On an uninhabited planet not too far from Earth, Frieza and Vegeta stood a hundred meters apart. With their arrival, the planet's weather had even begun to change.
Especially when Vegeta roared and unleashed all his power, transforming into a Super Saiyan. The gloomy sky brightened.
When someone's power reached a certain level, even the heavens had to make way for them.
On Earth, Son Goku and Piccolo were sparring on Mount Paozu while also training Son Gohan. The moment Vegeta transformed, their movements abruptly stopped.
Piccolo and Son Gohan also looked up at the sky with grave expressions.
"That's Vegeta's ki! So strong! What kind of grueling training has he been through this past month?!"
Son Goku was puzzled. When he'd returned to Earth, he'd been fifty million points stronger than Vegeta. Now his own power level was only five hundred million. His growth had been much slower than Vegeta's.
"Dad, the other ki seems to belong to Frieza. It's terrifying. I feel like my heart's going to stop!"
"Come on, Gohan, Piccolo. Let's go see what's happening!"
Son Goku grabbed them both by the shoulders, then used Instant Transmission and appeared directly on the uninhabited planet where Frieza and Vegeta were.
Frieza was now completely enveloped in purple energy, which surged skyward in a terrifying display.
Even from Earth, Son Gohan had barely been able to withstand it. Now that he felt it up close, he wanted to drop right onto his backside.
"Gohan, if you want to become a true warrior, you have to find the courage to face anything!"
To be honest, Piccolo was also astounded by Frieza's ki. The gap was so enormous that he couldn't even summon the courage to fight him.
But could he admit that?
Of course not. He couldn't admit it, and he couldn't let Gohan be afraid, either. Otherwise, he wouldn't be a worthy master.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho! Son Goku and Piccolo have come too. Why don't all three of you attack me together? It'd be better to die at my hands than at the hands of the Androids!"
As for Son Gohan, with a power level of 300,000, he was trash in Frieza's eyes.
If Piccolo's power level hadn't also surpassed one hundred million, Frieza wouldn't have paid him any attention. Even now, he still didn't take him seriously.
Vegeta's face darkened. He didn't want to admit it, but Frieza's ki really was far stronger than his.
However, his fierce pride wouldn't let him accept Frieza's offer!
"No! This is a fight between the two of us. I won't allow anyone else to interfere!"
"Prepare to die, Frieza!!!"
Thud! Thud-thud-thud-thud!
A power level of five hundred million was nothing to scoff at. Frieza had hit a bottleneck, stuck at the eight-hundred-million mark, but he was still more than strong enough to handle Vegeta.
Whoosh~
Vegeta began using Shift, appearing each time in a place Son Goku and the others hadn't expected.
"Shift really is troublesome. At the same level, Vegeta could dominate with it!"
Son Goku didn't want to admit it, but Shift really was more suited to combat than Instant Transmission.
However, Son Goku soon realized something was wrong.
Not once had Vegeta's Shift succeeded. It was almost as if Frieza could use Shift too!
"How is that possible? Frieza can use Shift too?!"
"What?!"
Piccolo and Son Gohan were astonished, but after watching for a little longer, Son Goku slowly nodded.
The fight between Frieza and Vegeta continued, but once Shift proved useless, Vegeta began to struggle to defend himself.
Thud! Thud-thud-thud!
Boom! Boom-boom-boom!
Vegeta was now completely on the receiving end of the beating, with no chance to fight back!
"It's impossible! It's impossible!! Why?! Why?!"
Boom!!!!
Frieza swept his tail across Vegeta and sent him crashing into the ground, where he left a huge crater.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho! Mr. Vegeta, it seems I've learned this Shift of yours too! And my power level is higher than yours, so there's nothing you can do to me!"
"Impossible... impossible..."
Vegeta lay in the middle of the crater, still in his Super Saiyan form. That proved he hadn't actually been seriously injured.
"No... no... no!! I'm the strongest Saiyan in history! I'm the Prince of the Saiyans! I won't lose! I won't!!"
"Ah! Ah! Aaaah!!"
Whoosh!!
Vegeta powered up again, sending the stones on the ground flying. They burst into dust in midair.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho! They weren't kidding when they said Saiyans got all their power from shouting!"
In that instant, Vegeta's ki surged to eight hundred million, matching Frieza's!
"S-so strong! Vegeta's ki is now on par with Frieza's!"
Piccolo cried out in shock. Only now did he realize just how ridiculous Saiyans were. Their rate of growth was completely beyond reason!
"No, Piccolo, you're wrong. Vegeta's fallen into a trap. Look at how much the muscles all over his body have swelled. He's stronger in this form, but that doesn't necessarily mean he can defeat Frieza!"
Son Goku sensed something was wrong. He had a feeling Vegeta had gained power by sacrificing certain attributes.
Speed, for example!
If he couldn't keep up, he couldn't land a hit. No matter how strong he was, it would be useless!
"Wait, Son Goku, you're forgetting that Vegeta can use Shift! He can use it to close in on Frieza quickly, giving his strength a chance to count!"
Son Gohan's eyes lit up. He immediately looked at his father, convinced that Uncle Piccolo had a point!
Son Goku still shook his head.
"No. I'm impressed that Vegeta came up with this approach. Combined with Shift, it does give him a lot of options, but you've forgotten something!"
"Frieza! He can use Shift too, and he's already faster than Vegeta!"
In the blink of an eye, driven by his fierce pride, Vegeta transformed into the bulky Super Saiyan form, then used Shift to appear behind Frieza.
Vegeta poured all his strength into that punch. He was confident he could smash even a planet to pieces with it!
Whoosh~
Things turned out completely differently from what Vegeta had expected. His punch struck empty air!
More precisely, it hit the afterimage Frieza had left behind!
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Vegeta, Vegeta... you've really gone backward!"
Frieza appeared behind Vegeta. For once, he wasn't smirking. He simply chopped Vegeta on the back of the neck with the edge of his hand.
Vegeta's whole body jolted. A wave of weakness washed over him, and his Super Saiyan form dropped away against his will. He began falling toward the ground.
Judging by his posture, he was about to land headfirst again.
"I get it. If Vegeta used that move against someone who didn't know Instant Transmission or Shift, he could definitely catch them off guard!"
"But against someone like Frieza, who knows Shift, it's completely useless. And his lack of speed becomes even more obvious!"
When it came to anything related to fighting, Son Goku was never slow on the uptake!
That was something everyone agreed on.
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