Get a Foothold in Ultra Instinct as Soon as Possible

Vegeta froze, eyes wide as he stared blankly at Linoshi.

His pupils contracted sharply, and the color drained from his face at a visible speed.

A brief silence.

The cockpit was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Hmph, what kind of joke is this? You're saying Frieza's Combat Power is 120 million!" Vegeta said, deeply skeptical, his voice rising an octave without him realizing it.

"Yes." Linoshi nodded lightly, her voice barely audible, as if she thought she'd said something wrong.

She lowered her eyes, her fingers once again rubbing the hem of her Battle Suit.

"You just said... your older brother told you?" Vegeta asked again, his brows furrowed so deeply they could crush a fly. "Who's your brother?"

"Ah... my brother is... He heard it from people in the Frieza Force, too. It shouldn't be false." Linoshi hurriedly made up a lie, her blue eyes flickering with unease.

At the same time, Linoshi sighed to herself, suddenly feeling a little worn out.

It really took several lies to cover up just one.

"Impossible! That's absolutely impossible!" Vegeta shook his head and bared his teeth, disbelief written all over his little face. "How could Frieza's Combat Power be that high?"

"All right, all right. Kids don't need to ask about this stuff. Hurry up and go take care of your own business!" Reiz patted Vegeta on the shoulder, signaling that he could get lost.

"Y-You... What did you say? I'm not a kid!" Vegeta shouted through gritted teeth, his little face turning bright red.

"Thwack!"

Reiz wasn't about to indulge Vegeta's bad habits. He stepped forward and struck him on the back of the neck, hitting his mark.

The movement was swift and precise, the force just right.

"Thump!"

Vegeta toppled to the floor and passed out on the spot, his small body lying motionless on the cold metal floor.

"Much quieter now!" Reiz let out a long breath, a relaxed smile appearing on his face.

"This... this isn't right, is it?" Linoshi looked at the unconscious Vegeta on the floor, her blue eyes full of worry. "What if the king finds out..."

"So what if he does? He can't beat me anyway." Reiz laughed, completely unconcerned.

"You... You have a point." Linoshi nodded. After thinking it over, she realized she couldn't really argue with him.

"I need to train hard, too. I'll do my best to get a foothold in Ultra Instinct as soon as possible, before we reach Planet Cereal." Reiz said thoughtfully, his gaze turning resolute.

"I'll stay with you!" Linoshi said softly, her blue eyes gazing at him tenderly.

"Sure." Reiz readily agreed.

Three minutes later.

Reiz and Linoshi entered the Training Room.

The Training Room here was much like the one aboard Vegeta's spaceship, a circular chamber roughly ten meters in diameter.

Energy-absorption devices were embedded in the walls all around them. The floor was made of a special alloy, and the ceiling lights illuminated the entire space.

Once inside the Training Room, Reiz once again cleared his mind, slowly closed his eyes, and quickly entered a state of no-thought.

His breathing grew steady and deep, and he seemed to merge with his surroundings.

That mysterious feeling welled up inside him again. His body felt like a pool of spring water; he could sense the air currents, the fluctuations of energy, and everything around him.

Linoshi stood guard nearby, never leaving his side.

She stood quietly at the edge of the Training Room, her blue eyes fixed on Reiz without blinking.

The light fell on Reiz, outlining his tall figure and focused expression.

The corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly, revealing a tender smile.

Time slipped by.

Frieza's spaceship.

The main control room was brightly lit, with various instruments flashing a deep blue.

Beyond the huge porthole, Planet Vegeta hung motionless in space, its blue surface especially conspicuous against the darkness.

Frieza remained seated in his baby carriage-like flying pod, hovering in midair.

He narrowed his triangular eyes as he gazed out at the vast cosmos and the blue Planet Vegeta amid the stars.

His purple lips curled slightly into a meaningful smile.

Just then, the hatch opened automatically, and a tall figure walked in.

Zarbon, another of Frieza's trusted aides.

He was handsome, with long green hair and a neat uniform, and every movement of his exuded elegance.

He came up behind Frieza and bowed respectfully.

"Zarbon, is something the matter?" Frieza asked without turning around, his gaze still fixed outside the window.

"Lord Frieza, Dodoria's communications suddenly went offline!" Zarbon reported, a trace of concern in his voice.

"What? Did his Scouter break?" Frieza snorted, not at all concerned, and lightly tapped his fingers against the armrest.

"We're still investigating the exact cause." Zarbon bowed again and hurriedly continued, "But strangely... Dodoria's spaceship suddenly changed course! It's no longer pursuing Vegeta and the others' spaceship. Instead, it's heading toward the eastern universe."

"The eastern universe?" Frieza's brow furrowed slightly, his expression turning cold. "Isn't that Cooler's territory?"

He paused, his gaze sharpening further.

"What? Is Dodoria unhappy working for me, Frieza, and planning to defect to my older brother Cooler?"

Zarbon didn't respond.

He simply didn't know how to answer that, so he kept his head lowered and remained silent.

"Have you found out which planet Dodoria's spaceship is heading for?" Frieza asked, turning around and narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Dodoria's spaceship has disabled its communication system, so we can't contact him!" Zarbon reported. "It looks like he's heading for a planet on the edge of the eastern universe, apparently called Planet Cereal. We conquered that planet a few months ago and sold it to the Xita Organization."

"Oh? Planet Cereal?" Frieza mused, his fingers stopping their tapping. "I remember the Hugors have already moved there."

"Y-Yes." Zarbon nodded and cautiously asked, "Lord Frieza, should we send someone over to take a look?"

Frieza pondered for a moment.

"Send Cui to take a look," Frieza said after a brief pause, issuing his order.

"Yes, Lord Frieza." Zarbon bowed and prepared to leave.

"Cui is no match for Dodoria. Once he sees Dodoria, have him report back immediately!" Frieza added, his tone icy.

Cui received the order soon afterward.

He was short and thin, and always wore a sycophantic smile.

He didn't dare delay after receiving the order. He immediately boarded a spherical mini-spaceship, detached from Frieza's flagship, and sped off in pursuit of Reiz and the others' spaceship, bright flames blazing from its rear.

Cui's spaceship was fairly fast, too. It streaked across space like a beam of light.

He pursued them for several hours.

Starlight rushed past the porthole, with nothing but endless darkness all around.

"I should be catching up soon, right?" Cui muttered to himself, staring at the tracking data on the screen.

"Bang!"

The spaceship suddenly struck something, producing a dull thud as the entire vessel shuddered violently.

"Ow!" Cui was jolted out of his seat, his head nearly hitting the ceiling.

The next instant, the ice shattered, fragments drifting in every direction through space.

"What was that? How did I hit some ice?" Cui muttered, momentarily stunned. He rubbed his aching head and frowned, but didn't think much of it.