few seconds, though that was followed by a small series of punches that only worsened the crack in his armor. The second time that Applejack tried to knock him backwards, and turn the tide of battle completely in her favor, Cui dodged the attack that was coming his way and slammed his fist into her face, knocking her backwards instead. Before she could recover Cui gathered his ki and started throwing blasts at Applejack, intending to keep her pinned in one location as he thought up a way to best her.
When the smoke cleared Cui discovered that he had missed his target completely, as there wasn't a scratch on Applejack, save for the small cut he had given her when he had punched her face.
"So you powered up a little bit," Cui commented, deciding that now was the best time to laugh, because even with the power boost he was still stronger than his opponent, "am I supposed to be impressed?"
"I can still push myself a little more, for about ten to thirty seconds," Applejack replied, the aura flickering a little more as she increased its power, "Kaio-Ken times two."
"Times what?" Cui said, though that was rapidly followed by Applejack slamming her fist into his chest, this time breaking a part of his armor off, before kicking him hard enough to send him backwards for a moment.
That was rapidly followed by Applejack gathering her ki into her hands, and deactivating the Kaio-Ken so she didn't burn herself out against her first opponent, before she released a burst of energy that separated into six beams of energy that zeroed in on Cui's position and exploded on impact. The moment the attack was done she jumped backwards and landed near where her sister was standing, knowing that she and Vegeta were watching the fight and keeping track of what happened to the two of them. When the smoke cleared Cui was still standing, though there was some scratches and pieces of his armor torn off, indicating that he had been damaged from the attack, though he actually seemed worried about his chances at surviving this fight.
"What... what was that attack?" Cui asked, though it was painfully clear that he was frightened and was about to run for his life, if his body movements were anything to go by.
"Honestly, its nothing special," Applejack replied, shaking her head for a moment, as she had basically copied the attack Krillin had used against the three Saibamen so long ago, "I never bothered to name it. So are you going to fight like a man... or is Vegeta going to blast you for fleeing like a coward?"
"LOOK!" Cui shouted, pointing behind the trio for a moment, as if he was trying to get their attention while still wearing his frightened look on his face, "L... LORD FRIEZA!"
For a moment the trio thought he was telling the truth, which was why the three of them turned around and prepared themselves for a fight, only to find that there was no one there at all. Vegeta growled and found Cui flying away in the air, as if he thought that the sky above them was the last place they would think to look, so he boosted his speed and quickly caught up to Cui. That was followed by Vegeta slamming his fist into Cui's stomach, through the hole that Applejack had opened, though before he did anything else he backed away and gathered a small amount of ki in his right hand. He then leveled his hand with Cui and released his attack, to which the ki wrapped around Cui and exploded, though once the smoke cleared it was clear that his annoying, and self appointed, 'rival' was finally gone.
"I'm finally rid of him as well," Vegeta commented, landing near Rainbow and Applejack with a slight smile on his face again, "Now then, we should find your friends and start planning on how we'll bring down Frieza... because all of his soldiers have a base power level of at least two thousand and can top off at ten thousand if your unlucky."
"Agreed," Applejack replied, accepting her hat from her sister and slipping it back on her head, before the three of them jumped into the air and headed in the direction that she and Rainbow had come from.
Applejack only hoped that Gohan, Krillin, Piccolo, and Bulma hadn't gotten into trouble since their departure, otherwise she was sure that their entire trip to Namek would become harder than it already was.
"Well, Cui's dead," Dodoria commented, looking at his coworkers for a moment, before turning to his master, "It seems that Vegeta has taken him out... just like he did with Nappa."
"Still, Cui's earlier statement is interesting," Zarbon said, glancing at his fat companion for a few seconds, "He mentioned a 'strange horse creature' before my scouter exploded, though it made me think of another report we received twenty-three years ago. The failed assault on Planet Meka, if my memory is correct."
"Yes, I remember that day," their master said, recalling the number of lives he had taken on that day, "The scouts came back and declared that they had been beaten by two small horse creatures, which resembled small children with 'pony' features, another child that they though was Vegeta, but weren't entirely certain if they were right or not, and a large number of 'odd' people. The imbeciles thought that Lord Beerus would take some time out of his busy schedule to raise a few young creatures for his own purposes, much less be on a vacant planet and attack them without a reason. Blew those bastards up for their insolence is what I did... set an example for everyone else."
One of his underlings exited the house he had been raiding and handed over the fourth Dragon Ball, the reason they had come to this village in the first place, which was quickly handed over to Dodoria for safekeeping. Once that was done one of the other underlings mentioned that he knew the location of ten more Namekians they could torture for information or their Dragon Ball, which put a slight smile on their master's face.
"Well then, let's move on and find the village that the fifth Dragon Ball is located in," their master replied, to which everyone moved into the air and headed in the direction that the underling had pointed in, though that was accompanied by a few more words, "...before Vegeta's presence on this pitiful planet ruins my good mood."