Betkas's Decision

()(A lot of people seem to care about my use of "..."... It's just a habit of mine... So don't worry about the little details. By the way, one reader suggested I post more pictures of the protagonist. It's got me racking my brains... I went ahead and made a few pictures of the protagonist as a Super Saiyan... In a bit, I'll post a picture of him in his normal form, before I edited it with Photoshop, for you all to see...)

"Hey... Nappa... Finish up what we're doing on this planet, then head to Earth..."

Vegeta glanced at Nappa, then spoke with a cold laugh.

"Hm? To that low-class planet?!"

Nappa was taken aback, but then he understood.

"It sounds a little far-fetched... but the Dragon Balls the Bald Kid mentioned, according to what Raditz told us, should be real... If we make a wish and get eternal life, the universe will belong to us Saiyans..."

Vegeta spoke in high spirits. Nappa's heart stirred at the words, too. Eternal life... It held an irresistible allure for anyone. Even Frieza couldn't escape its appeal, let alone two ambitious Saiyans like Nappa and Vegeta...

As long as they could gain eternal life, Frieza would no longer be so terrifying... Neither Vegeta nor Nappa could resist such temptation, so they both decided to go to Earth...

"But... what about Betkas? Should we ask him to come with us?"

Nappa suddenly thought of Betkas and spoke up... Vegeta's expression darkened, and his face shifted again and again... Just as Nappa thought Vegeta was about to blow up, he heard him speak in a cold voice: "Let him know. If he doesn't want to come, so be it!"

Nappa immediately went into the spaceship and began pressing buttons, sending a message...

Meanwhile, Vegeta thought carefully about how things had changed over the past few years...

When it came to Betkas, Vegeta felt deeply wounded. It was like a psychological shadow. Ever since the gap between them had continued to widen, he'd never given up chasing after Betkas, but nothing had changed. Instead, the gap in their strength had only grown...

Although they'd seen each other from time to time over the past few years, they'd barely spoken... And more than anything else, Betkas had made him feel the "shame" of being an older brother who was "weaker" than his younger brother... That was why he was always irritated. Even after destroying several planets to vent his anger, gloom still clouded his face.

But that wasn't what mattered most... What mattered was something Vegeta had once said while pointing at Betkas...

"I'm the strongest Saiyan in the universe! Don't get too cocky!"

Betkas had given a simple reply, but it had still made Vegeta's heart tremble...

"Yeah... I believe you can even become the Legendary Super Saiyan, the one who'll be invincible in the universe..."

There'd been no mockery in his voice... no falsehood. He'd answered with complete sincerity...

Those words Betkas had spoken were why Vegeta hadn't split off from him into opposing factions. Instead, they'd preserved their one remaining connection. After all, they were brothers. An ordinary person might have felt proud to have a powerful younger brother like Betkas, but Vegeta's pride made him feel all the more pressured...

"Vegeta, I've sent the message... I hope that guy really does come. Then we'll truly be invincible!"

Nappa sounded eager and excited...

"Hmph... Even if he comes, it'll take him a long time. Don't forget, he's currently carrying out a mission assigned by Frieza. If he changes course without permission, Frieza will definitely get suspicious."

Vegeta pushed aside a branch blocking his way, then climbed into the spaceship and spoke...

"That's true... That just goes to show Frieza doesn't trust us Saiyans at all!"

Nappa found that perfectly reasonable and replied...

"Hmph... Of course he doesn't trust us. He just can't see what Betkas is thinking. From what I know of that guy, it seems like he's waiting for something... Frieza has no idea, which is why he's held back from suppressing Betkas."

Vegeta snorted, then looked at the hatch as it slowly closed and spoke... Their spaceships rose into the sky together and shot off toward distant Earth...

...Shameless scene break...

"Hm. A message?!"

Betkas had been sleeping alone in his spaceship when a light suddenly flashed inside it, waking him. He checked the message that had come through and opened it...

"So you want me to team up with you and go to Earth to find the Dragon Balls? Heh..."

Betkas glanced at the message Nappa and Vegeta had sent and gave a faint smile... But then his expression changed...

Betkas quickly reached up with his left hand, removed his scouter, and crushed it without hesitation...

"Good thing I did that early... Now Frieza won't know what I'm doing here... I should notify Vegeta, too. Otherwise, if Frieza really does pick up on this, things could get ugly..."

Betkas looked at the pieces of his scouter and began sending a message... But the next moment, his expression shifted...

"Damn it!! I've entered a magnetic zone at the worst possible time... Damn!"

Betkas's face darkened instantly. In a zone like this, all electronic communications would become unstable... If he sent a message, it might end up going straight to Frieza's headquarters... If that happened, everything could take an unpredictable turn...

"Is this fate?!"

Betkas sighed faintly and checked how long it would take to leave the zone. He discovered that this magnetic zone was enormous... The planet he was heading for was at its center. He couldn't use communications until he got out of the zone. It was too dangerous...

"Looks like history is bound to follow its course... I can't turn back without permission, either. The mere fact that my scouter mysteriously disappeared would be enough to make people suspicious..."

Betkas sighed faintly, knowing he could do nothing about it... All he could do was silently pray that Vegeta and the others wouldn't say or do anything they shouldn't...

"Looks like I'll have to finish this mission as quickly as possible, then go keep an eye on Frieza. I need to see what he plans to do next... But I absolutely can't let Frieza go to Earth. That would throw everything into chaos!"

Betkas suddenly made up his mind and immediately pushed his spaceship's speed to the maximum...