"Alright, alright, I was wrong!" Karnel raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I was away for so long because I was chasing down a terrifying enemy who wanted to destroy Earth. I left in such a rush that I didn't have time to explain anything."
Bulma crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Karnel, you're an untrustworthy jerk! I don't want to hear your excuses."
"It really was an emergency," Karnel said earnestly.
The girl remained stubborn for a while, but eventually, she let out a sigh and decided to focus on updating him about what had happened while he was gone. As she recounted the events, Karnel couldn't help but note how closely this timeline had followed the original story, yet with its own unique twists.
"So, not long after I left for the future world," Karnel mused as Bulma continued her explanation, "Goku, Piccolo, and the others took off in that spaceship Dr. Briefs and you built, heading for Namek based on King Kai's coordinates."
Bulma nodded. "That's right! But when they got there, they ran into Frieza and his entire army. Apparently, Frieza was after the Namekian Dragon Balls too."
Karnel's expression grew thoughtful. He realized that Frieza's knowledge of the Dragon Balls could be traced back to his own earlier actions. When he had first informed Frieza about the Black Star Dragon Balls and their wish-granting power, the tyrant had become obsessed with immortality. After being healed, Frieza had sent his forces across the galaxy searching for more information, eventually discovering Namek.
"They encountered the Ginyu Force first," Bulma continued. "Along with some of Frieza's other lieutenants like Dodoria and Zarbon. There was this huge battle, but eventually, Goku and the others managed to defeat them all."
Karnel nodded.
"But then they found Frieza himself threatening this little Namekian named Dende, trying to force him to use their Dragon Balls to make him immortal. Goku couldn't just stand by and watch Frieza bully someone, so he stepped in to stop him."
"That sounds like Kakarot," Karnel chuckled.
"Meanwhile, Vegeta had been secretly following Frieza. He didn't even know about the Dragon Balls at first, he was just looking for a chance to kill him. But even after all his training, Frieza was too strong. Goku using Kaio-ken times twenty still couldn't win."
Karnel could picture the scene clearly, it matched his past-life memories.
"Then Super Piccolo showed up!" Bulma said with excitement. "After fusing with that Namekian named Nail, he dominated Frieza's second form. But Frieza transformed into his third form and killed Piccolo."
Karnel felt a pang of sadness but stayed silent.
"Goku eventually recovered and came back stronger, even saving Vegeta with a Senzu Bean before fighting Frieza's third form. But Frieza transformed again into his final form, and that's when..." Bulma hesitated. "That's when Krillin died. Frieza killed him right in front of Goku."
"And that triggered it, didn't it?"
"Yes! Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan and overpowered Frieza. Even at full power, Frieza couldn't win. He would have been finished off, but King Cold arrived and rescued him."
"Then Namek exploded," Karnel said.
"Exactly! But Goku survived and ended up on Yardrat."
Karnel leaned back, processing everything. "How familiar this all sounds," he murmured, "like I just watched a movie..."
Bulma tilted her head. "A movie? Well, maybe next time you're not busy saving the world, we could see one together."
Karnel chuckled. "We'll see."