Vegeta's Moment to Shine

Heaven is unfair, and Vegeta had no way to change that, but one thing was certain: he was not about to admit defeat.

He had finally caught a glimpse of the path to becoming a Super Saiyan; once he achieved that form, what did Kakarot even matter?

Vegeta and Son Goku locked eyes, both seeing an unyielding fighting spirit reflected in the other.

A wave of energy surged into the sky as Son Goku and Vegeta charged once more toward where Slug stood.

In the distance, away from the spaceship, Gohan and Krillin chased after the direction Son Goku had vanished, their eyes brimming with tears.

Slug felt no desire to fight these two ant-like beings.

He was feeling a pang of regret over Zarbon, a subordinate he had been on the verge of breaking into submission.

In this universe, anyone with a combat power exceeding 20,000 could be considered a formidable talent.

Take Cui, for instance; although he hadn't reached 20,000, he was still a decent subordinate, to say nothing of Zarbon, who possessed a combat power of 29,000.

The likes of the Cold Force or the Ginyu Force were enough to dominate a region, had they not encountered monsters like King Cold and Frieza.

He also felt a twinge of regret that the Saiyan who had planted the Tree of Might had managed to escape; he would have made an excellent subordinate.

Wait—those two idiots who had dared to attack him earlier seemed even more suitable for recruitment.

Both of them were far stronger than the Ginyu Force; why had he just swatted them away with a single blow?

However, they shouldn't be dead yet. Should he go over and take a look? If he healed them, perhaps he could make them serve him!

Action followed thought; Frieza was too much of a monster, and Slug dared not openly rebel against him, but surely he could recruit a few subordinates to do his bidding?

After all, he was a man who called himself a Great King!

Just as he prepared to rise and investigate, the two he had swatted away returned. Not only did they show no signs of injury, but they even appeared full of vigor.

What the hell was this?

The two of them looked like their combat power had increased!

Did Saiyans possess such a talent?

At this moment, Slug felt a sense of threat—and it was intense!

When that spiky-haired man in the orange gi had turned his aura red earlier, his strength had skyrocketed fifteen-fold!

Even if they were still just ants, the growth rate of these ants was alarming!

Vegeta was the first to launch an offensive, though Slug didn't take his mere 2,000,000 combat power to heart.

But what was with that golden light that kept flickering?

Every time that golden light appeared, the hair on Slug's body stood on end, as if some ancient, ferocious beast were hiding within that glow.

Son Goku watched as Vegeta, relying on that intermittent golden light, managed to tangle with Slug, and he fell into deep thought.

The dust kicked up by the battle did not affect Frieza or Bulma; Frieza was eating his steak with a knife and fork, lost in reminiscence.

Seeing Vegeta and Son Goku reappear, a smile touched the corners of Frieza's mouth, for he could sense the hidden strength within Son Goku.

Going from 90,000 to 2,000,000 in a heartbeat—even Akira Toriyama wouldn't dare write something like that!

Yet, it had happened!

In the state of the 20-fold Kaio-ken, Son Goku possessed a combat power of 40,000,000.

Moreover, Son Goku's combat instincts were superb. Once he truly clashed with Slug, combined with the Saiyan trait of increasing power through rage, Slug might not be able to hold out. It seemed he would have to go giant.

Sigh, if he had known, he wouldn't have killed King Cold so early; they would have made decent stepping stones for Son Goku and the others.

A pity~

But he had no regrets!

As long as King Cold lived, he could not rest easy!

If Son Goku was relying on the Kaio-ken to contend with Slug, then Vegeta's current form was quite interesting.

If you called it a Super Saiyan, it was unstable; if you said it wasn't, the combat power reached 40,000,000 whenever that golden light flashed!

The boost wasn't as high as a full Super Saiyan transformation, but it was already terrifying.

"Ah~~ da-da-da-da!!"

"Bug! Bug! Bug!"

Vegeta grew more spirited with every strike, and Slug cursed loudly, gradually unleashing more of his power.

BOOM!

WHOOSH~~!

After another exchange of blows, Vegeta's state shifted. A ring of golden light appeared around the perimeter of his white aura, and this ring of golden energy was remarkably stable, unlike the flickering light from before.

However, his hair and eyes remained unchanged.

Frieza chewed his tough steak, clicking his tongue in wonder.

"Vegeta's talent is truly impressive. Without any extreme emotional trigger, he has actually achieved a pseudo-Super Saiyan state, and his combat power has stabilized at 40,000,000! Not bad, not bad at all!"

Bulma watched the projected battle on the screen, gripped by unbearable tension.

She did not know what a Pseudo Super Saiyan was, but she could see that Vegeta was still at a disadvantage.

That was correct; Vegeta was indeed at a disadvantage. After Slug went all out and erupted with a combat power of 65 million, Vegeta could no longer hold his own.

Furthermore, the Pseudo Super Saiyan form consumed a massive amount of stamina, not much different from the Kaio-ken. Vegeta could not maintain this state for long.

"What a pity. He has yet to master the technique for a true transformation. It seems Vegeta is going to lose."

Frieza shook his head and finished the last piece of steak on his plate.

"Let's go. We should head to the scene as well. Don't you get tired of craning your neck to watch like that?"

Ignoring Bulma's eye-roll once again, Frieza flew toward the battlefield first, moving at a leisurely pace as if he were just out for a stroll.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Vegeta was still struggling to hold on, trading punches, knees, and whip-kicks. His moves were wide and aggressive, a style of fighting that went head-to-head with Slug.

The golden aura on his body was indeed magnificent, but the combat power gap was there. Slug was no novice; he had fought his way up through countless punches and kicks.

With a gap of 25 million, the scales of victory were rapidly tipping in Slug's favor.

Moreover, Slug had yet to use his Giant Form. In this battle, Slug was as steady as could be!

"Ah!! Da-da-da-da~!"

After trading another heavy blow with Slug, Vegeta used the recoil to fly rapidly into the air.

The Prince Style had arrived!

Previously, Vegeta had either been one-shotting his opponents or being one-shot himself, leaving him no opportunity to unleash the Prince Style, which had left him burning with frustration.

Energy blasts shot from Vegeta's hands as if they were worthless, moving much faster than a Gatling gun. Krillin and Gohan, at any rate, could not even track them.

They only felt waves of terrifying energy descending from the sky, making Krillin's bald head shine with an intense, brilliant glow.

Bulma had only just gotten closer when she felt like she was going to die; she couldn't even maintain her flight.

The crucial thing was that she felt a sudden, intense urge to urinate.

"Galick Gun!!!"

After maintaining the output for a full half-minute, Vegeta let out a final roar and unleashed his signature move, an energy wave remarkably similar to the Kamehameha.

Regardless of the energy wave itself, Vegeta's shout was truly extraordinary; it even scattered the dark clouds in the sky.

Son Goku looked at Vegeta's position and was instantly horrified!

"Vegeta, stop! Are you trying to destroy Namek?!"

Son Goku dared not imagine the terrifying consequences if Slug stopped standing his ground to resist and instead dodged out of the way.

"Mouth Blast!!"

From the center of the explosion, Slug's voice rang out, followed by an energy beam even thicker than the Galick Gun, which collided directly with it.

Son Goku breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed the opponent didn't want Namek to be destroyed either.

Wait!

Come to think of it, Son Goku—and even Vegeta—didn't even know the name of their opponent?

What kind of battle was this, anyway!

But never mind, as long as there was a fight to be had~~

Huh, that person falling headfirst toward the ground... is that Bulma?