"My lord... the item you requested has been finished!" Just as Betkas was nodding off, the catfish-headed alien from before reminded him nervously.
"Oh, it's finished already?" Betkas rubbed his bleary eyes, then took the new Battle Armor. It felt surprisingly heavy.
"Not bad. It hasn't even been an hour. If I need anything else, I might come back." Betkas tested the weight of the clothing in his hands, then quickly took off his own Battle Armor and changed into the new set, smiling as he did.
"...Please take care..." the catfish alien said respectfully. Betkas, meanwhile, struggled to walk, taking one step at a time. Each step felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and his feet thudded against the ground. Thump! Thump! Thump!
Betkas was glad Vegeta hadn't woken up yet, giving him time to get used to the Weighted Clothing. Otherwise, he would definitely have given himself away! He struggled toward his room, silently feeling relieved. The clothing really was uncomfortable. He'd done weight training on Planet Vegeta before, but aboard Frieza's spaceship, there was nothing like a planet's gravity. For Betkas, the difference was enormous.
When Betkas reached his room, he paused to catch his breath, then sat down and removed his scouter. He used it to check his own power level.
Beep beep beep!
Power level: 4,452.
After checking, Betkas put his scouter back on and thought, My power level's dropped by three hundred. That's good. At least no one will notice anything for a while.
Now I can try training. I wonder where Frieza's in such a hurry to go. He's certainly in a rush!
Betkas glanced at the universe streaking past outside, feeling a little puzzled. Even so, he wasn't going to waste time he could spend training. While Vegeta was still asleep, he especially needed to get used to his body under the extra weight, so he wouldn't give himself away later.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6..." Without further ado, Betkas started doing one-handed push-ups. Two-handed ones weren't enough for him anymore; one-handed push-ups were better. If his body could handle it, he'd even try doing them with one finger. This kind of pure physical training was the best.
Time passed like this. Betkas waited for Vegeta and Nappa to wake up, but ended up waiting nearly four whole days. It left him speechless. Training for four days had increased his power level to over 4,500 while wearing the Weighted Clothing. Without it, he estimated he'd be close to 4,800.
Even though his power level under the extra weight hadn't surpassed Vegeta's, Betkas was still taken aback. If he kept training this way, he might really surpass Vegeta. Perhaps Vegeta had used his scouter to see that Betkas's power level was close to his own, because he'd started training hard too. He absolutely wouldn't allow another Saiyan to be stronger than him. If anyone could be stronger, it had to be him!
Watching the two of them train so hard, Nappa could only join in. If he fell behind, an enemy might kill him one day, and he didn't want that. So the three of them trained in silence, without exchanging a word.
Then, one day... Frieza's spaceship suddenly landed on a technologically advanced planet. Someone came over to warn them.
"This is the planet where Lord Frieza's father, King Cold, resides. If you don't want to die, keep your heads down and behave. Even Lord Frieza has to follow the rules here. There are even rumors that Lord Frieza's older brother, Lord Cooler, has arrived."
Hearing the warning, Betkas broke into a cold sweat. He hadn't expected all three of the universe's great emperors to gather here. He didn't know why they'd come together, either, so he had no intention of leaving the spaceship. This wasn't Frieza's territory. Here, Frieza was arguably the weakest of the three emperors.
If someone picked a fight with them, it wouldn't be pretty. So, for the sake of his life, Betkas wisely chose to stay aboard. But perhaps out of curiosity, Vegeta decided to go take a look. Betkas wanted to stop him, but knew he couldn't. He could only follow reluctantly, and Nappa went along too. The three of them stayed with Frieza's main group instead of wandering off alone, to avoid causing trouble. Vegeta understood that much; otherwise, he'd have disappeared already.
"Zarbon, Dodoria, make sure you keep those fools from doing anything stupid. This isn't our territory."
Frieza seemed to have received some news and needed to discuss it. He suddenly turned to Zarbon and Dodoria.
Zarbon and Dodoria nodded solemnly. "Understood, Lord Frieza!"
As soon as they finished speaking, Frieza rose into the air and flew toward a massive building ahead.
That must be Cooler! I can't sense his energy, but the pressure he gives off is incredible. Still, in the end, he'll just be another meal.
Betkas noticed Frieza had already left. Then a figure who looked about as powerful as Frieza flew past him in an instant, and he thought to himself:
Once we get back, I need to come up with an excuse right away. Otherwise, I won't be able to increase my strength much. The universe is full of unpredictable dangers. It's really hard to get used to.
Betkas glanced at his comrades, all of whom were sweating. He didn't know what kind of planet King Cold lived on, but its gravity was ten times that of other planets. Many of them weren't used to it and were sweating profusely. Even Vegeta was struggling a little. Betkas was sure it was only difficult at first, though. Once Vegeta adjusted, he'd become just a little stronger.
For Betkas, however, it wasn't much of a challenge. He was tired, but only because he hadn't adjusted yet. Once he got used to it, he'd be fine.
Before you continue