Tarble didn't answer right away. His sharp gaze swept across the empty space.
Just moments ago, he'd clearly felt someone watching him, but now that feeling had mysteriously vanished.
Still, he quickly guessed who it might have been.
One of the Kais?
Or East Supreme Kai and the others?
Or perhaps the Angel Whis?
In this universe, only those few had the ability to spy on others from a distance.
As for the other gods outside this universe, he didn't think they'd have the time or inclination to spy on a universe ranked near the bottom in terms of mortal level.
If they did, they must have been bored out of their minds.
After mulling it over for a moment, he turned his gaze away.
"Big brother, I just felt someone watching me from the shadows."
"But when I tried to sense them in that direction, I couldn't find anything."
"Maybe I sensed it wrong!"
After hearing Tarble's words, Vegeta immediately breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
He'd thought a powerful enemy had shown up—one he couldn't even sense!
He furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, recalling the three people with unusual identities but low levels of strength from several years ago.
Realizing they were very likely spying from the shadows, he said coldly, "I think I know who was watching you!"
"Don't worry. They're no threat to you."
"They just have a few special abilities!"
"Hmph!"
He felt nothing but contempt and disgust for this kind of spying.
He cast a sharp glance at the empty space and glared hard, making his displeasure clear.
If they hadn't had some connection to him, he would've cursed them out.
Then he turned away and looked back at Tarble, his gaze growing heated again.
He was just about to speak when he suddenly sensed Son Goku's energy.
At the same time, Son Goku's voice rang in his ears.
"Hey, Vegeta!"
Turning toward the voice, he saw Son Goku in an orange-red gi, waving at him with a broad grin.
Just seeing that face made Vegeta inexplicably irritated. He glared at him and gritted his teeth. "Kakarot, what are you doing here?!"
"I never invited you over. You can't just barge in whenever you feel like it!"
"Do you think this place is your house?"
Vegeta's words of displeasure didn't bother Son Goku in the slightest. He grinned and walked right up to him.
"Don't be so stingy, Vegeta."
"Besides, isn't this Bulma's house?"
Ouch!
Critical hit!!!
That last sentence sent Vegeta into a towering rage.
"Kakarot!!!"
(｀⌒´メ) Furious!
Feeling Vegeta's murderous glare, Son Goku realized he might have said the wrong thing. He quickly waved his hands and gave an awkward smile. "Sorry, sorry."
"I said the wrong thing, hehe!"
Then, without waiting to see if Vegeta had calmed down, he turned his attention to Tarble.
In truth, his attention had been on Tarble from the very beginning.
His good buddy Vegeta had only gotten a greeting on the side.
Seeing and feeling the powerful aura of Super Saiyan 4 at such close range made him grow excited.
"You're Vegeta's younger brother, Tarble, right?"
"I heard you reached this... Super Saiyan 4 form after training for just over a year."
"That's amazing!"
"Hey, Tarble, would you fight me sometime?"
Whenever Son Goku got excited, he loved to bounce on his feet.
Right now, his feet were moving so fast they were a blur, as if he had a supercharged motor installed in them.
His expression was so lovestruck that he was practically shoving his face into Tarble's. Tarble instinctively leaned back a little.
Before he could answer, Vegeta rushed over and yanked Son Goku away.
"Kakarot, get out of my way."
"If anyone's fighting him, I'm going first. You don't get to cut in!"
When it came to fighting strong opponents, Son Goku wasn't about to back down. He shouted indignantly, "What are you talking about, Vegeta?!"
"I asked Tarble to fight me first, so I should go first!"
"You're second!"
At that, Vegeta flew into a rage. "Get lost!"
"I'm his big brother. I go first!"
"You're second!"
There was no way he'd let Son Goku go before him!
The two immediately started trading insults, arguing without end.
Over the trivial question of who'd go first, they put on a full-on scene like two fishwives squabbling in the street.
Tarble and Rix exchanged glances at the sight.
Those two really were a pair of vexatious buddies.
As Tarble silently shook his head, he also sensed Son Gohan and the others rapidly approaching. They'd be there any moment.
So—
With a thought, he returned to his normal state.
The aura around him dropped by a factor of 4,000 as well.
The obvious change in his energy caught the attention of Vegeta and Son Goku, who were still bickering.
In an instant, the two dropped their argument in perfect unison and appeared right in front of Tarble.
"Tarble, you're fighting me first!" Vegeta said, his tone close to a command.
After saying it, he felt he'd been too forceful, so he added, "I'm your big brother!"
Son Goku widened his eyes and protested, "Vegeta, you're so sneaky!"
"You're using that to pressure Tarble!"
Vegeta glared at him and snorted. "Hmph!"
The next second, though, he looked rather pleased with himself.
"Kakarot, Tarble's strength has completely surpassed yours now!"
"Tarble is the strongest Saiyan warrior!"
"We Royal Saiyan warriors really are the strongest, hahahaha!"
He'd expected Kakarot to refuse to accept it and argue back.
He never imagined the other would admit it so readily.
Son Goku nodded earnestly and said loudly, "Yeah!"
"Tarble has completely surpassed me now!"
This left Vegeta somewhat surprised.
But Son Goku continued, "I've been trying to figure out how to break through to the next level for a long time."
"I never expected Tarble to be the first to surpass Super Saiyan 3."
"Tarble's talent is far greater than ours."
"Lord Kai already told me Tarble reached his current level of strength in just over a year."
"That's incredible!"
"I thought I'd be the first to surpass Super Saiyan 3, hehe~"
"Tarble, after you spar with Vegeta, could you spar with me too?"
Now he knew he might not be able to beat Vegeta to the punch, so he'd have to settle for second.
After all, all he wanted was a chance to fight someone as powerful as Tarble.
He'd argued with Vegeta earlier because he couldn't stand it.
He'd asked Tarble to spar first, and then Vegeta had suddenly butted in.
When it came to fighting, he wasn't one to give up easily.
Especially when his rival was Vegeta!
But now that he saw Tarble had returned to his normal state, he assumed Tarble wasn't interested in fighting.
So who went first no longer mattered that much.
Before you continue